In a comment on Terror of foxes Alasdair reported seeing a fox on a back road near Deloraine.
TT asked for more details and he wrote:
I grew up in Heidelberg, a suburb on the Yarra River in the north of Melbourne.
Due to the large amount of parkland around the river there were many foxes in the area and it was quite common to see them when out on my paper round as a teenager or when riding or running or riding along the river in the late afternoon or early evening.
My girlfriend’s father lived out at Woodend near Hanging Rock and we used to go fox and rabbit shooting regularly, with and without spotlights.
So I’ve seen foxes in daylight, spotlight, twilight, firelight and open sights.
ANZAC Day last year I was heading out to Deloraine from Launceston with my band to play at the Deloraine service. A fox clear as day, absolutely no mistake, scooted across the road in front of the bus. It was a fox because:
• Black points to the ears
• Bushy tail
• Red coat
• Skinny legs
• No dog moves that way
I haven’t seen foxes elsewhere in Tasmania yet.
Sandra John
May 26, 2005 at 11:51
Alisdair is clearly very experienced at identifying foxes and it is difficulty to argue with an eye witness report (though I question, Alisdair, if you really, “see”, foxes given your orientation to them viz: through the sights of a rifle).
Others, however, are not so good at this game. Here is a comment sent to me by someone who saw Alisdair’s earlier post. Just to balance the record.
“I live on a back road to Deloraine.
One day (a couple of years ago) a Fox Task Force representative knocked on my door.
A fox had been sighted crossing the road earlier in the day
Dragging a pademelon along towards my driveway
He had a drawing of a paw print from in the mud
I went inside & picked up my redhead 16yo Pomeranian X Terrier!!!
Ian Rist
June 1, 2005 at 04:55
I hope all the people making these “Fox†sightings are very, very sure of what they are seeing.
If they are at all conservation minded they must realize that follow up 1080 Fox baiting will place Quolls, Devils and carnivores including family pets at risk to toxic 1080 Fox baits.
Who has seen the family dog die from 1080, a cruel, slow and painful, horrific death. We continue with these third world practices even though most of us know it is wrong,1080 has been banned in nearly every civilized country in the world and yet we even continue to poison our native animals with it.
It has been banned in the U.S.A for years where it was found to be poisoning their National Emblem, the Bald Eagle through secondary poisoning from eating 1080 poisoned carcasses. Nixon originally banned it but Reagan allowed it to be used in poisoned livestock collars in some of the ranching states when farmers applied pressure to protect calves and sheep from wolves and coyotes.
The “magic bullet†as it is called is a cowardly,non-selective,indiscriminate barbaric poison which if anyone with a conscience saw an animal die from it would vote against it. The U.S.A now lists 1080 as a possible terrorist weapon of mass destruction.
Ian Rist