Another thing that concerns me about the ‘fox’ story …….?
These twins are 9 months old, at the just about to start walking stage (if they hadnt already). Regardless, there would have been child-safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs (since its already been reported that the children were sleeping UPSTAIRS).
Now you may argue that they left both of these gates open because the children were asleep, however I know that just out of habit, for my own peace of mind, even if my kid was asleep, I would close the gates behind me. Why? Because it takes all of two seconds, and in the unlikely event they did get out of the cot, at the very least they would only be on one level, not crawl/walk to the top of the stairs and then fall down. Plus its just a force of habit, you just get in the habit of always closing the gates, so that you dont accidentally ‘forget’ to do it one day with disasterous consequences.
So one of two things happened here:
The child gates were locked and somehow this fox managed to jump over both sets of gates (at the top and the bottom) without making a single sound (and how determined is that fox to get to some soiled nappies to be able to do that).
or the gates were open, which might be fine, but still seems to me to be playing a little fast and loose with their safety considering there is a 5 or 6 metre drop awaiting them ….
La Volpe – I totally agree with you on the count of all these neighbours all declaring it to be some epidemic, yet if that was the case why did the parents leave the door wide open and then leave both child safety gates open to allow the fox to get upstairs.
This would make them negligent. They can’t have it both ways. Either they were negligent because they knew there was a problem but did nothing to prevent the attack, or there was no problem in the first place which is why they never forsaw it.
But they can’t have it both ways.
Nice guy ………. babies don’t have to be at walking age to need babygates. Having one of your own, you should know how fast they can crawl along the ground at 9 months. Wouldnt take them long to get from one end of a room to the edge of the staircase.
A fox can jump very lightly. A gate would present very little obstacle. Foxes come over our six foot fences all the time. They’re very nimble and stealthy with it. The mistake people are making is thinking that foxes are nice – they’re not. They are renowned for causing terrible problems with lambs and chickens. They are vermin but some people think they’re cute, feed them and allow them to breed in their gardens. I wouldn’t breed rats but that’s what people do with foxes. There is no difference rat=vermin fox=vermin.
June 16th, 2010 at 2:17 am
You need to chill Dave, try sucking some Fox’s Glacier Mints.
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At 9 months my youngest was routinely climbing out of the cot so you do have a point. To stop her hurting herself we had to get her a proper bed so you question does have some credence.
June 16th, 2010 at 2:22 am
I honestly find it hard to believe they were attacked by a fox
Foxes, by nature, tend to avoid humans.
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June 16th, 2010 at 2:28 am
A fox can jump very lightly. A gate would present very little obstacle. Foxes come over our six foot fences all the time. They’re very nimble and stealthy with it. The mistake people are making is thinking that foxes are nice – they’re not. They are renowned for causing terrible problems with lambs and chickens. They are vermin but some people think they’re cute, feed them and allow them to breed in their gardens. I wouldn’t breed rats but that’s what people do with foxes. There is no difference rat=vermin fox=vermin.
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June 16th, 2010 at 2:51 am
Perfect parent eh? Good for you, well done, have a slap on the back.
Now all we have to do is stop them pesky foxes from jumping.
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June 16th, 2010 at 3:13 am
Heck well done never thought of that! you have got a good point.
Poirot of Answers! Foxes are quite capable of jumping but surely this fox would have made the Olympics with that sort of determination and another thing how the heck could the fox have smelt their nappies from outside anyway if that was what drew it in.
I just hope the twins are ok though – its gone a little quiet on that.
Well that something that has not appeared in the newspapers. Will murdoch’s boys be sharpening their pens! will the whole of London be on Fox alert!
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June 16th, 2010 at 3:30 am
Maybe they just though that since they were asleep they wouldn’t need to shut them, Or the Fox jumped them?
The thing that bothers me is everyone on that street is going on and on about how Foxes are becoming such a huge problem and how it’s all getting out of hand. If that’s true, why would they have left the door open? Why not just open the window? If you’re going to leave two children unguarded in an area which allegedly is filled with Foxes who don’t think it’s unusual to just wander into people’s homes , you’d shut the door. REGARDLESS of the weather.
I think most of the people on that street are talking complete and utter bollocks.
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June 16th, 2010 at 4:11 am
You’d be surprised at the gaps foxes can fit themselves through, as well as their previously mentioned jumping abilities.
Besides which, as usual, you are conjecturing about facts which are not available.
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June 16th, 2010 at 4:51 am
don’t you have work to do ?
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June 16th, 2010 at 5:20 am
What this family does in their own home is being scrutinised beyond all reasoning. Personally i leave my door open, but only if i’m around that area ie the kitchen and keep other doors to other parts of the house closed. Not because of foxes, but beause i’m a real sissy when it comes to mice and rats, which are more likely to come scampering in than a fox. (in my area). The safety gate thing, is a bit too far. Personally my kids never walked til they were 15months, so the safety gate thing only came into force then, and i never ever had them in a bedroom with a closed door. I liked to be aware of snuffles and coughs and snoring, it made me more at ease (over anxious parent),To be honest i do think the sly one did creep in, and i do think he made his mark on the kids, and no one actually wants to blame the culprit, the fox.
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June 16th, 2010 at 6:10 am
Have a heart. I think the children’s tragic injuries has caused these parents enough emotional suffering without being subjected to unjust and heartless speculation that the parents are lying.
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June 16th, 2010 at 6:16 am
none of my 3 children walked before they was a year old in fact one of them was 16 months, but yes most parents are still prepared with stairgates.i still use a stairgate to stop the dog going up the stairs when ever the cat jumps over it you always hear a clunk but my stairs are on the side so she has no room to take a run and jump.
foxes are more like cats in the way they jump we use to have one fox who use to sit on the garden shed at the bottom of the garden every evening at roughly the same time,i live next to woods so often get foxes passing through. it sounds very much like someone or one of the neighbours been feeding this fox for it to venture inside the house.
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June 16th, 2010 at 7:00 am
i already refereed to it on a answer on the same subject.any parent with children that age has gates and even if they are in bed ,any parent will close them!
I think something dodgy happened ,either no fox was involved,or the fox had been previously accepted in the household as a pet (i know a person who has a fox as a pet) and they now are afraid of consequences.
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June 16th, 2010 at 7:42 am
What I think happened is the family have a pet dog and it’s attacked the babys and they’ve blamed it on a fox, does any one know if the family have a dog?
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June 16th, 2010 at 8:08 am
the woman does look pretty upset and the police did see a fox. The babies were in a cot
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June 16th, 2010 at 8:13 am
All I really care about is the fact that 2 babies got hurt. But, for one, its been so damn hot and stuffy here that I can totally understand the door being open. Foxes are incredibly agile and quiet, I know I was brought up on a farm, yes they probably did follow a smell, I dont know the layout of the house to be able to comment fully on how the children were not heard or how the fox got to them without being seen. But come on, however you look at it those poor babies! Its not something most people would ever think would happen. Whats negligent is that the local authorities have let this fox vermin problem get this far.
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