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Urban Foxes
Book by Harris, Stephen, Troughton, Guy
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 30, 2017
I feel a bit strange rating this a 5 stars, but when I think about it, I really can't fault it. It is a great piece of writing for it's time and to be honest, it holds up the test of time pretty well, so why shouldn't it get a 5 stars? I mean, it was easy to read, had it's humour, was beautifully illustrated and had some sound information.
So, I initially picked this up to give me some research to reference for my research proposal, but from the bits I selected, I realized it was really fascinating and seeing as I love foxes, I thought I should read some nonfiction literature about it, thus resulting in me reading this from cover to cover.
I wondered how relevant this would be, seeing as it was originally published in 1986, but it didn't really feel dated. The only instances where it did was when the author mentioned things that to him were "a couple of years ago" and the fact that it seemed normal to knowingly accept foxes in your house/keep them. I also read two things that contradicted with what I had been informed: A) the feeding of foxes was encouraged and B) Injured foxes shouldn't be helped. As for point A) I always believed that to feed a fox, you are welcoming more harm to them, by making them further reliant and used to humans. For point B) I understand the reasoning behind it but isn't that one of the major points of a wildlife rehabilitator (which I want to work as eventually)?
The illustrations, although simple, were so lovely and well defined that I wasn't even bothered about there being no photos. The drawings were clear enough!
I geeked out a bit at the mention of feaces analysis, as gross as that sounds, because I had recently done a similar process, testing for parasites across a range of different species poop. I was evidently excited that I knew the process fairly well... Probably a bit too proud when poo is concerned.
Overall, a really solid, basic book, about urban foxes, their lives, a little about their anatomy, food preferences, population and much more. Worth a read if you're interested in these wild mammals and a great tool in banishing some of the hearsay about them.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
So, I initially picked this up to give me some research to reference for my research proposal, but from the bits I selected, I realized it was really fascinating and seeing as I love foxes, I thought I should read some nonfiction literature about it, thus resulting in me reading this from cover to cover.
I wondered how relevant this would be, seeing as it was originally published in 1986, but it didn't really feel dated. The only instances where it did was when the author mentioned things that to him were "a couple of years ago" and the fact that it seemed normal to knowingly accept foxes in your house/keep them. I also read two things that contradicted with what I had been informed: A) the feeding of foxes was encouraged and B) Injured foxes shouldn't be helped. As for point A) I always believed that to feed a fox, you are welcoming more harm to them, by making them further reliant and used to humans. For point B) I understand the reasoning behind it but isn't that one of the major points of a wildlife rehabilitator (which I want to work as eventually)?
The illustrations, although simple, were so lovely and well defined that I wasn't even bothered about there being no photos. The drawings were clear enough!
I geeked out a bit at the mention of feaces analysis, as gross as that sounds, because I had recently done a similar process, testing for parasites across a range of different species poop. I was evidently excited that I knew the process fairly well... Probably a bit too proud when poo is concerned.
Overall, a really solid, basic book, about urban foxes, their lives, a little about their anatomy, food preferences, population and much more. Worth a read if you're interested in these wild mammals and a great tool in banishing some of the hearsay about them.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
October 21, 2012
This was great... really interesting insight into the foxes I see in the West End of the city (Glasgow) before 6am, and also got it free from the Uni library :)
June 22, 2023
Likely since publication, more is known about our canid friends. That said, written lovingly with charming illustrations
October 19, 2014
This book is about Foxes in British cities ( mostly Bristol ) and was written in 1986. I'm usually wary of natural history books written more than twenty years ago, but this one stands the test of time. Don't be put off by it only being 123 pages, it is the most informative Fox book I've yet come across! Very enjoyable and lots of enlightening information. A must-read for anyone interested in the animal.
January 23, 2014
If, like me, you have a fox living at the end of your garden,then this is a very good way of learning everything you need to know about your foxy neighbour!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews