Hi, i'm new.

Just seen the bit about alpacas - we have some locally (well it’s a local farm place) but they are amazing... even if a bit anti social... maybe they are autistic too!

It is because they are members of the Camel family. Have u ever met a friendly Camel !

Once as it happens 

Exactly - they’re not daft. Like humans they can trust others... you just need to show them you can be trusted. 

of course a wild fox doesnt risk itself...  all wild animals are always cautious as one mistake equals death or a very close scrape. The fox you describe has learnt that the risk has benefits ie free food.  Its all about risk and cost for wild animals.

We have a tame fox at my parents. He was born under their shed and they put food out for him most nights... he’ll come right up to you. With most animals it’s about trust and for them food and trust are closely associated. 

thats just as good/better in a way --- i couldn't go anywhere for years because i had so many animals to look after,,,, so  while pets are great they do have to be looked after. Free range Hens have to be put to bed every night or they will get lost or killed by predators.

u have a good thing going so keep at it.  WIldlife in nature, as they are meant to be, is such more interesting.

I used to try and see if I could trail a fox and get close to them just as a challenge  I eventually got close but usually only for minutes, and after a lot of tweaks/practice ( covering myself in mud / cow poo to knock out my smell ! ) . 

They were so good at evading me. 

mucho respecto Mr Fox !

I can’t have pets in my flat so I sort of treat the ones at the pond as mine 

i always wanted to have ducks as pets because they make me laugh. But at one time  I had a mix of free range "black rock" hens and some rescued battery farm hens.  They provided me with a continuous supply of eggs which were better tasting than shop eggs. I also considered geese for their elegance to look at and as protection from Mr fox.  But the hens kept me busy so I didnt get to geese and ducks 

Don’t worry - it’s a commonly believed myth, swans aren’t the only birds to mate for life, most geese do too. I’ve got a good rapport with some of the geese at the pond too... they’ll actually run over to me when they see me which is nice 

bum,,,, i always thought that didnt make biologiical sense after learning all about natural selection, sexual  selection, self gene theory, other selection forces  etc  . I just never checked 

Half right - they do mate for life. They can breed from about 4 years old and they can live up to 20 years. The thing about swans never mating again if the other dies or them dying of a broken heart is a myth. Our local swan is on his second mate after the first died. They have a mounting period but like humans they do move on. 

i have quite a bit of experience of swans  on Lough Erne. Basically they watched me and I watched them as I travelled about lough Erne in my boat.

We (fisher folk) had superstitions about them in that they are must not be disturbed or messed with in any way. You gave way to them on the lake and on land.

When they paired up, they paired up for life and if the partner dies they never partner up again. So I was told.

i have quite a bit of experience of swans  on Lough Erne. Basically they watched me and I watched them as I travelled about lough Erne in my boat.

We (fisher folk) had superstitions about them in that they are must not be disturbed or messed with in any way. You gave way to them on the lake and on land.

When they paired up, they paired up for life and if the partner dies they never partner up again. So I was told.

Exactly - they’re not daft. Like humans they can trust others... you just need to show them you can be trusted. 

of course a wild fox doesnt risk itself...  all wild animals are always cautious as one mistake equals death or a very close scrape. The fox you describe has learnt that the risk has benefits ie free food.  Its all about risk and cost for wild animals.

We have a tame fox at my parents. He was born under their shed and they put food out for him most nights... he’ll come right up to you. With most animals it’s about trust and for them food and trust are closely associated. 

thats just as good/better in a way --- i couldn't go anywhere for years because i had so many animals to look after,,,, so  while pets are great they do have to be looked after. Free range Hens have to be put to bed every night or they will get lost or killed by predators.

u have a good thing going so keep at it.  WIldlife in nature, as they are meant to be, is such more interesting.

I used to try and see if I could trail a fox and get close to them just as a challenge  I eventually got close but usually only for minutes, and after a lot of tweaks/practice ( covering myself in mud / cow poo to knock out my smell ! ) . 

They were so good at evading me. 

mucho respecto Mr Fox !

I can’t have pets in my flat so I sort of treat the ones at the pond as mine 

i always wanted to have ducks as pets because they make me laugh. But at one time  I had a mix of free range "black rock" hens and some rescued battery farm hens.  They provided me with a continuous supply of eggs which were better tasting than shop eggs. I also considered geese for their elegance to look at and as protection from Mr fox.  But the hens kept me busy so I didnt get to geese and ducks 

Don’t worry - it’s a commonly believed myth, swans aren’t the only birds to mate for life, most geese do too. I’ve got a good rapport with some of the geese at the pond too... they’ll actually run over to me when they see me which is nice 

bum,,,, i always thought that didnt make biologiical sense after learning all about natural selection, sexual  selection, self gene theory, other selection forces  etc  . I just never checked 

Half right - they do mate for life. They can breed from about 4 years old and they can live up to 20 years. The thing about swans never mating again if the other dies or them dying of a broken heart is a myth. Our local swan is on his second mate after the first died. They have a mounting period but like humans they do move on.