Foxes Attack Car Cables? Which Half-wit Thought Up That Story?

 Interestingly the Standard would not permit me to respond to this item. My response was:

"Any actual footage of the foxes doing the damage as I know rats tend to be the main culprit so jumping to a conclusion that foxes are to blame seems odd. Evidence is what is needed and an examination of the cables that were chewed should show what animal is responsible. Foxes seem unlikely."

Why was I so suspicious about this story? Simple -absolutely no evidence and it appears to be another pro hunt/anti-fox piece of trash.  You see, I hear from people all over the country and when I hear that anti-fox people in one area have said that foxes are chewing through car cables I get curious. When people with anti-fox sentiments (not even trying to hide it) get stories in Conservative (pro-hunt) newspapers I smell a rat. When in one day I hear the same "Foxes are chewing through car cables" from three different areas I smell something else.

I have never heard of foxes being interested in chewing through cables on cars in over 40 years of study and observation. A lady crashed her car -who was she and where is the police report showing her cables had been chewed through? These people go through all the fancy "deterrents" but not one has any photographs or video footage of a fox under their cars yet they can place devices under(?) the car itself just not a camera. Here is the biggest problem in that these wires are said to be chewed in the engine area -inside the car so how do they suppose a fox is getting inside their engine compartment?

I suppose everything else has failed from the fake "foxes kill cats" to "foxes attack babies" to "herds of foxes in the high street molesting people who are carrying food" -in that case I know two people living on the high street in question and they have not seen foxes for a couple years let alone in broad daylight.

It is also interesting that The Standard will allow anti-fox sentiments and comments but not allow anyone questioning the story.  These people have fallen flat on their faces again and, coincidence I am sure (I write that sarcastically) that this is happening around the cub season the same as every year.

If -IF- this cable chewing is going on in engine blocks I would suggest rat deterrents.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/new-malden-south-london-fox-cages-chew-car-wires-b979701.html

RESIDENTS HAVE PLACED MAKESHIFT “CAGES” BENEATH THEIR VEHICLES TO STOP FOXES FROM NIBBLING WIRES

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SAMI QUADRI31 JANUARY 2022

Residents in south London have resorted to “fox-proofing” their cars to stop the animals chewing through brake cables and electrical wires.

Furious locals in New Malden have complained the area is plagued by foxes causing “utter destruction”, with several drivers forced to shell out hundreds of pounds to pay for repairs.

Jean Brodie, 64, and her husband Andrew, 72, have had to spend more than £600 after their Dacia Duster’s sensor cables were destroyed by the animals.

The couple are among at least nine households who have constructed makeshift “cages” underneath the cars to deter the foxes from getting underneath and nibbling the wires.

They say the “nightmare” problem has been going on for seven months.

Mr Brodie said: “We’ve been attacked five times since June last year. We’ve had four attacks in January alone. It’s a nightmare.

“We didn’t know what to do so we had to take drastic measures and build these wooden defences.

“We put in log roll and other stuff around it and realised because of the high wheel arches, we might have to protect that too.”

He slammed the council for failing to help, adding: “We’ve asked the council but they can’t do anything about them.”

ERIK MCLEAN / UNSPLASH

The pair said a woman who lives locally crashed into another car after she began driving and realised her brakes weren’t working.

They said they previously used rodent spray on their car but it failed to deter the creatures.

“We had an animal scarer device that seemed to work for a while. It’s a gizmo that is solar-powered — you stick it outside on the ground, it has a strobe light with these blue flashes. If any animal comes in close range it gives off these huge fast flashing white lights… we also used a rodent spray and that didn’t work at all either.”

Several residents have taken to a neighbourhood Facebook page to speak out about the issue.

Mrs Brodie said: “It was only when talking to other neighbours that we realised how widespread the issue is.

“I’m grateful to the chap who posted the photos on Facebook because he’s starting a dialogue and getting the issue out there.”