Fox rescue

[Onestepmore]

Wow, I stumbled across this group via one of my facebook friends.
I never even thought there were people who go around rescuing foxes, hand rearing them and rehoming them etc. Apparently there have been a lot displaced by the fires, and it's fox kittening season.
I had just assumed because they are a feral pest species (and so much money and effort goes into reducing their numbers!) that it would be against the law to keep them
This is not the case.
Just wow.

https://www.facebook.com/SydneyFoxRescue

"Hi, after some recent comments I wanted to take the opportunity to make people aware of the legislation regarding foxes in NSW, "Please note that in New South Wales you do not need a license or permit to own a fox according to the National Parks and Wildlife Act. As foxes are not a declared pest under the Rural Lands Protection Act 1998, there is no legal obligation for land managers to control them. Foxes may be kept in captivity, but it is an offence under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 to release them. Sydney Fox Rescue has also been in contact with the Livestock Health and Pest Authority, Department Of Primary Industries, The Office of Environment and Heritage and The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Services to confirm this." To download a pdf with more information see our home page at http://sydneyfoxrescue.com/"

[Nuts]

They're pretty intense pets. Probably less destructive than wayward cats.

[Moondog55]

We do some pretty stupid thing in this country but that is one of the silliest I have heard to date. Especially when the only wild life that wasn't road kill on my last trip were foxes and hares

[madmacca]

Keeping them as pets I can perhaps understand.

But going to the effort of rescuing a fox??? WT *$&#!

If only we could genetically engineer a fox that only/primarily went after rabbits.

btw, do foxes have kittens, or pups?

[Nuts]

Cubs, they are very cute when they are young but i'd expect they'll be a real handful when they get older unless given close attention.

[Onestepmore]

Baby foxes are called 'kits' for some reason

[Nuts]

'Kits', Iv'e never heard them called that. I understood their genetics were closely aligned with cats, maybe that's it?
I'm ok with 'cubs' but learn something new every day!

[Moondog55]

http://fractalfoundation.org/OFC/OFC-8-4.html
More closely related to bears and dogs

[Onestepmore]

OK, the lowdown on fox semantics
Most common word listed first, depends on area and vernacular

Female - vixen
Male - reynard, dog, tod
Several foxes - skulk, troop, earth
Young fox - kit, pup, cub
Group of new pups - litter

Kittening refers to the birthing process of foxes, rabbits, badgers, squirrels and beavers

There ya go!

[jackhinde]

Considering the bureaucratic hurdles involved in me rescuing native snakes from overzealous home owners and their spades, this is a *&%$#! disgrace. I might get nasty and dissect the next fox I shoot and photobomb their facebook site with pics of half digested native animals.
The only reason I have Brush tailed rock wallabies 150m from my house is due to considerable effort in npws sponsored baiting and shooting of these *&%$#! pests.
Probably should tone this down a bit for sensitive types, but i'm sitting here in ice packs after wrenching an elbow whilst rock climbing and this kind of foolery really riles me even more when in pain.

[jackhinde]

since when is the great australian adjective, blood with a y a word that needs censorship?

[Nuts]

OK, the lowdown on fox semantics
Most common word listed first, depends on area and vernacular

Female - vixen
Male - reynard, dog, tod
Several foxes - skulk, troop, earth
Young fox - kit, pup, cub
Group of new pups - litter

Kittening refers to the birthing process of foxes, rabbits, badgers, squirrels and beavers

There ya go!

Haha, I thought I knew something about foxes, crushing long held assumptions, i'm learning all sorts of new things
I'm thinking if Kit is listed as most common that's ain't no Aussie list.
So will you treat someones pet fox OSM?

[Nuts]

Jack, I don't mean to aggravate your injury but their intentions aren't really to have any other effect than reducing wild populations:

"Sydney Fox Rescue aims to reduce wild fox numbers over time by placing rescued fox kits in human care, we do not release foxes and recognise the harm they have caused to our Native Australian Species, however despite being an introduced species we believe foxes too deserve to live happy fulfilling lives free from the immeasurable harms caused by baiting, shooting and trapping"

So long as they are indeed kept till old age (there's got to be some doubt there, maybe they should be registered or microchipped and checks made or something..?) it's not sounding entirely.. evil?

[Onestepmore]

Yes, Nuts I would. if I'm presented with someone's pet fox them I'm obliged to treat it. I can't refuse to treat someone's inbred teacup poodle with an umbilical hernia, luxating patellas, atopy and an undershot mandible because I don't personally approve of it.
If a litter of abandoned fox kits was presented to me I'd euthenase them
Ditto for any injured fox

I've had to treat 'wild' rabbits because the person presenting them has been an 'owner' and has accepted financial responsibilty for that animal. I can advise against it though!
(Mind you, this was as an employee. It may be a different situation if I was the practise owner)

The public's perception is often different to our own
Years ago I lived in the Tamworth region of northern NSW. When I was on weekend after hours on call duty I would have to stay at a friend's place in town for the weekend as our property was over 60 km from town. I had someone ring up one Monday morning at about 2 am. They were tourists driving between Tamworth and Armidale and they had found an unwell rabbit on the side of the road. Their expectation was that I would get out of bed, drive to wherever this rabbit was, bring it back to the clinic and perform whatever miracles were needed to save it. I explained that from the signs they described it probably had myxomatosis, (which I pointed out was a fatal disease that had been released with the specific aim of killing wild rabbits) and if they put it in a box and left it at the vet clinic at the next town they passed through, the vet would put it to sleep when they got there in the morning. These people became very abusive towards me, threatened to make a compaint to the Vet Surgeon's Board, get the media involved, make a cruelty to animals complaint against me, etc etc
Sigh

I have compassion for individual animals and aim to alleviate pain and suffering, but I am of the opnion that foxes and rabbits are introduced feral animals and should be euthenased humanely.

I would like it if these rescued foxes were all speyed and castrated before rehoming, in case of accidental 'escapees'. I noted on the site that they do vaccinate with several C3 vaccines (distemper hepatitis and parvovirus)

Last edited by Onestepmore on Sat 26 Oct, 2013 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Nuts]

Think i'd bring them to you. I doubt I could do it myself, not with foxes.
I imagine it must be tough having to deal with everyone's disguarded animals (and their descendents).

[Onestepmore]

What does the fox say?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

[Nuts]

Argh, (edit: I must have-) link-brain! I went straight to that waiting... patiently.. to find out what the fox said..

[Pteropus]

I don't always rescue foxes, but when I do, they are the flying kind!

[Nuts]

Look at the suckers. Very cool Pteropus.

[Onestepmore]

Haha very cute, especially in the orange! Look at their eyes.
I hope you're vaccinated!
(I'm not, and our OHS hospital rules dictate that we don't handle these guys. Luckily we have the university Wildlife and Exotics Hospital nearby to refer to, so these guys get appropriate care)

I keep looking for a 'like' button!

[KANANGRABOYD]

hahah best photo in a long while.
I love the massive Colony/roost in Gordon.
Yeah you farmers out at Dural can go to hell!.

[GD4Up]

"Sydney Fox Rescue aims to reduce wild fox numbers over time by placing rescued fox kits in human care, we do not release foxes and recognise the harm they have caused to our Native Australian Species, however despite being an introduced species we believe foxes too deserve to live happy fulfilling lives free from the immeasurable harms caused by baiting, shooting and trapping"

This is the latest emerging fashion affecting pest management - every animal has a right to life, it doesn't matter what devastation it'll cause through predation as its not the individual animal's fault it's been introduced so it should be left alone to destroy what it what's and procreate to provide the next generation. Dimwitted but I'll predict it'll get bigger and bigger. Normally you'll see it with people leaving food out for feral cats or catching them, desexing and then re-releasing them so at least these people aren't re-releasing (until they get a nip and decide their cute little pet isn't so much fun anymore).

[Pteropus]

...I hope you're vaccinated!
(I'm not, and our OHS hospital rules dictate that we don't handle these guys. Luckily we have the university Wildlife and Exotics Hospital nearby to refer to, so these guys get appropriate care)

I keep looking for a 'like' button!

Yep, and though I haven't had much to do with bats in recent years, I recently had my antibody titre tested and still all good. As an ecologist its always handy to put on my cv...

btw, I am often looking for a 'like' button on this forum!

[ULWalkingPhil]

Foxes might be cute, but they destroy the environment and threaten endangered species.

[ULWalkingPhil]

"Sydney Fox Rescue aims to reduce wild fox numbers over time by placing rescued fox kits in human care, we do not release foxes and recognise the harm they have caused to our Native Australian Species, however despite being an introduced species we believe foxes too deserve to live happy fulfilling lives free from the immeasurable harms caused by baiting, shooting and trapping"

This is the latest emerging fashion affecting pest management - every animal has a right to life, it doesn't matter what devastation it'll cause through predation as its not the individual animal's fault it's been introduced so it should be left alone to destroy what it what's and procreate to provide the next generation. Dimwitted but I'll predict it'll get bigger and bigger. Normally you'll see it with people leaving food out for feral cats or catching them, desexing and then re-releasing them so at least these people aren't re-releasing (until they get a nip and decide their cute little pet isn't so much fun anymore).

This is absurd. I can assure you there will be no loggerhead turtles left on our coastline within our lifespan if we follow your thoughts. I know which one I prefer and its not foxes. I don't like foxes, i seen the damage they can do.

[Nuts]

Whose thoughts Phil?
That is their facebook profile. I just took it at face value, no idea what's fashionable.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Posted that comment without thinking about it first. Made me angry when I read that there are people out there trying to save foxes.

I would love to show these people what foxes can do. I wonder if there thoughts are the same after seeing the damage they caused before they where controlled.

At one stage there was close to. 70% egg predation. When you consider that Loggerheads are already an endangered species and the fact that an estimated one in one thousand will survive to reach adulthood where by they start to produce hatchlings, having an introduced species threatening there very existence is not good. Something had to be done and now I am learning there are people out there trying to save foxes.

Reminds me of cane toads, there was plague of them here where I live 20 years ago and had to be controlled, after there numbers where reduced and many threatened species started to. Increase in numbers, there was this group started up that wanted to save the cane toads, they started to breed them and release in the wild.

[puredingo]

What does the fox say? Well it communicates in a series of yelps and barks....That's until I lay the cross hairs firmly between their beady little eyes, after that they say very little. But the Blue tongue days 'thanks dude!"

[Nuts]

But then two foxes will take it's place
I bet they wigged out more than one bushwalker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6NuhlibHsM
I find animal behaviour, their communication, tactics and instincts fascinating. Foxes are out of place here, that's all.

[Travis22]

What a *&%$#! joke.

The only good fox is a dead fox.

Travis.