Nature

[KEVP]

Remember that there did use to be bears and wolves in Great Britain! Bears became extinct in Great Britain about 1000 AD, and wolves became extinct in Great Britain possibly in the reign of Henry VII.

Both were hunted to extinction. In the case of the wolves, at least, there was a concerted evidence by the rulers of Britain to destroy all British wolves.

[sixret]

I despise hunting just for the fun of it!

[number 6]

I despise hunting just for the fun of it!

Well said, my friend!

[Julie2owlsdene]

Just catching up on this thread. Lovely photos of the foxes, Anita. We see quite a few foxes, badgers, owls, rabbits, stoats, etc living in the countryside as I do.

None of them will come into our garden though, as they will be able to sense the dog.

We get a lot of birds too, which I do encourage with bird feeds. It's lovely when the Jay visits, a really beautiful bird. And of course we get heaps of squirrels, who come to the feeds too.

[Moonraker]

I love foxes. I know they get a bad name because they savage people's chickens but they're only trying to find something to eat, after all.

Not strictly true. There are many instances of them destroying chickens, but not eating them.

As for Jane Birkin, Je t'aime...moi non plus. Wonderful.

[Wolfgang]

Isn't that true with us humans as well, Nigel, destroying just for the fun of it ?

[Rob Houghton]

Exactly! People are often trying to put foxes down - they kill for the fun of it, they leave trails of rubbish behind them...they spread diseases...

...are they talking about foxes or humans?

[Carlotta King]

I always say that too; people are always complaining that animals and birds are dirty and spread disease etc, but I find humans much more disgusting and dirty than any animal, and humans spread far more nasty diseases too!!

Humans cough and sneeze over everyone, use the toilet without washing their hands, and spread all kinds of horrible viruses around.

I'm sick of hearing birds described as 'flying rats' because they spread disease etc; the only way you can get anything from pigeons etc is if you were to eat their faeces, same with rats.
I've had bird faeces on me countless times and I've been sensible and hygienic and never caught a thing.
However the amount of humans I've caught bugs off is a huge number.

Birds and animals don't cough all over you or put norovirus on door handles!!

[number 6]

Yep, I totally agree with you Carlotta! Just look what we've done, & still doing, to the Planet. Humans have been responsible for pollution, Nuclear waste, destroying the Rain Forest, fly-tipping, raw sewage dumped out to sea, destroying Wildlife/habitat, Global wars, concentration camps, slavery, torture, hole in the ozone layer.... the list goes on & on. Wildlife are only trying to survive in a mess that Man has created. The guilt truly lies with us Humans!

[Rob Houghton]

I agree - and now its coming back at us - all that plastic and pollution in the oceans is now in our food chain.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I heard that plans are on the way to tax plastic bottles, and to make them a 'money back' when you take them back. Not sure if it's true. But we used to do that on glass pop bottles. Take them back to the shop and get two pence back. Good idea in my opinion. I'm sick of seeing plastic bottles washed up on our beaches!

[Rob Houghton]

Brilliant idea, I think - it will also encourage children to go round collecting discarded plastic bottles, so they get the money back on them, hopefully. I remember doing this back in the 1970's with 'Corona' pop bottles. Got 2p back on each bottle, which my mom always allowed us to keep - we felt like we had a fortune!

[Courtenay]

Back in the 1960s when glass bottles could be returned for a refund in Australia too, my dad was at university and knew another young guy there who went around obsessively collecting all his friends' bottles after they'd had their drinks at lunch time, and fishing out all the bottles that got thrown in the rubbish bins, so he could get the money from handing them in. Everyone thought he was a bit odd — but he had the last laugh when, by the time he'd finished his studies, he'd saved enough money from bottle refunds to go overseas!! I wish they'd bring back that system, for both glass and plastic bottles, here and in Australia as well.

[number 6]

Bagged this little beauty whilst on Brownsea Island..a lovely Red Squirrel. He kept coming up to me for little titbits & gently taking it from my hand!

[Courtenay]

Aw, lovely. I was delighted to see lots of red squirrels on Brownsea Island when I visited a few years ago, but none of them kept still long enough for photographs! Didn't think to offer them food, though. Thanks for sharing that, Number 6.