Bad weather day

Well I`ve been to the cafe and had my breakfast, my daughter has just phoned to find out which day exactly she has to move in (to house sit) and they My wife and her are meeting up for shopping therapy in Guildford. Boy is the house quiet, just me and the box.


Last night whilst feeding the Vixen the lady next door stuck her head through the fence (yes there is a hole in it through which the fox transits with the food, taking it back to her cubs) and asked me if I would like to see her cubs as they were waiting in line at the bottom of her garden, which I did.

The mother was taking the food that I gave her and feeding each one individually (no free-for-all) in turn.

Her ( the lady next doors) three young sons 10,12,14, were each now able to hand feed her too and she was now quite at home with them.

Whilst I worry that we are destroying her ability to find food for herself!. Given that we have just gone over to secure wheelie bins from black sacks for our rubbish, I therefore console my fears with the thought that we are acting as a transition period, feeding wise, until she gradually gets back to her natural hunting (finds another heighbourhood that has black sacks for their rubbish). I watched the faces of the kids whilst feeding her and it was a joy to behold here was three young men that adored wildlife and were helping to nurture it in the community. OK only foxes but who knows what these little guys may go off and do as a result of this encounter. Game keepers, wildlife rangers, vets who knows what. I think its great!!

Already this has had an effect on the community as the lady next door at her daily staff meeting in a well known supermarket, was praised for taking the time to consider the local wildlife. Much to a disgruntled fellow members surprise " Bloody vermin" they said "crapping everywhere" to which she replied "not in my garden they don`t I only get the cats in mine doing that"
the disgruntled person is a cat owner owning 5 and living in a 1 bed flat Phew!!eeeee!

I love the wild life! I do miss my regular attendance at London Zoo when I was a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society. As one of the few priveleges, I could visit on a Sunday morning before the visitors were allowed in, it was a very special pleasure to me even though I don`t agree with animals in captivity, there is a very special need to keep safe a gene pool of the very rare and endangered species. Stud books are alsovery important (why arent I on one? Ah! I remember... thats self evident!) As a very fine line exists between the Zoos that exists for human pleasure and human need!

Whilst TV isn`t smelly-vision I don`t necessarily condone the keeping of the non endangered animals, although many of those are very quickly becoming members of the edangered list.

Yes TV does show us things like a now famous presenter (so called Zoologist and animal specialist sitting with Gorillas) but the cost of that was that the group of Gorillas now pinpointed by the large amount of equipment and personell needed to film it successfully, caused them to be slaughtered for bush meat immediately after the cameras left. What a price?????


One name that I do think that I should bring up at this juncture was a very "hard charging" lady fighting for the gorillas of Rhuanda, Diane Fossey, sadly killed by a "fellow part time ranger" it is believed her relationship with Digit and the rest of his group was a special turning point in animal rights (much like mine and my fox oh yes its all relevant :o))) forget those prats that stand outside vivisection joints with posters or beat up security guards so as to let out 2000 mink in Norfolk, which wiped out the fenland wild life in five year. We must all do our bit and the urban fox, to me, is as important as any other animal in the education of, the young and old alike, as to the importance animals play in the correct natural balance of this world that we live in. Pheww heavy!!!!!!!.............. Boy I really shouldnt get on my high horse!!! Now thats another point in the worls of Horse racin................ forget it Rob let it go!!!!!!!.......... dont get started again!!! :o))