Maintaining fox levels

[WaldoMcFroog]

Any Sunday Times readers about? I was at the in-laws on Sunday, and on the front page was a story claiming that an email from one senior member of the Countryside Alliance to another had somehow to to the Sunday Times. The email was talking about how they needed to safeguard fox levels as they were getting dangerously low. Obviously this would be a huge blow to the CA if true. However, the online version of the Sunday Times doesn't have this story. I can't help but wonder whether someone had had one over on the Sunday Times. As much as I would love it to be true, I can't help but feel cynical about this story. Did anyone else see it, and does anyone know any more?

[Oneeyedvic]

Although I have not read the article, I am always very sceptical about emails sent "by mistake". I mean, do you send an email and by accident cc [email protected]???? Isn't this also the paper that decided the Hitler Diaries were authentic?

[WaldoMcFroog]

I don't remember how the email made its way to the ST, but I doubt it was CC'd! Although the ST did indeed run the Hitler Diaries, that was a long time ago and the people responsible for that are long gone!

[Oneeyedvic]

This is taken from Animal aid - a website supporting the ban of fox hunting: There are estimated to be 250,000 adult foxes in the UK, producing about 400,000 cubs a year, most of which will die in their first year of life. Humans kill about 400,000 foxes a year so a ban on fox hunting, which kills about 20,000 a year at most, will have little impact. It also mentions that there have been cases of foxes being ENCOURAGED to breed to feed the hunt. http://www.animalaid.org.uk/campaign/sport/hunting.htm So in answer to your question, I think the ST are once again being bamboozled

[bernardo]

I haven't seen the specific atricle you're referring to, but it is (and has been for many years) a well-known and well-documented fact that the hunting people actively breed foxes in some areas to ensure that there is a sufficient supply for hunting. Of course, it makes nonsense of the claim that they need to do hunting in order to control fox numbers, as does the statistic about how mwny they actually kill in the hunt itself. I'm surprised that you seem to have been taken by surprise by this story; as far as I know it has never been any sort of secret. TTML

[archbishop]

Quite right Bernardo and Scotland has had a ban on hunting for 2 years now and the number of fox deaths have doubled. Mostly due to shooting.

[archbishop]

oops GAB - Bernardo

[FannyBrice]

Perhaps it's worth noting too that during foot and mouth, while fox hunting was banned, the fox population declined? Foxes have a hard life anyway, so there isn't really any need for hunting to control numbers. It's simply for the 'sport'.