Wonder if there's anything in the freezer... Amazing moment fox nose-dives into snow while hunting for mice

By NICK ENOCH

Going up: The wily creature reckons he's spotted something in the snow, in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.

This is the incredible moment a fox was captured nose-diving into deep snow to catch a mouse.
The red fox prowled the snow for several minutes listening out for mice before standing on his hind legs and jumping into the air.
Almost out of shot, he dives head first into the snow leaving only his back legs and bushy tail visible.

Dive, dive, dive! The red fox goes in for the kill, convinced he'll be having mouse for supper

Wildlife photographer Richard Peters caught the adventurous creature while travelling through Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park.
He explained: 'We watched it walk across the snow, stopping from time to time to listen for mice activity underneath the snow cover.
'After a good 20 minutes, the fox leapt into the air and dived into the snow twice to catch a meal.

Heading for disappointment: In spite of his best efforts, the fox failed to find a mouse

'It was so quick I barely had time to frame the fox in the viewfinder before it leaped into the air and came diving down, burying itself in the snow right up to its hind legs.'
This time, the fox was unsuccessful and emerged without a mouse.
It later wandered across the road and up the adjacent hillside to continue its hunt for food on higher ground.

source: dailymail

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Foxy Roxy makes herself top dog as she moves in with family who rescued her

By ROB COOPER



Top dog: Roxy - who once leapt into a pushchair and fell asleep - leaps at a dog as she goes for a walk



This fox has moved in with a family as a tame pet after being rescued by her kind-hearted owner.

Remarkably Roxy goes for walks on a lead, eats from a dog bowl and even plays with toy bones with her canine chums.

She happily walks around the shops with her owner and has been known to lounge around in the house, trying to show the household's pet dogs she is boss.



Her owner, Geoff Grewcock, 61, says she won't eat raw meat, and can even sit placidly in a chicken coop while the hens peck at her.

Roxy, a ten-year-old red fox, was taken in by Geoff who runs an animal rescue centre in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, after she was found tied to metal railings.

He intended to rehabiliate her into the wild, but quickly realised she was tame and didn't know how to hunt for herself.

So he decided to look after her at his home, giving her a pen in the garden and introducing her to his pet dogs.



Britain's tamest fox? Roxy goes for a walk on a lead along with a dog. She was rescued by Geoff Grewcock, 61, after being found tied to some railings



Fox thinks its a dog: Rosie Clinton, 19, takes Roxy for a walk at the sanctuary where she has been looked after in Nuneaton, Warwickshire



Before he knew it, she was playing with the pooches and enjoying dog toys, as well as wanting to go out for walks with her new friends.

Geoff, a grandfather-of-one, said: 'She seems to get tamer and tamer.

'She has no hunting instinct at all - you can put her in with the chickens and she would just sit there while they peck her.

'She has cooked chicken for dinner because she doesn't like any raw meat.

'You can stroke her and people in Nuneaton love to make a fuss of her when they see her out walking.



'Most spoilt fox in Britain': Roxy eats from a dog bowl. Her owner says he has put her in with chickens - and they just peck at her



'Once, she even jumped in a pushchair with a little two-year-old and curled up asleep - the little girls' mum knew her and didn't mind at all.

'I let her in the house sometimes but she causes havoc playing with the dogs so she has her own pen in the garden.

'She has dog toys in there and sometimes she teases the dogs by sticking her big rubber bone through the wire and snatching it back when they try to eat it.

'She's a great favourite around here - she must be the most spoilt fox in Britain.'



source: dailymail

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He's behind you: Fox chases beagle in animal role reversal

By LEON WATSON

Fox and the hound: Role reversal as the fox chases the beagle

Tallo ho! This sly fox has made a monkey out of a bumbling beagle who was meant to be chasing him.

The dog is a trained hunter, yet he looked more lost than found as he walked just inches past his prey.

And despite keeping his nose to the ground the canine tracker was left totally oblivious to his target after being completely outwitted.


Catch me if you can! Fox leads dog on a merry old dance

To complete a role reversal, the fox then turned the tables on hundreds of years of tradition by confronting the dog.

Protecting a new litter of four little pups with the mother of his children on hand, the pair made it clear the doggy intruder wasn't welcome.


Happy families: Fox and cubs protecting their den

The bizarre moment was caught on camera by nature lover Mircea Costina in a forest north of Montreal, Canada.

Mircea, Master biogeography at the University of Montreal, said she was amazed the foxes were brave enough to confront the much larger beagle.

She said: 'This is the story of one fox family that I was watching from 2008 for three years.

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Police probe 'illegal hunt' after hounds chase fox along railway line... minutes before packed passenger train speeds past

By Oliver Pickup

The fox is shown sprinting along the railway tracks, having been filmed by anti-hunt protesters

A video of a fox being chased along a main rail route to London, while being hunted by a pack of hounds, is being investigated by police.

The footage, filmed by anti-hunt protesters next to the busy Exeter to Waterloo railway line through Clapton, Somerset, shows the fox sprinting out on to the tracks with up to a dozen dogs in hot pursuit.

The hounds are called back by huntsmen just before a train - packed with passengers - speeds down the line.

Police launched a probe into the actions of the Seavington Hunt after claims of illegal hunting and rail chiefs warned the hounds could have created carnage.


Lost the scent? Hounds are shown on the track - witnesses say that there were up to a dozen on the rails, minutes before a train zooms past


The train drivers' union, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef), described footage of the incident as 'shocking'.

A spokesman for Aslef said: 'I estimate around a dozen dogs were on the line at one point, which is a considerable threat to a train. Anything that affects the safety of the railway line is serious.

'To us it does not matter if it is an individual or a hunt, both are equally serious and we would hope both the hunt and the British Transport Police would take the same view.'


Called back: A huntsman is shown shouting at the hounds to clear them from the track


Witnesses to the incident, at around 7.20am on Sunday, described seeing up to 20 hounds spilling on to the tracks in Clapton, near Crewkerne, in Somerset.

Footage of the incident was captured by anti-hunt protesters, who later handed it to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

One eye-witness, who did not want to be named, said: 'The hunt put their hounds in to a small copse adjoining the railway line and I filmed a fox run past me up the middle of the railway track.

'I was very concerned the hunt were coming so close to the railway as it is the main London Waterloo to Exeter line.

'The huntsman was encouraging the hounds to hunt in the copse and about a minute later, the hounds emerged onto the track exactly where the fox had emerged.

'Up to 20 hounds were on the line for a period of about two minutes despite the efforts of the hunt to retrieve them.

'The Exeter to London train passed through less than ten minutes after.'

The alleged hunt took place close to Clapton, near Crewkerne, in Somerset, on Sunday


The Countryside Alliance, speaking on behalf of the Seavington Hunt, said an investigation would take place into the incident.

Hunting foxes with dogs has been illegal since 2005 but they can chase a scent and flush out foxes who are then shot.

Alison Hawes, a spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, said: 'They (the hounds) were on there for less than two minutes and the hunt acted very professionally in calling them off the line as quickly as possible.'

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed its hunt liaison officer was investigating whether any illegal hunting had occurred.

British Transport Police said no trespass offence had been committed as no people had gone on to the line.


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Grandmother with fox phobia wakes up to find cub sitting on her CHEST

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Shock: Mrs Small on the bed where she came face to face with the intrepid fox

One moment she was fast asleep, the next she was awake with the realisation that an animal was sitting on her chest and clawing at her face.

Mary Small, 68, at first thought it was a visiting cat that had climbed on to her duvet.

But then she saw that the animal peering inquisitively down at her was a fox. The grandmother screamed and leapt from her bed.


Brazen: This picture was taken seconds after the fox leapt off Mary Small's bed. She had awoken with the creature clawing at her face


The intruder, a cub, fled and was eventually chased out of the house by her husband Tony.

The incident comes after a number of fox attacks and is just the latest example of how the animals are losing their fear of humans.

Last June, nine-month-old twins Lola and Isabella Koupparis were mauled in their cot in East London.

Shortly afterwards, Jake Jermy, three, was bitten on the arm at a playgroup party in Brighton and earlier this year an ambulance worker in Worthing, West Sussex told how a fox entered her house through the cat flap and bit off the end of her finger.


Terror: Mrs Small said she screamed and 'had never moved so fast' when she woke to find a fox in her room


Mrs Small, a magistrate, said yesterday: ‘I thought it was a cat at first when I felt it clawing at my face. But when I opened my eyes and saw this fox, I was pretty shaken up to say the least.

‘Obviously things look bigger when they are closer to you, so it looked enormous when I came around.

‘I just leapt from the covers and screamed, I’ve never moved so quickly. The scariest thing was it just appeared to be so fearless.’

Mrs Small said she had been terrified by the incident at their Victorian property in Bournville, Birmingham.


Intruder: The fox may have got into the house in Bournville, Birmingham when Mr Small went outside to smoke his pipe. The couple disinfected the whole house as they were worried about diseases from the animal


She added: ‘Tony’s first instinct was to grab his camera rather than see if I was OK. He got a good picture of the fox in our upstairs study.

‘You can see it peeping out from behind the leather chair, it was a cheeky so and so.

Even when we finally got it out of the house, it was pawing at the windows to come back in.





The RSPCA said fox attacks on humans were extremely rare.

A spokesman added: ‘Foxes are opportunists, searching for and defending areas with suitable food and shelter. They learn to trust people who are not causing them harm.’

source: dailymail

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Funtastic Mr Fox! Young cub has the time of its life sliding down quarry conveyor belt

By JAMES WHITE

The sly-de fox: Appearing to enjoy himself, the cub, aged about four months, rides the quarry conveyor belt in Germany

A disused gravel quarry became a playground for a young fun-loving fox and his family.

This photograph, taken by British man Duncan Usher, shows how the clever four-month-old creature turned an old conveyor belt into a make-shift slide, before travelling down it twice.

Mr Usher photographed the amusing sight close to Bursfelde, a hamlet in the German countryside.

The 56-year-old, who now lives in Bursfelde, said: 'One morning I arrived at the quarry and saw from a distance two young foxes playing on the conveyor belt.

'One ran back to the top of the conveyor belt and then started to walk back down it, stopped and sat down.

'After a few seconds it started to slide down the conveyor belt using its front paws to drag it forwards.

'They were attracted to the conveyer belt because it was a playground to them.

'I have not seen this type of behaviour amongst free living wild animals and I was really surprised and pleased to witness and capture this unusual event.

'I had to react quickly and knew that the chances of getting a decent image was slight.

'I thought the odds were really against me but that morning fortune was on my side.'

source: dailymail

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Whiskers in the jar! Nosey fox gets head jammed in bottle while foraging for food

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Curious cub: The hungry fox was thought to be searching for food when it got its head stuck in the jar at Eastbrookend Country Park in Dagenham


A nosey fox cub is recovering after having a close call with a glass bottle while foraging for food.

The cub, thought to be around five or six months old, was found by a park ranger with its head stuck in the jar at Eastbrookend Country Park in Dagenham.

The curious little fox was struggling to breath and was severely distressed when it was discovered.

The distressed little predator was quickly rushed to South Essex Wildlife Hospital in Orsett, Essex, for life-saving treatment.

Founder of the wildlife hospital, Sue Schwar said: ‘It was probably just looking for food and the jar may have smelled interesting to the young fox.


Stressed out! The little fox, thought to be around five or six months old, is recovering from the ordeal at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital after being found by a park ranger


‘The jar was well and truly wedged on as the fox’s head had swollen slightly, the fox could hardly breathe.

‘We tried washing up liquid but when that failed we had no choice but to sedate the cub, slide a sheet of cardboard in the jar to protect its eyes and our maintenance volunteer Dennis, 80, hit the rim with a hammer.’


Animal rescue: The fox was taken to South Essex Wildlife Hospital in Essex to be saved and is still recovering there


The fox was then given a wash and brush up and seems fine, although is a still distressed.

Ms Schwar added: ‘We hope to release the fox cub back where it was found very soon.'

And she added that ‘discarded litter is frequently a problem for wildlife and causes the death and injury of many animals every year.

‘At the wildlife hospital we are dealing with so many more cases where the general public are just discarding their litter.’

She confirmed that the animal was recovering well.


source: dailymail

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Gymnastic Mr Fox! Cubs sneak into garden to have a bounce on children's trampoline

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Boing! One of the fox cubs leaps into the air on a trampoline in a garden in Colorado, U.S., as his sibling watches on


They're more used to bounding about, chasing each others' tails and steering clear of humans.

But for these fox cubs, the chance to enjoy a bounce on a trampoline in a back garden was clearly too much to deter their natural caution.

The two were captured on video playfighting in the garden of a home in Colorado, before curiosity got the better of them and they decided to investigate the trampoline.


Outfoxed: But the cub hasn't quite got the hang of this bouncing lark as he sniffs suspiciously at the surface of the trampoline


Perhaps the wild cubs had spotted a child having a go on the trampoline and thought they would have had a try.

But the footage - posted on YouTube by user Samron - shows they hadn't quite got the hang of bouncing as they leapt around on the springy surface.

One of the cubs repeatedly jumps into the air, but forgets to 'bounce' as it lands down again and looks bemused at the top of the trampoline.


Larking about: The two cubs playfight after climbing on to the trampoline, before jumping around in delight



Cunning: One of the foxes leaps into the air, perhaps copying children the animal had seen jumping on the trampoline





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Outfoxed! The four-legged thief caught on camera trying to steal an egg

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Cunning trap: The fox is captured with his nose almost touching the camera as he steals the rigged-up egg from a log in a photographer's garden in Germany


It takes somebody with extra cunning to outwit a wily fox.

But German wildlife photographer Horst Jegen, 41, managed to get a close-up shot of the creature after witnessing him persistently trying to steal his kitten's dinner.

Spotting a perfect picture opportunity, Mr Jegen rigged up an elaborate trap - involving a hidden button, an egg and his trusty camera.

The pesky fox, which has been nicknamed Leo by Horst and his family, tentatively crept inside the log and grasped the egg in its jaws.


Crafty plan: German photographer Horst Jegen, 41, made an elaborate trap - involving a hidden button, an egg and his trusty camera


He was pictured looking rather surprised with the egg in his mouth and scurrying across the garden.

Mr Jegen set up the device after the fox continued for more than a month to intrude into the garden desperately in search of food.

The photographer placed the egg inside a hollowed log with a button underneath.


There's my dinner: The fox tentatively puts a paw inside the hollow log as it fixes it sights on the egg


Attached to the trigger was a cable connected to his cameras shutter, which activated the second the sneaky fox poked his head in the log and swiped the egg.

And the fox's wide-eyed, startled reaction was captured perfectly - before the animal scurried back to the woodland behind the family's home.

Using a second camera, Horst quickly captured the fox's majestic leap as he lunges over the garden wall and away into the dark night.

Mr Jegen, from the Eifel region of Germany, said: 'The wild fox visits my garden every night looking for food - and even has the cheek to steal my cats dinner.


Escape: The startled fox makes a dash for it with the egg in its mouth having been photographed by the camera and its powerful flash


'The fox was scared at first as it was a really wild one. He was also very nosey.

'Every day I put a different piece of food in a different place so he has to find it.
'This time I decided it would be a good idea to get a picture of him close up, and used the egg as bait.

'He almost always finds the food - maybe only failing to find it on two occasions - so I was pretty confident of getting the shot.

'I saw him a few times before he crept into the garden for food. At one point we looked each other in the eye and I thought he might run off, ruining my chances of the shot.


Plan: Mr Jegen in his garden in Germany where he first spotted the fox trying to steal food


'Thankfully he didn't.' The elaborate camera set up has enabled Horst to snap these stunning images of the fox as he pokes his head through the end of the the log to grab the enticing egg.

Mr Jegen was then captured the sneaky fox as he slopes off towards the woodland, leaping spectacularly off of a felled tree and over his garden wall.

The wildlife photographer, who began taking pictures when he was just 15, added: 'The fox is like another member of the family now. We have named him Leo and started to train him to jump from the tree to the wood blocks where I often place the food.

'In the beginning, the distance between the tree and the wood-blocks was just 20 cm.
'But every few days I make the distance bigger - now it is up to two metres'

source: dailymail

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The six fox cubs left to die in a cramped barrel

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Trapped: These six fox cubs were discovered in this barrel, having been left in a Lincolnshire ditch


18 fox cubs found along with other morbid remains

All but one is recovering well - the RSPCA are looking after the animals


These six fox cubs were discovered fighting for their lives after being squashed inside a screw-topped plastic barrel. Five more were in another barrel and seven cubs had been trapped inside a sack, which had been tied shut.

In all 18 cubs had been dumped and left to die in a ditch in Spalding, Lincolnshire - but luckily a member of the public stumbled across the defenceless animals.

RSPCA inspector Jon Knight described the incident as one of the most appalling and distressing he has ever seen.


Saved: A member of the public discovered the foxes on April 25, and all but one are recovering well


After the foxes were discovered on April 25 he said: 'I could not believe my eyes when I saw the poor fox cubs crammed together inside the barrels and the sack.

'Had they not been discovered then it is clear they would have perished very quickly.

'They could hardly move, and obviously had no access to food and water.
'This was one of the most distressing incidents I have ever been involved with.'

The foxes were extremely dehydrated. Three bags of shredded rubbish were also left at the scene and contained soiled shredded paper and bird and rabbit remains.

A fourth bag with maggot-infested bird remains was also found.

It is thought that the fox cubs may have been kept in captivity prior to being abandoned because the shredded paper left next to them was soaked with fox urine.

The cubs were aged between five and eight weeks old and are currently being cared for at an RSPCA centre.

Inspector Knight added: 'Whoever has done this should not be allowed to get away with it, which is why I am appealing to anyone in the Spalding, Fenland and greater Peterborough area, or even further afield to get in touch.

'We need to find the person responsible and we need the public to help us.

'Therefore anyone with any information, no matter how small, is urged to call the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.'


source: dailymail

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The remarkable up-close pictures of wild foxes play-fighting and hunting

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Eyeball-to-eyeball: Amateur photographer Erik Tamis has captured this intimate picture of two foxes up close


An amateur photographer has captured these intimate pictures of a family of wild foxes playfighting and hunting, after years gaining their trust.

They are so comfortable with Erik Tamis that he has been able to get close enough to photograph them as they work, rest and play.

The 47-year-old waits in dunes for up to 12 hours so he can capture their day-to-day activities.


Play fight: Two foxes wrestle together, allowing Erik to get close after he built up a level of trust with the animals. They are kept in an Amsterdam nature reserve


Security guard Erik has photographed them fighting, playing, hunting and one time even managed to snap an image of a fox up a tree.

The foxes have become so relaxed around him that occasionally they will go up to him in order to steal his bag.

Spending time in close proximity to them, he has been able to establish the hierarchical structure. The family is made up of two parents and a son and daughter.

Erik, from Amsterdam, Holland, said: 'The foxes get so close to me it's just a matter of being in the right place and waiting for them to go hunting.


It's large fleshy pink tongue sticking out, this orange fox drinks from the water at the Amsterdam reserve. The family is made up of an adult and two children


'I enjoy photographing them because although some people don't agree with me, they're a beautiful animal.

'Their behaviour is amazing. I had no idea foxes could climb trees and was stunned when I witnessed it happen.


Family squabble: Security guard Erik has photographed them fighting, playing and hunting


Smile... Erik built up trust the pack and sometimes sits waiting for them for up to 12 hours before he can take a picture

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Thought foxes were a small problem? Giant straw sculpture looks balefully over Thames

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Finishing touches: Workmen put the finishing touches to the giant sculpture outside the Hayward Gallery


If you thought foxes were only a small problem in London, then this giant straw sculpture may make you think again.

Workmen are putting the finishing touches to the baleful addition to the capital's South Bank, where it is one of the highlights of an exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain.

The summer's 'nostalgic celebration of Britishness' will feature cultural and creative events including recreating a beach by the riverside with artistic beach huts.


Fantastic Mr Fox: The sculpture is part of the anniversary celebrations of the Festival of Britain


As well as the seaside, there will be rides at a vintage-inspired funfair, snacks at a retro fish and chip van, and a new bandstand - while the massive fox will take centre stage alongside water fountains in a 'reimagined landscape of the British countryside'.

Other events at the Southbank Centre will include a choral weekend, and talks by some of Britain’s leading artists and thinkers.

The events run from this Friday until September 4, 2011 at London's Southbank Centre.

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Please be our mum! Fox cubs who have adopted a cuddly toy as their surrogate mother

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The abandoned fox cubs are inseparable from their new 'mum' - a cuddly toy fox


A farmer who gave three orphaned fox cubs a children's toy was shocked when the youngsters welcomed the cuddly animal as their surrogate mother.

The father of two found the trio whimpering and shivering at the bottom of his garden in a hole under his shed.

With no sign of their parents, he brought the starving cubs into his family home and gave them a stuffed fox belonging to his three-year-old daughter.


Just the four of us: A farmer found the trio at the bottom of his garden in Epsom, Surrey


The cubs immediately bonded with the furry toy and have been inseparable from their new 'mum', even refusing to go to sleep at night without it in their basket.

The farmer, from Epsom, in Surrey, insisted on giving staff at Wildlife Aid, in Leatherhead, the toy when he gave them the cubs to be released back into the wild.

Since they were found last month the cubs have gained weight and even try to offer food to their new mum, who has been named Flo, after the red head singer, Florence Welch.

Founder of the rescue centre Simon Cowell said: 'We were quite surprised at first that a farmer would try and save the lives of three little foxes.



The cubs refuse to go to sleep without their new mum Flo and have even tried giving the cuddly toy food


'What was really unusual was the cubs seemed to believe the stuffed animal was their mother and would not leave her side.

'When it came to dinner time they would leave some food and push the bowl towards Flo. It seemed like they couldn't understand why she wasn't eating.

'At first we couldn't figure out why they made so much noise when it was time for them to go to sleep, but it was because someone had accidentally taken the toy from their basket.

'After we realised, we put it back and they nodded right off. When orphaned animals are brought in we normally give them a stuffed toy for a bit of security but we didn't in this case because they already had a bond with Flo.

'They are looking a lot healthier than when they were first brought in and it is fantastic to see them doing so well.

'About 70 per cent of wild fox cubs don't make it to their first birthday but this trio are having a great time.' He added that the cubs will eventually be weaned off the toy and released into the wild around July.

source: dailymail

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'Super pack' of 400 wolves terrorise remote Russian town after killing 30 horses in just four days

Attacks: A hunter holds up the body of a dead wolf after a massive pack of 400 of the animals has terrorised the town of Verkhoyansk in Russia


A 'super pack' of wolves has been terrifying a town after leaving more than 30 horses dead in just four days.

Four hundred bloodthirsty wolves have been spotted prowling around the edges of Verkhoyansk, in Russia, attacking livestock at will.

Twenty four teams of hunters have been put together to get rid of the wolves, with a bounty of £210 for every wolf skin brought to officials.

Stepan Rozhin, an administration official for the Verkhoyansk district in Russia, said: 'To protect the town we are creating 24 teams of armed hunters, who will patrol the neighbourhood on snowmobiles and set wolf traps.

'But we need more people. Once the daylight increases, the hunters will start shooting predators from helicopters.'


Bounty: Twenty four teams of hunters have been employed by authorities to tackle the wolf pack, with officials paying £210 for every one killed


A pack of wolves this size is unheard of, with the animals usually preferring to hunt in smaller groups of just six or seven.

The massive group is believed to be made from hundreds of packs and has left animal experts baffled.

Dr Valerius Geist, a wildlife behaviour expert, said the harsh Siberian winter - where temperatures plummet to minus 49C - had killed off the animal's usual prey.
He said: 'It is unusual for wolves to gather in such numbers of hunt large animal like horses.

'However, the population of their usual prey, rabbits, has decreased this year due to lack of food, so wolves have had to change their habits.

'Wolves are very careful to choose the most nutritious food source easiest obtained without danger - which in this case happens to be horses.


Bleak: Temperatures in Verkhoyansk can plummet to -49C and experts said the wolves may have been forced together through a lack of food


'They will start tackling dangerous prey when they run out of non-dangerous prey.'
Villagers have already managed to snare a number of the animals but the pack is so sizeable that is likely to take some time to deal with.

Verkhoyansk, with a population of just 1,300, is one of the coldest and remotest places in the northern hemisphere and lies within an area known as Stalin's Death Ring, after the former dictator sent political exiles there due to the extreme conditions.


source: dailymail

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Fox 'may have been prehistoric man's best friend'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Hunt: Man may use dogs to hunt foxes now, but the University of Cambridge research suggests early man kept foxes as pets thousands of years before their canine relatives


Early man may have preferred the fox as a pet rather than dogs, new findings suggest.
Researchers analysing remains at a prehistoric burial ground in Jordan have uncovered a grave in which a fox was buried with a human, dated thousands of years before dogs were kept as companions.

The University of Cambridge-led team believes that the unprecedented case - in which the remains of the animal and the man were then partially transferred to an adjacent grave - points to some kind of emotional link between human and fox.


Their research suggests that the fox may have been kept as a pet and was being buried to accompany its master, or mistress, to the afterlife.

If so, it marks the first known burial of its kind and suggests that long before man hunted foxes using dogs, our ancestors were keeping them as pets.

The cemetery, at Uyun-al-Hammam, in northern Jordan, is about 16,500 years old, which makes the grave 4,000 years older than the earliest known human-dog burial.


Pet: The research, published today, suggests the fox may have been kept as a pet and was being buried to accompany its master, or mistress, to the afterlife.


However, the close relationship between man and fox was probably short-lived.

Writing in the journal, PLoS One, published today, the researchers say it is unlikely foxes were ever fully domesticated and, despite their early head start, humans took to the more companionable dog for pets as time went on.

Studies carried out on foxes suggest that they can be brought under human control, but that the process is not easy because they are skittish and timid - so perhaps for that reason, the researchers suggest, dogs ultimately achieved 'best friend' status among humans instead.

Dr Lisa Maher, from the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, said: 'The burial site provides intriguing evidence of a relationship between humans and foxes which predates any comparable example of animal domestication.

'What we appear to have found is a case where a fox was killed and buried with its owner. Later, the grave was reopened for some reason and the human's body was moved.

'But because the link between the fox and human had been significant, the fox was moved as well, so that the person, or people, would still be accompanied by it in the afterlife.'


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'I have never known pain like it': Fox came in through my cat flap and bit the top of my finger off, says ambulance driver

By REBECCA EVANS

Tammy Page holds up the finger which was savaged by the fox. 'Blood was pouring from my finger, the tip was hanging off and it was so mangled and infected the doctor could not stitch it.'


An ambulance worker told yesterday how a fox crept into her house through the cat flap and attacked her.

Tammy Page, 29, found the animal in her kitchen in the middle of the night.

As she tried to move it back into the garden, it launched itself at her, biting the top of her finger off.


Tammy Page with her cats Tinks. She says the fox came in through the cat flap before biting her finger


Miss Page, who keeps chickens in the garden of her ground-floor flat, had woken early on Sunday to the sound of her back door rattling.

Fearing it was a burglar, she jumped out of bed and went downstairs. Seeing the fox dash under the stairs, she ran to her kitchen to grab a weapon – and the fox followed her.


A fox bares its teeth. Tammy's flat backs on to a railway line and she said foxes living there have increased in number and become more brazen in their hunt for food


She said: ‘It was a young fox, maybe a year old, but it was mangy and crazy looking. I think it might have chased one of my cats in so thank God it didn’t get hold of them.

‘It looked starving and desperate. I was between it and the exit and there was a stand-off. It was screaming like a baby being hurt, it was one of the worst noises I have ever heard.

‘My cats were terrified on top of the freezer so I went to try to push it back out but it came at me and snapped its jaw shut round my left index finger.

‘I felt the pain immediately, but grabbed the fox round the scruff of the neck and chucked it in the garden.’

Miss Page, from Worthing, West Sussex, wrapped a tea towel round her finger and drove straight to hospital. ‘Blood was pouring from my finger,’ she said. ‘The tip was hanging off and it was so mangled the doctor could not stitch it.


In June last year, nine-month-old twins Lola (right) and Isabella Koupparis were savaged by a fox at their home in East London. Their mother Pauline, 41, told how the animal crept in and mauled the babies in their cot


Experts believe the animal had become desperately hungry after wheelie bins were introduced in Miss Page’s street, removing an easy source of food for urban foxes.

Billy Elliot, of Worthing and District Animal Rescue Service, said: ‘The more scarce their food is the more desperate they’ll be for food.

‘If it sees a cat going through a flap, it thinks why can’t I?

‘It doesn’t know what’s on the other side but when it enters a home it can be more traumatising for the fox than the owner.’

He recommended pet owners keep cats in at night, lock cat flaps and keep windows closed at this time of year, which is the foxes’ mating season. It is also the time when adult foxes are more likely to be scrounging for food.

source: dailymail

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