From a Tuscan Hillside: A Happy Ending for Mister Fox

Thursday, September 24, 2015

A Happy Ending for Mister Fox

The Fox has Fled

Regarding our posts The Downside of a Fence and Mystery Solved

we are delighted to announce that in all probability, Mr Renard has escaped the confines of our garden where he was inadvertently imprisoned during the installation of our perimeter fence.

we placed stones wherever we found the digging so that he wouldn't try again but this ended up providing the perfect indicator for new diggings; as you can see, Mr Fox was very busy in this area...

Originally we thought to build him a ramp up which he could climb and jump down the other side. Although the idea was valid, since it would thwart re-entry, ramp-building proved a challenge and we opted for a simpler, if riskier, solution.

the gate was secured with a hook so that it stayed only this much ajar: just right for a fox but nobody else, hopefully; some food was placed nearby

We left one of the gates slightly open, just wide enough for a fox but too narrow for a boar, a porcupine, a badger or a deer. And we placed a little parting gift/encouragement just in front of the gate.

our side of the fence with the stones covering fox diggings and the wild side of the fence, full of boar furrowing

Next morning the gift was gone. We closed the gate and hoped for the best. Two days later we can report that there are no further diggings on our side of the fence. I think we can safely assume that Mr Fox is free once more and reunited with Mrs Fox and their kits.

1 comment:

AgricolaSeptember 24, 2015 at 3:45 PM
Wonderful story of perseverance (on both sides) and compassion (on yours). Well done!
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