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Abstract

The story of Fantastic Mr Fox has mesmerised primary school children for decades, a colourful tale of a brush-tailed schemer always one step ahead of the human hunters looking to evict him from his den.

So maybe some of the younger minds at a Barnsbury primary school will have appreciated the last-minute escape for a fox, a vixen and their cubs who were apparently being lined up for a cull not too far away from their classrooms.

Following claims that Vittoria School in Half Moon Crescent was preparing to bring in the exterminators for a family of redheads who had, rather unwisely, made a den in its grounds, campaigners bombarded its switchboard and email inbox demanding clemency.

As the rumours spread, the school backed down from bringing in hired guns and released a statement to try and reassure animal-loving parents that the foxes would not be shot.

The Tribune has been told that the deed was planned for the bank holiday Monday amid health and safety concerns for the 230 children enrolled there. The foxes were first spotted earlier this month. The only legal method to get rid of foxes is to shoot them, or to trap the animals and kill them by lethal injection.

The apparent change of heart came after a Facebook campaign was launched by Karen Heath of the Mama Cat Trust animal rescue group which gathered more than 200 supporters overnight on Tuesday – many of whom contacted the school in protest.

One supporter, a teacher, posted on Facebook that she was “sickened” by the plan to kill the foxes.

“What a sad, sad state of affairs that you are teaching children to kill animals,” she wrote.

“The reality is that your modern school has probably encroached on their ancient territory. And what a learning opportunity you will miss showing the kids about new life, and the wonder of nature.”

Attacks on children by foxes are virtually unheard of and Ms Heath, who lives in Camden, said it was “totally unnecessary to resort to such cruel methods”. She argued that it would be “traumatic, ineffective and illegal” to relocate foxes, and suggested the school could use deterrents to repel them, or educate staff, pupils and parents on “the benefits of foxes, including them being a natural form of vermin control”.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the school said: “Thank you to all those who have expressed concern regarding foxes on our premises. Please be assured that we have no intention to exterminate these animals either now or in the future. Thank you for the advice and contacts we have received which we will use should we need to manage the situation going forward.”

Ms Heath said last night (Thursday): “I’m delighted that the school has decided to go along the humane deterrence route. If there needs to be some form of control this is the most common sense and efficient long-term solution.”