I remember mentioning in a bar in Otívar that I had a fox that came around and took food from my hand. The reaction was, “Foxes are bad, shoot it.”
Some hunters also seem to have trouble distinguishing between a dog and a fox, as my neighbouring farmhouse residents found out; not because they’re difficult to distinguish, but some hunters consider bagging a dog as firing practice.
Anyway, this is the case of Alcázar de Venus, which is a hamlet dependency of Órgiva; a bustling community of 30 residents. A fox had been adopted by their villagers as they had taken a shine to it and fed it. It trusted them and they trusted it.
Then on Thursday the 22nd they found its body – somebody had shot it. It doesn’t matter that it was inoffensive and semi tame, somebody simply didn’t want to carry home the weight of an extra 12-bore cartridge.
Nobody saw who did it. They have their suspicions but no proof. However, the Guardia Civil’s seprona is investigating. Many will hope that he is found and his shotgun confiscated.
(News: Alcázar de Venus, Orgiva, Alpujarra, Granada, Andalusia)