...Urban Foxes...
...They occupy our suburbs on a
Timeshare Basis -
it's our territory by day and theirs by night.
THE SUBURBAN TIMESHARE is a story
of people and foxes
sharing a Manchester suburb.
BROWSE THE BOOK / READ A SYNOPSIS
SITE INDEX..Fox Story
--------------- Fox Character
---------------- Fox Hunting
--------------- Fox Information
----------------Fox Picture
My Aim: To entertain a few animal enthusiasts, and anyone else with an interest in wildlife and wildlife stories, in e-books, free books, and especially fox books.
FOX STORY
THE SUBURBAN
TIMESHARE by Albert Hillel
ISBN - 1-59109-664-2
SYNOPSIS
This is Urban Foxes: The Novel. Set in a suburb of South Manchester, the story focuses on four neighbouring households, one of which is a family of foxes. The book is episodic in form, touching on a day here and a night there. The days belong to the people and the nights to the foxes (hence, The Suburban Timeshare), and the structure of the book reflects this pattern of life, with alternating chapters switching between human and fox viewpoint. Often there is an overlap between the chapters just as people and foxes overlap at dusk and dawn, interacting warily though amicably, each puzzling over the other's nature.
The portrayal of fox behavior is realistic rather than anthropomorphic. (In other words, far removed from the Talking-Bunny approach.) Indeed, though my main purpose is to tell a story of our time, I would like to think that, by the end, the reader is reasonably well-informed about the ways of a fox. Novel questions arise: We may feel that we have developed a genuine friendship with an animal in the wild, but how does the animal see it? And what are the chances of meaningful communication between humans and wildlife?
There are four sections, covering four consecutive years from cubbing time to the next mating season. The total four-year period spans the lifetime of one particular fox, from his birth to his death. He is a member of the first litter born in the area, so this period also represents the first few years of contact between people and foxes.
When the foxes first arrive, they evoke the usual mixed feelings - surprise, curiosity, some admiration, some fear. But over the ensuing years the human neighbours find that their lives are enriched in unforeseen ways. Emotional bonds develop, sufficiently powerful to cause both rapture and pain. A kind of love.
READ A REVIEW
(from Tregolwyn Book Reviews)
plus some readers' comments.
BUY ONLINE from
Or order from your local bookshop, quoting ISBN 1-59109-664-2.
FOX CHARACTER
A Personal View - Foxes are all different just as we are. But, in general, the typical fox is sensible, cautious and level-headed. He is far less pugnacious than many other carnivorous mammals: he does not look for trouble; he does not pick a fight; if faced with a challenge, he will calmly walk around it if at all possible. If a fight cannot be avoided (e.g. there are cubs to protect) then he will do whatever is necessary, and do it bravely. If a person were to have a fox-like personality, we would call him well-adjusted. He may not be Chief-Executive material, but you would probably be happy for your daughter to marry him.
This profile is based on the observation of innumerable interactions between our local foxes and their competitors - the latter being several neighbourhood cats and one badger who took up residence in the area for six months. The badger managed to kill two fox cubs from a litter of four, after which we witnessed a confrontation between him and the two parents which left us breathless with admiration for their bravery and also for the intelligence with which they co-coordinated their tactics. Blood was not spilled, and actual physical contact studiously avoided. But, within minutes the badger was persuaded to leave the area, followed at a safe distance, one on each side, by his tenacious escort.
- Are they vicious? - Like all predators, they are
fierce, relentless and pitiless towards their prey.
But they are not nearly so powerful or energetic as
their reputation suggests. The false picture arises
from the bones of large animals (e.g. cats and dogs)
seen near their dens. These are usually the remains
of scavenged corpses (dead lambs in the countryside,
road kills in the town).
I find it remarkable that, while foxes have shared our suburbs in the UK for the past sixty years, there is just one solitary case on record of a child being attacked by an urban fox [evidently a brain-damaged animal in that incident on 26 June 2002]. The same cannot be said for urban dogs, whom we call "domesticated".
The classic example of The Massacre in the Hen-coop is not a case of viciousness - it is natural behavior in an unnatural situation. In the wild, where the fox's instincts evolved, it makes sense to kill as many prey as he can, before eating any, since he does not know how long it may be till he kills again. In a natural environment, this might mean killing two prey, rather than one, before they scatter. In the hen-coop, the natural instinct leads to an absurd result, with more hens killed than can possibly be eaten or cached. The solution is to make hen-coops secure, rather than allowing the fox in and then punishing him for behaving naturally.
- Are they vermin? - No, not in any sense that I can recognize. In fact they play a role in controlling vermin - rabbits and various rodents in the countryside; rats and mice in urban areas.
- Are they cunning? - Yes. And they seem to take pleasure in exercising their cunning. I once saw a fox elaborately steal a morsel from a cat for no other credible reason - there were similar pieces of meat strewn around the area which he could have picked up with no effort. The cat was crouched beside a tree, chewing his food. The fox (whom we knew as Romeo) weighed up the scene and then pretended to dart at the cat around one side of the tree. He withdrew immediately, and darted around the other side. This was repeated several times, back and forth in a steady rhythm - there was clearly no intention of making contact. As the cat became disoriented, a gap opened up between him and his food, and Romeo was able to snatch it quite easily.
FOXHUNTING
For many years there has been a powerful campaign in the UK to ban foxhunting, which now appears to have succeeded. As a fox lover, I agree with this. But I am afraid it was done too hastily - the consequence could be an increase in the killing of foxes, or even their complete extinction in the countryside.
Mounted foxhunts have killed some 15,000 foxes per year. Several hundred thousand are killed by us in other ways. Gamekeepers alone account for more than 100,000 per year and the farming community dispatches at least that number by gassing, trapping and shooting. Members of the hunting fraternity actually claim to like and admire foxes - they have always wanted to conserve fox numbers, albeit for their own peculiar purposes. The other fox killers of the countryside community largely despise foxes and would like nothing better than to annihilate them utterly. Practically the only thing which has prevented this up to now is the consideration given to the wishes of the hunting squirarchy.
I wonder how many people realize that when a farmer loses a lamb and suspects that a fox is responsible, the local foxhunt will pay him compensation to prevent a retaliatory massacre. And if the number of foxes drops too low in an area as a result of such massacres, the local hunt will import them or breed them up in protected sites. But of course I'm speaking of the past; from Feb. 2005 these safeguards will no longer be available.
I often think that many of those who want to ban hunting immediately are concerned about the welfare of people rather than that of foxes - they believe (quite rightly) that foxhunting is a barbaric sport and has no place in a civilized society. But I wish we had not rushed into this without careful consideration of all the consequences. If we claim to care about the foxes, then, first of all, we should have ensured that they will be safe when their odd protectors have been removed from the scene - not an easy matter, since the real fox-killers are much more difficult to target than the highly visible fox-hunts.
I hope that my prediction turns out to be wrong. I guess we're going to find out over the next few years!
In all fairness, I
should give some indication of the strength of feeling behind the anti-foxhunting
campaign. The following passage is taken from a message sent to me by Martin Hemmington,
the Director of the National Fox Welfare Society:
"I was called out by a lady who runs an animal sanctuary. For
obvious reasons, with livestock like this, she had written to her local hunt and
politely asked them not to hunt on or around her land. Two days later,
a decapitated fox cub was placed on the lawn next to the picnic area. The first person
to see it was her six-year-old son. We went to collect the body and arranged for
an autopsy. This revealed that the cub [about four weeks old] had more than 36 bite marks
consistent with an attack by a terrier. It had also been hit twice on the back,
breaking the spine in two places (all this before death). And then, after death, it
was decapitated, moved from the original place of the killing and placed on her lawn! Both
the pictures and autopsy results are available if you would like to see them.
The only person aware of her letter was the Master of the Hunt to which she wrote.
This incident gained no publicity because the lady didn't want any more retribution
considering that she had a large number of domestic animals on site. This is just
one of many examples in which the hunts send out a warning. Many of these cases
involve a dead fox left outside the door or nailed to a tree."
For masses of information about hunting visit the website of
FOX INFORMATION
- Fox Books
- Red Fox The Catlike Canine, J David Henry, Smithsonian Institution Press 1996. [Superb book]
- Running with The Fox, David Macdonald, Unwin Hyman 1987. [Excellent]
- Urban Foxes, Stephen Harris and Phil Baker, Whittet Books 2001.
- Country Foxes, Hugh Kolb, Whittet Books 1996.
- The Red Fox, H.G.Lloyd, Batsford 1980.
- For a fictional treatment, The Suburban Timeshare. - Fox Links
- Animaltrek - Wildlife Encyclopaedia/Directory
- The Wildlife Trust (The Fox Year)
- Mammal Society (fact sheet)
- National Fox Welfare Society
- Lord Burns' Hunting Inquiry
- Urban Fox Ecology
- Mammal Research at Bristol Univ.
- The Fox Project
- Foxwatch Ireland
- Sarcoptic Mange
- Fox Bibliography [VickiFox]
- The Fox's Life [Lazyfox]
- Labour Animal Welfare Society
- Mike's Fox and Furry Page
- OzFoxes FoxWeb
- Scamp - Journal of an adopted Gray Fox
- The Countryside Alliance ( for the sake of balance)
- Fox Groups - A breeding pair (who mate for life) plus a few other adults (usually relatives). The territory ranges from a fraction of a square mile (in town) to several square miles (in the country). The group is tightly knit between March and August while the cubs need care (all the adults contributing); otherwise they sleep and forage independently, meeting occasionally during the night for social activity and recreation.
- Fox Life - A 10-year life span, but only an 18-month life expectancy (because we kill them). The annual life-cycle is predictable: Mating - January; Cubbing - March; Rearing of cubs - April to August; Dispersal of yearlings - October to January.
- Fox Food - Almost anything (like us). I've seen foxes eagerly take a dry crust when food is scarce. But, given a choice, they like meat, cheese, and sweet over-ripe fruit (raisons are much favoured).
- Fox Control - A euphemism for the routine killing of foxes for the purpose of preventing a population explosion. An unnecessary and pointless practice since foxes control their own population. By some hormonal mechanism [probably associated with the vixen's diet during pregnancy], they adjust the size of the litter in response to the population density and the availability of food. Thus there cannot be a population explosion. And the culling of foxes merely leads to a compensating increase in the average litter size.
Personal Information
My name is Albert Hillel. I am a retired
academic scientist who succumbed to the allure of the urban
fox when our neighbourhood was first invaded by these enticing creatures sometime during
the mid-late 1980s.
