Soft orange fur;

A beautiful creature;

By no means 'sly';

If we only look deeper.

Found on the edges of woodland;

Tilled fields and marshes;

They sleep in the open;

Bushy tails wrapped round them.

Mainly nocturnal;

With excellent hearing;

True to their habitat;

Speedy when running.

Silently quick;

Exceptional hunters;

Controlling the rodents;

Declining in number.

In Natural Law;

Non-human sentients;

Have the right to live freely;

In their natural environment.

Population decreasing;

Despite exaggerations;

No cause to be hunted;

They are not the problem.

Here since the Ice Age;

Homes taken over;

They stay where they are;

Hence 'urban' foxes.

I dream of the day;

When animals are respected;

For the joys they bring;

They should all be protected.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf