– – I’ve posted previously on artist Franz Marc, who refused to incorporate the human figure in his work because he believed that animals were more spiritual than humans. For Franz, the positive qualities of “purity, truth, and beauty” that humans manifested during infancy were forgotten in adulthood but were maintained intact in wild beasts. According to the painter, instinct made him depart from his solidarity with humanity and guided him to unity with animals as symbols of greater purity…
– – In a rare but tragic event, a fox crept into a house in east London this past weekend, and attacked nine-month-old twins in their nursery. One of the sisters received injuries to her arm, while the other received facial wounds. A fox caught near the family home was destroyed, although it is not known if it was the same animal that attacked the infants.
Parliament banned fox hunting with hounds in 2004, and the incident has caused some to seek a reversal of this ban; others have called for a cull of foxes. Some even wish for Roald Dahl’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox to be banned in schools, saying that it gives children the wrong idea about foxes! It should be pointed out that in England alone, some 225,000 people annually receive treatment for dog bites alone, while people aren’t calling for dogs to be culled.
So why did a lone fox turn to the dark side?- -First, he had opportunity, as a door to the house where the incident occurred was left open. Some have speculated that the attack on the girls was carried out by a confused 3-to 4-month old cub, who may have been lured to the nursery by the smell of diapers, which urban foxes have learned to associate with food as they’re often found aside edibles in household trash; urban foxes are scavengers.
While the incident was likely an unfortunate freak occurrence, this is not to say that we of the vulpine persuasion wouldn’t try to take over the world if given the opportunity…
– – Guys, thanks to your readership we’ve now exceeded 125,000 hits here on little ole Foxsylvania, and are still crazy after all those posts! Thanks for your interest and support!- –Furry for Life!!!
– – The former World’s Ugliest Dog winner for 2009, Miss Ellie, has died at the age of 17, a rather ripe old age for a canine. She was a Chinese Crested Hairless, and enjoyed a career in resort show business in the Smoky Mountains. Over the years, Miss Ellie raised more than $100,000 for the Sevier County Humane Society, and was on billboards and in a commercial. She also appeared on the Animal Planet show, “Dogs 101.”
RIP, Miss Ellie…
– – When MonsterQuest has a re-run marathon fest, I can usually tell by the number of renewed hits that I get on my old posts on past episodes of The Quest. It’s the good episodes that get the hits…like myself, most people aren’t as interested in installments on wild dogs, rats, or bees.
So mundane and unexciting were some of these episodes, in fact, that we can bring you this picture of a MonsterQuest reject…in fact, he might have been more interesting than some of the episodes that aired!
– – Perhaps you have been in a bar, club, or private home that features animal trophies mounted on the wall, usually of the stuffed and decapitated variety.- -Yeah, nothing says “man cave” like the carcass of an animal, shot from a safe distance with a high-powered weapon! But as a furry, such spectacles make me want to lose my lunch or vent my indignation, especially when there is a better way…
…consider cardboard animal trophies by Cardboard Safari! You can choose either large or miniature versions of moose, rhino, deer, and the heads of other animals to adorn your walls, and all are made from recycled and non-toxic materials.–The environment and the animal kingdom will thank you!
– – I’ve always thought that dogs should look like canines, and cats felines. I enjoy being vulpine. Some weird and wild styles, however, have been showcased at creative grooming shows, a subset of dog grooming and dog shows that largely feature poodles cut and styled to resemble almost anything, including giraffes and horses. It takes about two hours for the “transformation” to be completed.
Some view this kind of thing as cute and fun, while others regard it as humiliating, degrading, and abusive to animals. If I were the canine in question, I’d be profoundly embarrassed, and probably need years of therapy…
– – Stories of the Jersey Devil have been in oral circulation since 1735, making it possibly the oldest reported “monster” in America. Two schools of thought exist about the creature, one holding that it is truly supernatural…the “son of the devil,” as suggested by the original Mother Leeds account. A second explanation for the creature holds that it is some sort of mutated animal that has not yet been identified by science. Supporting this latter contention is the fact that the Pine Barrens location reported as the Devil’s stomping grounds has been known to have produced genetic malformations in reptiles and mammals, including humans, possibly due to heavy metal or other mineral deposits. Some abnormalities afflicting animals in this location have included odd colorations, extra appendages, and even extra heads.
Native Americans in petroglyphs, some dating back thousands of years, depicted an entity that has reptilian features. In spite of this and the extensive oral history, the Jersey Devil has been treated satirically, making many reluctant to step forward with their beliefs due to fear of ridicule. More serious study and treatment of the Jersey Devil may be fostered by a recently opened exhibit at the Paranormal Museum in Asbury Park, N.J. that features a variety of artifacts, including reproductions of a supposed Jersey Devil skull, drawings, and other artifacts.
Despite the lack of hard evidence, the Pinelands area of New Jersey covers more than a million acres…a perfect environment for an unknown animal to hide in!
– –When the Revolution Comes,
I’ll go on a different kind of fox hunt,
And roam through the woods with automatic weapons,
Their chatter echoing in the still morning air.
I’ll track down a human hunter,
And tell him I need his skin for my jacket.
I’ll drag him along the forest bed, terrified.
And when he thinks that his doom is certain,
I’ll let him go…
Because I only want to make a point,
And turnabout is fair play… 😉
– – New York’s Parks Department has their first official furry mascot, the very alluring Pearl the Squirrel! A furry also known as a “Parkie,” Pearl even has her own bio…she’s an urban park ranger by day, and enjoys riding her bike through the city parks. Acorns are a food fave, and she enjoys making them into whistles as well…not surprisingly, green is her favorite color…this is an ecologically-minded squirrel, furolks.
Although developed for New York City Parks, Pearl was created by a cartoonist who works for Disney and hails from Salt Lake City. Appearing in both fursuited and cartoon images, Pearl may help introduce New Yorkers to the wide wonderful world of furry! 
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