The comely appearance of the sharp witted fox has only added to its allure, thrusting it into the spotlight, in a world where it would be better off hidden.
But this was not meant to be, for the fox likes to steal, and challenge, and up the stakes for good sport. And yes, it is very foxy.
It knows it’s easier to steal than hunt, when the going gets tough. This provides for a good story too, for many, except the farmer, who doesn’t much like that tale at all.
Then there’s fox hunting, condoned by some (including the Victorian Government) on the premise that foxes’ hunt small animals to extinction, dogs need exercise, and hunters need shooting practice.
At least in England, where there is a long history of fox hunting (200 fox hunting societies were registered in 2000), they are eating them. Although this appears to be relatively recent, as nearby, Oscar Wilde described fox hunting during his day as “the unspeakable chasing the uneatable”.
Yes, it is not without bias the reporters at The Fox Gazette speak of this winsome animal, a graceful relative in a world where friends are few. Which is why it is with satisfaction that this latest incident is reported in the Northern European country of Belarus.
In the country’s Grodno region, a picturesque farming area bordering Poland, a lone hunter took a shot at a fox from some distance, wounding the animal. As the man moved in to finish the job with the butt of his rifle, the fox put up a fierce resistance, and a tangle ensued.
In the struggle, the fox somehow managed to get his paw on the trigger, shooting the man in the leg. The sly fox managed to escape, while the man is now recovering in hospital.
There has since been sightings in the forest, of a cock-legged fox wearing a bandanna, with a steely look in its eyes. The locals call him – fox які атрымаў яго помсты – ‘the fox who got its revenge’.
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