≡ PDF Foxes Unearthed A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain Lucy Jones 9781783963041 Books

Foxes Unearthed A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain Lucy Jones 9781783963041 Books

Download As PDF : Foxes Unearthed A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain Lucy Jones 9781783963041 Books

Foxes Unearthed A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain Lucy Jones 9781783963041 Books

A very well-written and balanced account of the discussion whether foxes are vermin or cuddly woodland friends. As an American, I have no strong feeling about this dispute in Britain, but this book sets forth the arguments on both sides very clearly. The answer is, foxes are neither. They are wild animals who have their own characteristics that do not conform to what humans think is good or bad.


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Foxes Unearthed A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain Lucy Jones 9781783963041 Books Reviews

The author had a grandfather who hunted foxes, a Scot. She thinks that his experience in WW1 was partly the reason. Men came home looking for the adrenalin and camaraderie of the war. Other people hunted just because they like horses and hounds and customs. Hunting is now illegal in Britain but drag hunts continue and sometimes they kill foxes.

We start by finding the fox in fables, folk tales, furs and rural names like Todhunter. Moving on to a night with a fox shooting professional, which can be distressing. Be prepared for a few days out with hunts, including the saboteurs' point of view. Urban foxes, rescued foxes and foxes in the media conclude the picture.

We're told more foxes are shot than ever, foxes generally do not take live lambs, and foxes may spread wildflower seeds in their scat. No mention of Monica Edwards's badger watching books in which she twice saw a boar badger kill a vixen denning near his sett. See 'The Valley And The Farm'.

The author does not use correct hunting terms so I winced every time she said 'the hounds' or 'tails' or 'bark'. I think it would not have taken long to get to know these terms and it would make the book more authentic and better researched. I also note that she does not mention that hunts often used to stop up the earth entrances overnight while the fox was out prowling, so the hunted fox could find none of his or her safe tunnels. Did nobody tell her? She several times mentions digging foxes out with terriers and other skulky practices. We are told that police used to be on the side of hunting landowners, now that has shifted somewhat. But police crushed a vehicle belonging to hare coursers and publicised it, whereas they do not seize and crush from fox hunters. Class bias? She leaves the query hanging, so presumably the police were not asked or did not reply.

Notes P255 - 274. I counted 22 names that I could be sure were female, including Mary Poppins. This is an unbiased review, and I never hunted.
A very well-written and balanced account of the discussion whether foxes are vermin or cuddly woodland friends. As an American, I have no strong feeling about this dispute in Britain, but this book sets forth the arguments on both sides very clearly. The answer is, foxes are neither. They are wild animals who have their own characteristics that do not conform to what humans think is good or bad.