I need another barn cat or 2

[bcp]

No you are not clear on any of this, as usual.

I do not advocate the saving of feral cats.
I advocate the reduction of feral cats thru spay and neuter.
I advocate the keeping of cats indoors 100% of the time.
I do not support the concept that a maintained feral cat colony will reduce rodents. You free feed feral/outdoor cats and other animals will show up to eat the scraps...and before long you end up with a bigger problem.


Red foxes were introduced here by the British for fox hunting as the native gray fox was too small.
(According to the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, Englishman Robert Brooke was the first man to import hunting hounds to America, bringing his pack to Maryland in 1650 when he imported his horses and a pack of foxhounds. Also around this time, numbers of European red foxes were introduced into the Eastern seaboard of North America for hunting.)

And since day one, man has hunted animals for their food and their fur.
Nothing new there.
As a matter of fact, it was the beaver fur trade that caused a lot of western expansion by trappers, ie: mountain men, to provide pelts for the European fur fashion craze.

As usual, you are just a tad bit wrong.

While native to Maryland, there are reports of early settlers bringing the red fox from Europe for release by landowners for hunting with hounds.

What was brought over was the hounds. The Red and Grey fox are both native to Maryland. Even if some were brought over, they were not introducing a new species to an area.
Cats on the other hand are not native and must be eliminated from the wild.

 

[bcp]

Identification

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most common of the foxes native to North America. Most depredation problems are associated with red foxes, although in some areas gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) can cause problems. Few damage complaints have been associated with the swift fox (V. velox), kit fox (V. macrotis), or Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus).

The red fox is dog-like in appearance, with an elongated pointed muzzle and large pointed ears that are usually erect and forward. It has moderately long legs and long, thick, soft body fur with a heavily furred, bushy tail (Fig. 1). Typically, red foxes are colored with a light orange-red coat, black legs, lighter-colored underfur and a white-tipped tail. Silver and cross foxes are color phases of the red fox. In North America the red fox weighs about 7.7 to 15.4 pounds (3.5 to 7.0 kg), with males on average 2.2 pounds (1 kg) heavier than females.

Gray foxes weigh 7 to 13 pounds (3.2 to 5.9 kg) and measure 32 to 45 inches (81 to 114 cm) from the nose to the tip of the tail (Fig. 1). The color pattern is generally salt-and-pepper gray with buffy underfur. The sides of the neck, back of the ears, legs, and feet are rusty yellow. The tail is long and bushy with a black tip.

Other species of foxes present in North America are the Arctic fox, swift fox, and kit fox. These animals are not usually associated with livestock and poultry depredation because they typically eat small rodents and lead a secretive life in remote habitats away from people, although they may cause site-specific damage problems.

 

[Katelin]

Bcp Challange

If you are so "anti-non-native" I challange you to 3 days of not having anything to do with anything non-native.
No eating, drinking, wearing anything made from plants or species not native to this country.
Collectively, non-native crops and livestock comprise 98% of US food.
This list includes the following: None are native to North America and were brought in/introduced by humans...or manipulated for use/economic gain.

Cow products: beef, milk, hamburg
Sheep..lamb..wool...
Pork..no bacon
Chicken/eggs/feathers...
Goat
Horse
Corn and all corn by products, read labels really well!
Cotton: Can not wear anything made of cotton grown in or exported from USA
Potatoes, tomatoes, sugar cane products..rum.

Just a short list to get you started..
I only listed non-native, not invasive, as that list is very long and I doubt you eat/use anything on that list.

Let me know how it goes for you!
Oh hops (beer) are non-native too.
Happy 2012!!