The Daily Mail is carrying more information on the terrible attack by an urban fox on the two infant daughters of high street fashion designer, Pauline Koupparis.
And the Mail columnist, Rory Knight Bruce, reflects on the problem of the urban foxes and their romanticisation in the wake of the fox hunting ban: -
"Too many urban dwellers adopt a soft-hearted attitude to these predators, who are foolishly seen as cute, cuddly and clever. It is an outlook that can be seen in whimsical films such as the recent smash hit The Fantastic Mr Fox, based on the book by Roald Dahl. Similarly, Labour’s ban on fox-hunting encouraged a mawkish eagerness to romanticise this aggressive creature – a pathetic instinct that was symbolised when Labour MP Mike Foster held up a furry toy fox outside Parliament to celebrate the passing of the legislation.
I wonder if all those animal rights champions feel quite so pleased with themselves after the tragic news that an urban fox in North-East London has appallingly mutilated two young twin girls. This incident exposes the claims from the so-called animal rights brigade that urban foxes don’t pose a danger to humans or pets
... So, given all the problems that the urban fox causes, what can be done to counter this menace? By law they cannot be gassed, poisoned or killed in lethal traps. The only effective methods of control are either shooting or the use of humane traps, but these have to be done by professionals. It is an offence, for example, to use a firearm near a highway or inhabited property.
One thing is certain – we cannot allow the situation to continue. Previous generations never sentimentalised the fox, instead holding him to be an enemy of mankind. One 16th century chronicler wrote that ‘his nature is deceitful, malicious, crafty, covetous, rapacious, perfect in all villainy’. We should learn from this. In reality, there is nothing fantastic about Mr Fox."
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You contradict yourself. You allude to Fantastic Mr. Fox and refer to it as an animal and yet you somehow blame the animal for doing what it is meant to do? IF the animal did this (there is still an if, the animal is about to be persecuted without trial and there are still two little girls in hospital, they are hurt and this needs to be investigated) then fox hunting comes back, how do you excuse stag hunting, hare coursing? Do you suppose gun-toting, fox hating vigilante's in the city?
ReplyDeleteWell, I see the bleeding heart liberals who value animals above human life are EVERYWHERE. Unbelievable. I hope they bring back fox hunting.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I'm afraid I'm not contradicting myself. Firstly, because I did not write the Mr. Fox allusion, I merely quoted it. Secondly, because I do not really care about foxes - I care about children.
ReplyDeleteThere is no "if" about this. The infants' wounds are all concurrent with those that only a fox or similar feral beast could inflict and there is actually footage of it leaving the Kouparris's home. What we might need to investigate are segments of society who are quicker to call for an inquest to see if humans are to blame rather than animals, rather than sustain so much as one blow to the often ludicrously over-sentimentalised "animal rights'" lobby.
You also say that it's absurd to punish an animal for doing what animals are simply supposed to do. I agree. Equally, it's absurd to condemn man for doing what he is supposed to - defend his young and his community. Urban fox populations are a menace and a problem; the area in London where the attacks occurred had a sustained problem with it over the last few years. The columnist I quoted states elsewhere in his column that he is not advocating a restoration of fox-hunting per se - and he does not mention other forms of hunting - but that we must consider the necessity of humane traps for foxes in urban areas.
I don't think we should kill animals for the sake of it, but after a tragedy like this it's clear to me that something must be done about urban foxes. I consider myself a liberal and I care deeply about animals, but when human lives are taken by those animals I believe that people's safety comes first. Fanaticism is never a good thing, wherever it comes from...
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