A family of Red Fox has taken up residence in the woods near my office, momma & 3 pups, they have been great fun to watch -from afar- I regret that my co-workers have learned of their existence, now the pups are fed pizza and whathaveyou, 'Wendys' or Chinese. How do I discourage the herd from feeding wild animals? I proclaim: just LOOK at them! No one listens.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), April 11, 2002

Answers

Ask them if they would like to see them killed for their pelts. Tell them that by getting them used to humans that's what could happen to them. Maybe they'll rethink feeding them-I hope so.

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), April 11, 2002.

Inform your co-workers that it is against the law to feed the foxes anything but their natural diet, then take a couple of chickens to work!

-- Just Duckie (Duck@spazmail.com), April 12, 2002.

This reminds me of the of the tourists in some of our national parks (probably US as well) that smear honey on their children's hands toget the bears to come a lick it off so they can take pictures!!! I have family who work in a park in the west and they say every year they have to be so vigilant and stop the people who just don't get the difference between wild animals in movies and wild animals that are real.

Also, no one has mentioned yet the threat of disease - from mange to rabies, etc.

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), April 12, 2002.

Those would be fox KITS...rather than pups. Lucky you! Wish I had a chance to see something like that.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), April 12, 2002.

oooh! You are soooo lucky.

We had a momma badger trudge through with 3 medium size babes. They were so cute waddling along.Then they were shot by somebody just because they were badgers! They were near the road so they couldn't have been hurting anything. And nobody around here besides me has chickens or anything that could have been hurt by them. It was sad. I try not to point out the lovely forest animals to stupid people!

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), April 12, 2002.

Bernie how the he-- could a parent be sooooo stupid.They need agood smack to wake up .Thank god no child has been killed.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@hotmail.com), April 12, 2002.

Isn't he the guy who was on "Sanford and Son"?

-- Rick#7 (rick7@postmark.net), April 12, 2002.

Good one, Rick :>)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 12, 2002.

Without the junk food, 2 of the 3 kits would have surely perished by now....raise some chickens for them to eat if you want to keep them going. Face it folks, the top predator in a community is lucky to contribute one life to the next generation....by the way, if you think the kits are cute and adoreable, just wait till the food runs out...it is sad, but it is mother nature's way...don't mess with it.

It is a true gift to see these beings, but they are not pets and they are not domestic and their world is all about life, death and more death. We humans could take a page out of their book but we won't.

Oscar

-- Oscar Will (owill@mail.whittier.edu), April 12, 2002.