Foxes - Strange behaviour after the thaw

GizAGoOfYerGee · 01-01-2011 04:04AM #1

Ever since the thaw, I have heard foxes barking louder and more often than ever before.

They start as early at 7PM and bark well until 5AM. They are coming closer to the house, barking and mating in the garden under light, which they have never done before. Very unusual.

Has anyone else in the fringes of South Dublin noticed this?

Perhaps they are making up for lost time?

RandolphEsq · 01-01-2011 01:06PM

Cycling home from work at 2am last night I heard what sounded like a raping in Stephen's Green. As I listened more it became clearer that it was a fox or some animal screaming away.

star-pants · 01-01-2011 10:41PM

Yeah a fox's scream can be bloodcurdling! It's horrible to hear outside your window!

Seems some of the animals got lulled into a false sense of spring after the first snow & subsequent thaw, when the temperatures started to rise slightly, they thought it was spring & therefore began to mate. (happened with rabbits so I've been told) So this might be affecting other animals too, when the temperature goes up after the freezing weather, the thaw might be tricking them into believing it's spring and they're mating too early.

Run_to_da_hills · 02-01-2011 11:27AM

The poor critters are starving in this weather, people should show compassion and leave out food scraps, dog food, milk etc for them and all this commotion would soon stop.

Praetorian Saighdiuir · 02-01-2011 02:12PM

My aunt in Dalkey handfeeds them at her door....i think its only right, poor feckers.

Run_to_da_hills · 02-01-2011 02:57PM

benwavner wrote: »

My aunt in Dalkey handfeeds them at her door....i think its only right, poor feckers.

If you look after a young fox it will become very loyal and friendly. These are very intelligent creatures and should be protected.

Praetorian Saighdiuir · 02-01-2011 09:50PM

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If you look after a young fox it will become very loyal and friendly. These are very intelligent creatures and should be protected.

I agree. In the summer I noticed an increase of foxes around the Dalkey/Killiney area, on the roads and in the gardens. mainly when I was driving.

Since then if we are driving that way, myself and the OH will make sure we bring whatever spare meat we have in the house and toss it out the car window to the foxes as we crawl by.

Poor feckers:(

thebullkf · 02-01-2011 09:54PM

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If you look after a young fox it will become very loyal and friendly. These are very intelligent creatures and should be protected.

i was told the opposite

..... you can never tame a fox,....

Bradidup · 03-01-2011 12:22AM

thebullkf wrote: »

i was told the opposite..... you can never tame a fox,....

You only hear that from fox killers (Hunters)

Foxes make the most adorable affectionate pets.

I would love to have one as a pet now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjqkBcZLwVY

GizAGoOfYerGee · 03-01-2011 02:25AM

thebullkf wrote: »

i was told the opposite..... you can never tame a fox,....

That's a myth.

Though some animals cannot be tamed, usually due to their size, Foxes can be, and make good pets. They are not popular due to their menacing and "un-cute" look.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7898259.stm

In fairness, they do look a bit scary.. and that banshee bark! :eek:

On the extreme side, hippos are fierce animals, and kill the most people in Africa than any other animal. Yet, they can be tamed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPzIxh0sZTc

And lions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpsr8XTTm6U

Anyway, I'm glad this thread raised some awareness about our foxes. They are slowly but surely being pushed out of our suburbs with nowhere to go.

In Dublin, the fox population is decreasing, along with deer and badger.

Final thoughts:

The now extinct Irish Elk was the largest deer of it's kind in the World.

And don't forget about our wolves. They were a very important part of Irish life and mythology.
They became extinct on this island only 300 years ago.

Our anscestors called them 'Mac tíre', "Sons of the Land". They were highly respected but eventually died out. Your own dog has Irish wolf blood. Respect your dog!

And finally, the native Irish Eurasian Bear. It became extinct on this island about 1,500 years ago.

But you will be glad to know that some Eurasian bears are still living wild in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. Also in Russia and parts of Northern Europe.

But they are on the edge of extinction.

You will now understand how important foxes are in Ireland.

Listen to them bark and be happy that they are sill around, because they, too, will become extinct in Dublin County.

We have feck-all native animals left, so please respect the foxes.

ted1 · 03-01-2011 10:20AM

you shouldn't tame a wild animal.

Whiskey Devil · 08-01-2011 11:21AM

GizAGoOfYerGee wrote: »

That's a myth.

Though some animals cannot be tamed, usually due to their size, Foxes can be, and make good pets. They are not popular due to their menacing and "un-cute" look.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7898259.stm

In fairness, they do look a bit scary.. and that banshee bark! :eek:

On the extreme side, hippos are fierce animals, and kill the most people in Africa than any other animal. Yet, they can be tamed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPzIxh0sZTc

And lions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpsr8XTTm6U

Anyway, I'm glad this thread raised some awareness about our foxes. They are slowly but surely being pushed out of our suburbs with nowhere to go.

In Dublin, the fox population is decreasing, along with deer and badger.

Final thoughts:

The now extinct Irish Elk was the largest deer of it's kind in the World.

And don't forget about our wolves. They were a very important part of Irish life and mythology.
They became extinct on this island only 300 years ago.

Our anscestors called them 'Mac tíre', "Sons of the Land". They were highly respected but eventually died out. Your own dog has Irish wolf blood. Respect your dog!

And finally, the native Irish Eurasian Bear. It became extinct on this island about 1,500 years ago.

But you will be glad to know that some Eurasian bears are still living wild in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. Also in Russia and parts of Northern Europe.

But they are on the edge of extinction.

You will now understand how important foxes are in Ireland.

Listen to them bark and be happy that they are sill around, because they, too, will become extinct in Dublin County.

We have feck-all native animals left, so please respect the foxes.

I was completely ignorant to all of the above..

I saw what looked like a starving fox on Tivoli Road a few months ago and thought it was highly unusual.. obviously not.

Thanks for the really interesting post.

youcancallmeal · 10-01-2011 02:30PM

Bradidup wrote: »

You only hear that from fox killers (Hunters)

Foxes make the most adorable affectionate pets.

I would love to have one as a pet now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjqkBcZLwVY

That looks completely unnatural, the fox looks absolutely wired and startled.
Seems quite cruel to keep a naturally nocturnal animal awake during the day.
I can understand if the fox has been rescued or whatever but just getting a fox for sake of having it as a pet seems wrong.

delta_bravo · 10-01-2011 07:00PM

The person in the video said that the fox was just like a dog. For a person running a wildlife sanctuary he seems to know nothing about animals. He should have released it ages ago. It proabably has no experience hunting now so he has totally made it dependent on him.

Foxes - Strange behaviour after the thaw

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