As someone else whose life has involved foxes in one way or another for over 70 years, I have seen many changes that have taken place in the countryside – few of them good I have to say! One particular aspect that has always interested me has been the way that fox behaviour has changed. Though there were certainly plenty about in those early post-war years, and living as I did in the countryside, it was relatively rare to actually see them. From what I remember, it was generally at night that we were aware of them. Certainly the dogs would soon let us know if there was an intruder in the yard taking an interest in the poultry and usually it was a fox, with the occasional badger putting in an appearance.

With the old 12-bore behind the back door, it only took a moment to stop the raider removing any of our birds. More often than not, a shot in the