Fox problem

[ronboy]

Hi just a thought but you can buy a device that pushes into the soil, that sends out a noise to send off rats, moles and cats or dogs. We used one on the farm to get rid of cats and it worked. LEGALLY, you cannot bury clinical waste particully near a water course. I used to have a big boys toy called a jcb, it did not go bang. Ronboy

[ronboy]

A thought just occured to me, dont we bury people when they die. Ronboy

[tikkathreebarrels]

A thought just occured to me, dont we bury people when they die. Ronboy

Oooh but not just anywhere on the farm. Dear me no. :lol:

Some of them naughty town boys as have crossed their dealers might end up in different pens of pigs (I don't know this to be a fact, I simply have an active imagination).

I suspect if you've been really, really naughty you could get buried anywhere without paying but otherwise someone has to be paid to let you feed the worms on their land.

Besides we aren't (I'm generalising, please bear with me) wild animals or livestock. There: said I was generalising!

[ovenpaa]

There was a famous murder years ago where the body was never found and was always assumed to have been fed to pigs, I always doubted this until I worked on a Turkey farm, a good sized one was flat on the floor one morning as stiff as a board so the farmer picked it up and threw it to the pigs next door, they went from happy go lucky snuffling things to something approaching a shark feeding frenzy in seconds and the turkey was gone in less time than it took to write this.

[dromia]

If you eat pig you'll eat anything.

[Robin128]

Remember the good old days when they were fed swill?

:P

[whoowhoop]

Can we just get something right here?
It is not illegal to release a fox back into the wild, which has been made captive.
Nor is it illegal to release a mouse back into the wild.
However, grey squirrels, mink, glis glis and other animals covered by the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1936 or The Pests Act ( such as rabbits) must not be released, but killed by an approved method ie decant into a sack and bash it over the head, or by shooting.
We looked very hard at the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 , to see if it would make releasing foxes an offence, but it is primarily aimed at domestic animals.
However, with the Protection of Wild Mammals Act and the recent Animal Welfare Act it is not completely black and white if somebody wants to take issue with anything concerning animals.
These last 2 laws, along with the Hunting Act and the dreaded Wildlife and Countryside Act are making it a bit of a minefield as the WCA in particular, is constantly being amended.
An example is the General Licence system which is what enables us to trap and shoot certain birds, shoot some all year round, destroy eggs and nests of some species etc.
Just don't enjoy it or you will definitely be breaking the law.
Sorry to harp on, but its my job.
Incidentally, apart from trapping, there are other effective ways of deterring foxes. Some things work well, some occasionally. Not all animals read the manual.

Oh, and some foxes do kill cats. And eat them.
We had some near the shoot which used to run out at people walking dogs, screaming sometimes.
Like some will actually go for people without provocation - Extremely rare, I know.

[ovenpaa]

A good reply Whoowhoop, you have opened my eyes to a couple of facts. It sounds like you have a very interesting and rewarding job as well.

[Robin128]

Isn't the glis glis protected under Section 11 (2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended)?

And to release an urban fox back into the wild may result in prosecution under animal cruelty legislation or the Abandonment of Animals Act.

[whoowhoop]

Rob, the Abandonment of Animals Act was intended for domestic pets. We looked at it to see if it could be used against the muppets who dump foxes, and it was a no goer. It is a native species, so can be released, relocated etc. Same as most deer species. Notice the "most". Not the same for muntjac ( only within 7 km of where found?) or sika, I beleive, although they seem to be accepted as naturalised.
Funnily enough, It is not specific offense to let a rat go either!
A lot of pest legislation was drafted when common sense was in abundance, not like now. The new acts have superceded the old, and some - like the Hunting Act - are left to be finalised by expensive test cases.
Glis glis, now my favourites. Difficult little buggers to deal with at the best of times. Now on General Licence.
Can also be trapped with the Solway Mk IV - which I don't find suitable. Not all cage traps will constrain the little sods either - they can squeeze through remarkably small holes. And as for killing them! male glis are pumped full of testosterone and just don't seem to want to die.
Thankfully, we seem to be having a lull with them this year. Famous last words, eh!

The General Licences can be found here:
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwor ... ences.aspx

It is up to the individual to check, at least annually, for any amendments or updates. A good idea to print them off towards the end of Jan, when they normally change.
At least then you will be able to give the correct answer when asked why you are shooting crows, trapping magpies, shooting woodpigeon or using a lamp to night shoot feral pigeons.

The most annoying thing is, I am here to try to solve peoples pest problems, but have my hands tied by poor legislation.
I could go on, but I need my beauty sleep so I will be fit for dealing with Monday's victims......