Dead Fox Cub on A55.

[demicav]

Driving into Wales last week along the A55 we noticed a dead Fox Cub that had been hit by a car. It hadn't been dead long, was in good condition apart from the obvious and it was very young, poor baby. I've read that Foxes have their young in April but this youngster was no more than a couple of months old. Does anyone know if Foxes have a second litter ?

[Words]

I've not heard of second litters, and usually cubs are borm March/April, though I do recall last year seeing a report of a cub born much earlier than that (December approx if I recall correctly). At two months it would be still very young indeed, and very small, looking something like this:

[103mol]

How cute is that! I can not understand how people can call them vermin.

[naturelover]

i know this might sound stupid but,why cant the put a fence of somesort along each main road,this way the wildlife would be safe,i know it would cost more but so what,it costs enough any way so it wouldnt make much differance to their pockets,if the fences were made of none rust metal they wouldnt need maintaining,if i was in charge thats what i would make law.

[coasty]

Originally Posted by naturelover

i know this might sound stupid but,why cant the put a fence of somesort along each main road,this way the wildlife would be safe,i know it would cost more but so what,it costs enough any way so it wouldnt make much differance to their pockets,if the fences were made of none rust metal they wouldnt need maintaining,if i was in charge thats what i would make law.

I think if you fenced the roads this would do more harm by restricting the passage of animals from area to area. I know there seems to be a lot of road kills and I would prefer to see none. But when you consider the amount of times animals cross the roads ( mainly at night ) then the number is small by comparism. I am often out and about in the night,,,For work I should add and not dressed in a stripey jumper with a sack on my back. The number of animals you see crossing roads and even grazing the verges is astonishing...

[demicav]

Thanks for the replies guys. I now think the Fox was even younger than 2 months, looking at the photo above. It still had quite a flat face, you know the way they are when they're babies, like a puppy face. Maybe mum was moving them on at the time, I can only guess.

[flying red fox]

Its a shame when we see road kill along our journeys Once we hit a Pheasant, we swerved a bit but obviously we didnt want to slam into an oncoming motorist so the Pheasant was unfortunaly hit and didnt survive i think as my brother was driving on the same road 5 minutes behind us and saw it.

Its not their fault though, they see car headlights and go into a trance state or completly ignore them with disastrous results because cars are not their predators and have no smell to warn them and by the time they notice its too late.

Its best to say a praye for that animal, i did say a little one for the Pheasant we hit.

[animalb]

Yes it's awful to see dead animals. Sometimes they seem to be everywhere especially badgers atm where I live...I've killed a few animals, it breaks my heart, often they just jump out and there is nothing you can do.
Loss of habitat (intensive farming, housing etc) means that animals have to travel further to get food, meaning that they encounter roads more than they should.
I've seen a badger tunnel before in Sussex. I worried that it would be a hang out for badger baiters though...
Here is a good article about building wildlife bridges, which apparantly are prefarable to tunnels:

Motor Vehicles

[CurreHound]

Originally Posted by 103mol

How cute is that! I can not understand how people can call them vermin.

When you spend sleepless nights trying to sve orphan lambs by bottle feeding them and rubbing them back to life after already having no sleep for a week and digging the lambing ewes out of snow crifts and then a few weeks later this hapens maybe you will understand:
http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/Images/JCOK-69U6B7/$File/rmc_fox_lambs.jpg

Of course, they have the right to do that they are just trying to survive too; but something has to be done about it.

All animals are in a battle for rsours and cull opposition. Lion and leopard cull cheetah. and its not pleasant.

Tell me that city people allow the animals that prey on their animals would be not only toleratd but encouraged, allowd to breed etc. If farmers want to take out foxes they would do th same as city councils do and poison bait to take back to the nest to wipe out the young. this is not a fair or humane option therefore you have the Hunt.

But your question was simple:
why are they called vermin. vermin is :
vermin - definition of vermin by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

You apply a value judgement to it. Country people do not. It is by definition vermin. Doesn't mean it is saying they are scum or something.

Now why do you call these cuties vermin?
http://home.iprimus.com.au/jessicabl..._wild_rats.jpg

and when used about rats, it does carry a value judgement by most urban folk.
Sorry I love rats and used to have a pet one. HIGHLY intelligent and social.
To see them poisoned should always be last resort not first as it is in the city.

In the country they let them grow up and then the terriers disperse them or kill them. Quickly. Do you know how long it takes to kill and what effects poison has on your city "vermin" ? Not to mention up the food chain to owls and domestic cats etc.

as for the small cub at this time of year it does seem odd for a six month old.

it may also interest you to know vixens found killed on the road in late spring and early summer mean many farmers look for the cubs and hand rear them later releasing them miles away especially near rabbit warrens but away from game birds and lambs.
or of course kill them humanely to prevent them suffering.

Shame the car driver doesn't give them a second thought eh?

[animalb]

Hmmm I think humans fit the definition much better!

ver·min (vûrmn)
n. pl. vermin
1. Various small animals or insects, such as rats or cockroaches, that are destructive, annoying, or injurious to health.
2. Animals that prey on game, such as foxes or weasels.


ver·min (vûrmn)
n. pl. vermin
1. Humans, that are destructive, annoying, or injurious to health.
2. Humans that prey on game, such as foxes or weasels.


Back to roads and wildlife I just read this article about a new bypass being built in Newton where the planners are building four badger tunnels, cavaties and bridges for bats and reflective posts for deer.

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