running with the fox

[robin wood]

Just thought I would mention this superb book on the natural history of the fox. Written by David Macdonald who did a groundbreaking PhD which exploded many myths about fox ecology, not least about what they ate. The best bits are published in "running with the fox" a good read and now it's a few years on it is very cheap second hand.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?bt.x=0&bt.y=0&sortby=3&sts=t&tn=running+with+the+fox

 

[mayfly]

Good book. One of many interesting conclusions based on his pretty thorough research, regardless of what you think about the killing of sentient creatures for 'sport', is that generally fox hunting with hounds is good for fox populations: by de-emphasising other more deadly forms of population contol and by encouraging the planting of fox coverts on thousands of farms around the country, and so on. Were you intending to prompte a good fox-hunting debate Robin

Chris

 

[robin wood]

Good book. One of many interesting conclusions based on his pretty thorough research, regardless of what you think about the killing of sentient creatures for 'sport', is that generally fox hunting with hounds is good for fox populations: by de-emphasising other more deadly forms of population contol and by encouraging the planting of fox coverts on thousands of farms around the country, and so on. Were you intending to prompte a good fox-hunting debate Robin

Chris

Nothing was further from my mind Chris and to be honest foxhunting debates are unlikely to be interesting and just result in folk getting upset.

What I do find interesting is that before this PhD and book there was so little accurate scientific knowledge about a creature that we have been so close to for so long.

 

[mayfly]

Yes, you're right. Anyway, I agree that it is definitely a good book, well worth a read. Chris

 

[hammock monkey]

looks very interesting - thanks for the info, its on the list!

looking fwd to reading it!

cheers

 

[Cyclingrelf]

Hey - looks interesting! We've got lots of foxes on the moor around our sheep farm. The cubs often play in the fields with the lambs and adult foxes take shortcuts past our sheep at all times of year. The sheep don't mind at all. Different matter with the free range hens we used to keep - the foxes were coming and taking them in the middle of the day moments after we'd turned our backs. So we stopped keeping hens