A planned badger cull in Wales has sparked a huge protest from animal welfare supporters. The Welsh Assembly believes the cull is justified because badgers carry bovine TB, which costs the tax payer £24m a year in compensation for farmers. The protesters say a vaccine, currently being trialled, would immunise them against the disease and would avoid the need for them to be killed.
As an animal lover, I’m instinctively with the protesters – the government should cancel the cull and wait for the vaccine. However, two recent incidents are challenging my opinions on animal rights.
I have always hated fox hunting. It’s a cruel and vicious sport enjoyed by Hooray Henrys with no conscience, and nothing will change my opinion on that. However, urban foxes are becoming a very real problem.
It seems Nature is taking revenge on Man for destroying much of their natural habitat, forcing foxes to scavenge for food on our territory. Plastic bin bags left out overnight – my neighbour’s was scattered all over the pavement this week – are the attraction. Although some boroughs have wheelie bins for their household rubbish, in Stockport we don’t. Glass and paper recycling, yes, rubbish, no. And I’m sure we’re not the only ones.
But the seriousness of this issue was rammed home this week when twin baby girls were mauled by an urban fox as they slept in their cots after it entered their London house through patio doors left open because of the heat.
In urban England there are 27 foxes per square mile. Up to now there has been no record of a person being seriously injured by one, apart from when it has been defending its cubs, although one old lady was bitten on the leg when she went into her garden late at night to feed her cat.
However, my dog was killed by a fox which came through the cat-flap at my home in the dead of night.
Ronnie, a cocker spaniel, fought fearlessly but was bitten several times on the leg by the thin-shouldered intruder which managed to escape the way it came. The poisonous bacteria in the fox’s teeth caused a huge abscess which triggered a blood disorder and he died a few months after the attack.
I was devastated by the loss and the dog’s suffering, but thought it was just a freak accident, a stroke of bad luck. But when foxes start attacking humans, we need to rid ourselves of romantic images of them frolicking with their cubs on our lawns, and start considering whether some serious precautions need to be taken in the form of pest control.
At the very least, before some in-depth research is done into the seriousness of this issue, every borough in the country ought to have wheelie bins for household rubbish – it’s common sense. And that’s something I never thought I’d hear myself saying because I hate the things.
Foxes are beautiful animals that don’t deserve to be hunted down and slaughtered. But when Man starts to bear the brunt of Nature’s backlash, even the animal lovers among us have to accept that He needs to take control in whatever way is the most humane. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Bouncers on the school bus?
I read with some dismay a letter in Postbag from a 72-year-old lady who had witnessed a disturbing bullying attack on a schoolboy on the No 17 bus from Middleton.
Mrs Comrie witnessed a bully pour a bottle of orange juice over the boy’s head while girls were cheering him on to do it.
The lady wanted to do something, but was too scared and has been so haunted by it since she has asked M.E.N readers what they would have done.
Well, I can understand Mrs Comrie’s fear.
A friend of mine in a similar situation, complained to the bus driver, who was not interested and when he complained to the bus company, never got a reply – and we wonder why people don’t want to use public transport.
The only solution I could think of would be, as they were schoolchildren and presumably in uniform, she could find out which school it was and complain to the headteacher.
Schools are very attuned to tackling bullying these days.
Another solution would be for the bus companies to hire bus bouncers to keep the peace – but as they can’t be bothered to answer people’s complaints, that’s highly unlikely.
How sad.
Cowell's on top of the world
Simon Cowell may be receiving accolades for his BGT and X Factor contribution, but in the words of Shania Twain, "that don’t impress me much".
What does impress me, however, is that he is the mastermind behind the best World Cup anthem we’ve had since 1990 when New Order released World in Motion featuring John Barnes rapping.
The James Corden and Dizzee Rascal anthem, Shout For England, although unofficial, is already such a hit that it’s being released early.
What’s more, The Cowell’s not going to benefit personally for once, as all the proceeds are going to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Suddenly, I’m in the mood for soccer. Shout, shout let it all out... come on Eng-er-land!
And while we’re on the World Cup theme, Fabio Capello need not worry about goalie David James’ struggle to be fit for Saturday’s match against the United States because the nation witnessed an easy replacement on Sunday night.
TV presenter Jamie Theakston proved himself more than capable when he saved a handful of penalties in Soccer Aid 2010.
He may even have conceded a few goals, dare I say it, intentionally, to keep the match going thereby boosting charitable donations to the £2m mark for UNICEF. James, watch yer back, mate.
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"I have always hated fox hunting. It’s a cruel and vicious sport enjoyed by Hooray Henrys with no conscience, and nothing will change my opinion on that. However, urban foxes are becoming a very real problem."
Sound like you have more of a problem with the upper class than the fox hunting.
We could cull dogs and babies and then they would be less likely to be savaged by the foxes.
I've had calm discussions with some of those who go out fox hunting and although I am also an animal lover, We agreed that foxes can be a serious problem especially with chickens etc. I don't have an issue with a farmer needing to protect his coop but I do have serious issues with the red coated hunters who charge fortunes to their friends for the 'pleasure' of sending dogs to rip the fox to pieces alive, that is simply barbaric and outdated.
Foxes moving iunto the suburbs is caused mainly because their natural habitat is diminishing through over development as well as some people's bad habit of leaving rubbish bags in their yards because they couldn't be bothered to take the bins out the week before and those leaving chips and pizza's lying round on the ground etc
How arrogant
Ignoramus - can you expand on your "how arrogant" comment, please?
I'm all for bringing back Fox-hunting,and now even more so in Urban areas..lets have those Hooray-Henry's on horseback jumping my 6 foot wany-lap fence with an 10 foot drop on the other side onto a tarmacadam car park...Whilst I sip on a Pimms,and toast their inept horsemanship.
I think Diane has said all that is needed to be said. I hear Simon is going to give all his money to the animal world when he dies?.
Maybe they should bring back a conductor for the school run period and on troubled routes. He might be able to keep things calm. Maybe the driver should have a tannoy system so he can explain that the bus will go no further and the police will be called if they don't stop the antics.
[quote name=diane cooke]Ignoramus - can you expand on your "how arrogant" comment, please?[/quote]
Yes of course - I find any talk of elevating humans above animals as quite arrogant, and this article definetly did that. You have portrayed "Man" as some sort of noble steward of the Earth, responsible for everything in it.
"It seems Nature is taking revenge on Man for destroying much of their natural habitat"
Who? Nature doesn't exist, and if it did we would be so intrinsically a part of it that we would not be able to define it like this.
And a foxs "natural" habitat is where ever it happens to be living, dont you think these foxes were born in the cities where they live?
Ultimately I think we are salty bags of meat and bones no more in control of our destiny than a fox.
There is nothing wrong with fox hunting like there is nothing wrong with burning ants with a magnifying lenses, or eradicating all those nasties on your toilet.
[quote name=lovinthebanter, Manchester]There is nothing wrong with fox hunting like there is nothing wrong with burning ants with a magnifying lenses, or eradicating all those nasties on your toilet.[/quote]
Or running disabled people over - some of them can be pretty useless
"lovinthebanter, Manchester wrote:
There is nothing wrong with fox hunting like there is nothing wrong with burning ants with a magnifying lenses, or eradicating all those nasties on your toilet.
Or running disabled people over - some of them can be pretty useless "
Some chavs are useless aswell while ur at it.
[quote name=Ignoramus, Manchester]Yes of course - I find any talk of elevating humans above animals as quite arrogant, and this article definetly did that. You have portrayed "Man" as some sort of noble steward of the Earth, responsible for everything in it.
"It seems Nature is taking revenge on Man for destroying much of their natural habitat"
Who? Nature doesn't exist, and if it did we would be so intrinsically a part of it that we would not be able to define it like this.
And a foxs "natural" habitat is where ever it happens to be living, dont you think these foxes were born in the cities where they live?
Ultimately I think we are salty bags of meat and bones no more in control of our destiny than a fox.[/quote]
Er... I think you'll find nature does actually exist.
Dogs attack more people per year than foxes, I don't see anyone calling for a cull on them.
I wouldn't support one either, just food for thought. I don't think foxes deserve to be exterminated because of a one-off incident because we've encroached on their natural habitat by building cities over it for years.
The fox in question has been destroyed (if indeed it was a fox and not a coincidence). Let's leave it at that, eh?
Diane, I do sympathize with the loss of your dog but i also think that the attack on the children in London will be eventually seen as a very rare occurrence. We live in a very rural area here and I have already recounted the story on the MEN City pages of how my wife Joan once grabbed a marauding fox by the tail when it invaded our henrun. But I really cannot see urban attacks becoming more prevalent. I, too, am dead against foxhunting. O.K, we have more to lose than most as we have around twenty hens and 8 ducks. But we need to remember that all animals have to live and cruelty towards them is an over-reaction. Humane killing is one thing. Revelling in their being ripped apart by hounds is another. Killing for food, o.k;. Killing for self-protection, also o.k. Killing for sport? Never o.k.
I think Farmers can be a serious problem especially with chickens etc!
Leaving your doors wide open in Hackney, I think they are lucky it was only a fox
I think we need to cull Bernard Matthews as he is worse for those chickens than the foxes.
Beeeewwwwwdifulll.
People attack people... Why no cull?
Why not perform a giant cull of Wythenshaw and let the foxes live there?
"Why not perform a giant cull of Wythenshaw and let the foxes live there? "
Typical NIMBY responce, we can't be having that up on our private estates, I mean they will be distractions during our wine and cheese tasting night at Alfreds, while we watch pride and prejudice and talk of the goods old days of the fuedal system when the pesent knew who he was and we could marry our cousins legitamately without the need for modern day cover ups
"Why not perform a giant cull of Wythenshaw and let the foxes live there?"
Why don't you go down there and suggest it, don't worry you should be safe high up there on your horse. What, not a dare to, thought not.
Diane, equally, to paraphrase, nature needs to act if man fights back.
Just remind us of the ratio of attacks on children by people, compared with animals. Or, as another commentator has previously mentioned, of attacks by dogs on children - or adults - for that matter.
I am sorry for the loss of your cocker spaniel in such circumstances but, please, let's have some perspective rather than knee-jerk journalism. Your readers deserve better, and you (usually) deliver better.