Dead fox in my garden

[Peckhampam]

I came out this morning to find a dead fox in my garden. My neighbour reports its back end is eaten and there are maggots! I ring the council and am told that they will charge me ?40 +VAT to come and collect it. I think this is taking the P***....I didn't ask the fox to use my garden for its deathbed. The helpful girl on the phone said if you leave it on the pavemement we have to collect it free but 1) I don't want to touch it 2) leave a maggoty fox on the pavement for children and pedestrians to step round???? To add insult to injury the VAT is ?8-since when does 15% of 40 come to 8? But I had given up by this time. Lets hope at least they come tomorrow morning before it starts getting really nasty.

[sophiesofa]

It's the same as when someone breaks into your house and you have to pay for a window to be replaced. Rather unhelpfully I was told by a police officer when I asked about getting my window boarded up for the night that I would have to pay, but if I lived in a council house it would be 100% free. It was something I didn't particularly want to hear at the time, I think he was just trying to make conversation to cheer me up. I feel your pain, it really is frsutrating, but I guess someone has to pay for theses things. I hope it gets taken away soon.

[TheMonkeyboy]

Had it been shot with a pellet gun? MB

[thexwinglessxbird]

Yeah, without sounding weird, I'm curious to how a fox gets killed & half eaten in a back garden? Charging you to get rid of something you didn't ask for is just taking the piss - Especially when it's ?40 +VAT to get rid of a dead animal!

I personally wouldn't go near it & if there's no other way around it, I guess I'd just have to pay the ?40. But if you've got the balls & you're not so sensitive & squirmish as I am, just take a shovel & a black bin bag. Take it to the skip.

I love animals & I couldn't stand the sight of seeing a dead one.

[DirtyBox]

How long had it been there? Things don't go maggoty that quickly, especially in this weather.

I bet your neighbour just chucked it over the fence because he didn't want to pay the ?40.

[reetpetite]

Happened to my friend council didnt want to know said they couldnt come into their garden ! It stank her hubby buried it .

[SteveT]

I would bury it, but failing that buy a bag of compost and pour it over it, a 70 litre bag from lidl is ?3. in a few days most of it will have gone, but the stench will disappear as soon as you cover it with the compost.

Put on some rubber gloves put it in a bin bag, drop all including the gloves into the wheelie bin.

Just a cheaper option and instant.

[HonaloochieB]

Bag it and bin it.

[Peckhampam]

can't!!!! too squeamish. i thought I could but it is big and hairy and dead.

[Peckhampam]

By the way, they haven't come of course. Why did I think they would. I'm only paying them ?48 Grrrrrrr.

[Peckhampam]

End of saga-lets hear it for the refuse departement. They came and took it away and because the call centre hadn't bothered to put the call through to them in the first place the refuse department didn't charge me!! A result all round

And thanks for all your tips

[sophiesofa]

woop woop congratulations

[missie al]

I also got the helpful advice to put it in the road and tell them where it is. But I like my road too much. I'm going to put it in a few black bags and find a bin.

[agathoise]

We had a dead fox appear in our garden this past winter -- fortunately the weather was cold which made it slightly easier to deal with, but it was truly gross: decomposed and missing most of its head, tail, legs and some of the entrails. Despite being incomplete, it still filled a LARGE black bin bag and was extremely heavy. I just stuck it in the wheelie bin in the black bags -- didn't even bother phoning the council: if they can't deal with dog poo, I'd be amazed if they could deal efficiently with decomposing vermin. It stank and was horrible, but I tied a scarf around my mouth, put rubber gloves on and just got on with it: I needed to get the stinking thing out of the garden so that I could let the children out to play.

I challenge anyone who says that we don't have an urban fox problem in ED to do the same clean-up job and then repeat the same statement and mean it!

Urgh!

Agathoise

[DJKillaQueen]

I don't think anyone would deny that there are a lot of urban foxes, but just because they die somewhere, as we all do, doesn't make them a problem. Every day council workers similarly find elderly people that have died and not been discovered for weeks and that's similarly not pleasant. Death and decomposition are a natural process.

The main gripe with foxes is scattered rubbish after bin bag raids. That's where the nuisance is (but easily fixed by using enclosed bins). There are far more people than foxes, making far more mess and nuisance though.

*waits for onslaught*

[Jeremy]

I don't mind the foxes.

[Kalamiphile]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I don't think anyone would deny that there are a

> lot of urban foxes, but just because they die

> somewhere, as we all do, doesn't make them a

> problem. Every day council workers similarly find

> elderly people that have died and not been

> discovered for weeks and that's similarly not

> pleasant. Death and decomposition are a natural

> process.

>

> The main gripe with foxes is scattered rubbish

> after bin bag raids. That's where the nuisance is

> (but easily fixed by using enclosed bins). There

> are far more people than foxes, making far more

> mess and nuisance though.

>

> *waits for onslaught*

Well said. Foxes cause havoc in my garden, leaving poo, ripped up rubbish and dead rats. I do, however, reluctantly tolerate this as they are wild animals. What reason do the humans have for dropping their rubbish, spitting (don't get me started!), using the sreet as a toilet ets, etc?

[ian164SE22]

Obviously time to start the Dulwich Hunt!!!

In the style of DJKQ, *waits for onslaught*

[pommie]

i have had to clear up 3 dead foxes from my next door neighbours garden (shes squemish too) as her dog has killed them. it doesnt bother me picking them up and putting them in a bag. She rang the council and then left it in her recycling box so that they could collect it the next morning. The first time someone from the council came round and removed it and sprayed the area where the fox had been

[DJKillaQueen]

Obviously time to start the Dulwich Hunt!!!

Yes I'm all for the hunting of people from East Dulwich...especially litter louts and the terminally ill ;-)

[The Minkey]

"i have had to clear up 3 dead foxes from my next door neighbours garden (shes squemish too) as her dog has killed them" - how did that happen - unless a fox were trapped or injured, I can't see how a dog could catch & kill one let alone three.

[pommie]

The Minkey...

the foxes are quite brave in our gardens. They go into peoples houses through the cat flap. Next door neighbours dog sits quietly in the garden of a night and basically jumps them. I have had adult foxes in my kitchen and also a baby actually in our hallway which i have had to chase outside

[davidh]

VAT is currently 17.5%. it goes up to 20% in january.

[DJKillaQueen]

Yeah foxes will use cat flaps. Solution to that is to use a magnetic cat flap, one that then requires the pet to wear a magnetic attachment on it's collar. Useful for keeping out other people's pets too.

[AnotherPaul]

What kind of world do we live in when:

a) people can't bury dead animals themselves - our ancestors would probably would have regarded and animal popping off outside the cave as manner from heaven. We're all "oh, I can't touch it, it's dead and stuff". I think that's a bit feeble.

b) Dead foxes are VAT-able?! I know we're in a recession but that is really messed up.