# Have you ever seen a fox or sheep in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2016, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179 "2016-06-12T11:16:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/81 "2016-06-13T22:29:13Z")
The various family farms are currently running about 25,000 sheep so yes, I’ve seen a few of the past half century. Have seen, shot and sold the pelts of a reasonable number of foxes too. On the other hand, haven’t seen many of either in Sydney. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/82 "2016-06-13T22:48:41Z")
I’ve seen one fox, in 1997, running around a friend’s neighborhood in Leeds, England. I’ve seen lots of sheep. My childhood best friend was in 4H and raised them (now she’s a sheep farmer). Saw lots when we visited Wales, too, including ones with graffiti (okay, they were spray-painted so the farmers could tell whose were whose :D) ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/83 "2016-06-13T22:48:43Z")
Plenty of sheep here. Abundant foxes, too (vermin, to be killed on sight). ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/84 "2016-06-13T22:57:23Z")
In Scotland, so sheep are ubiquitous. My back garden basically adjoins one of the lower fields the shepherd brings the sheep down to when he needs to take them off the rough land on the hills. Foxes are a much rarer sight though. I’ve seen more foxes in Edinburgh than I have near my house in the sticks I think. Nobody is actively trying to kill the foxes in town though. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/85 "2016-06-13T22:57:47Z")
I’ve lived a significant part of my life in rural areas and visited many other such areas, in both the USA and Europe. I am sure I have seen tens of thousands of sheep in my life. Foxes are rarer, of course, but I have seen them too. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/86 "2016-06-13T23:07:56Z")
Yes, I think we used to live down the street from Mr and Mrs Fox, and they came through our yard a lot, despite a 6-foot fence. They were wanted for the death of several pets in the area, but I don’t think they were ever apprehended. They also had sex in the middle of the street one snowy morning. Somebody honked at them and they got stuck together. Nobody could turn the hose on them because it was winter and everybody’s outdoor water was off. They have been replaced by coyotes. Again, I see them all the time. My dog lets me know when they are in the neighborhood. I don’t know if they ran the foxes off, or if the foxes died. I have seen a lot of sheep, but not recently. On one of the routes that I walk my dog there are some llamas though, which is pretty neat. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/87 "2016-06-14T00:56:47Z")
100’s of foxes, 1000’s of sheep. Last fox I saw was this at 4am morning, disappearing over our garden wall, after the little bastard got into our chickens and killed 8 of them and one duck. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/88 "2016-06-14T01:15:32Z")
Plenty of both. I can even lay claim to having shot a fox trying to raid our henhouse. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/89 "2016-06-14T01:30:44Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > So where do the bearskin hats come from?? China? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/90 "2016-06-14T02:52:16Z")
I can’t recall seeing a fox in real life, but tons of other wildlife like cougars, bears and coyotes. I have been up close and personal with sheep, helping out at shearing days, hoof trimmings, teaching them to be led in a halter, etc. I have spent much time on a sheep ranch. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/91 "2016-06-14T03:03:14Z")
We used to have foxes in our neighborhood all the time, years ago, but they don’t seem to show up any more. I used to drive to work right past Frying Pan Park in Northern Virginia, where they kept a flock of sheep. One morning I drove past a dead baby that was lying inside the fence right next to the road, and it stayed there for weeks. I really got upset driving past there. When I graduated from Air Force training school, my roommates and I drove to Dallas airport to catch planes to various parts of the country. One of my roommates was from Queens, New York, and he got all excited as we passed a field full of cows. He started jumping up and down in his seat, and I said, “Haven’t you ever seen cows before?” And he said, “Sure, in the zoo.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/92 "2016-06-14T03:10:14Z")
I’ve been to zoos, so yeah I’ve seen foxes and sheep. But I also live in Iowa so I’ve seen urban foxes (and turkeys, deer, and once a coyote) in my parents’ large yard in the middle of town. We had one that came by nearly every day for a few weeks. I see sheep (and horses, goats, donkeys, cows, alpacas, and Lil’ Sebastians) when I drive out in the country. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/93 "2016-06-14T05:17:00Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > l, my roommates and I drove to Dallas airport to catch planes to various parts of the country. One of my roommates was from Queens, New York, and he got all excited as we passed a field full of cows. He started jumping up and down in his seat, and I said, “Haven’t you ever seen cows before?” And he said, “Sure, in the zoo.” I’ve never seen a cow at the zoo. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/94 "2016-06-14T07:28:48Z")
Every so often I like to virtually cruise on Google Street View around the places where I grew up back in New Zealand, and I have to say I am surprised at how few sheep I see in the paddocks. I know the ovine population has dropped to about a third of its heydey but I am nonetheless very surprised at how empty it all looks. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/95 "2016-06-14T08:20:44Z")
In urban Australia (let alone the rural areas) it is said that you are never less than 100m from a fox at any given time. That being said, the urban foxes are obviously more wily because I’ve only ever seen two within the metropolis I used to reside. In the other areas I’ve lived, foxes are prolific and regularly seen. Sheep? Everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/96 "2016-06-14T09:19:32Z")
All the time. I’ve come close to hitting foxes in my car a few times. I’ve seen them playing in my backyard. I’ve cleaned up the bodies of my dead chickens when they found a way into my chookshed. My partner got “outfoxed” by one that came into the yard to grab a chicken while he was outside. Sheep are everywhere. My little guy and I were collecting scraps of wool off a fence this afternoon, where the sheep had been rubbing against the fence and left locks behind. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/97 "2016-06-15T02:41:53Z")
Here in Middle Tennessee, I have seen several foxes over the years, but they are rare compared to sightings of rabbits, deer, possums, coyotes, groundhogs, and even armadillos. Recently a black bear was shot less that 10 miles from me (the shooter was arrested.) Sheep are not exactly rare but goats are way more common. I saw Dall sheep in Alaska, from a distance. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/98 "2016-06-15T03:23:36Z")
Fox is fairly common in the Los Angeles suburbs around air ports, golf courses, cemeteries and large parks. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/99 "2016-06-15T04:42:38Z")
Here in Minnesota, you can see both at the State Fair. Foxes in the Dept. of Natural Resources ‘zoo’, and sheep in the sheep barn, in the childrens petting zoo, and usually newborn lambs in the Miracle of Birth building. But living here in the cities, both are pretty rare, naturally. Foxes may be plentiful in the Parks & creeks, but are seldom seen. And sheep aren’t allowed, by city ordinance. ---
**Author:** ![MsJinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/278dde/32.png) [@MsJinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsJinx)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179/100 "2016-06-15T04:56:19Z")
I had never seen a fox until moving here (northern Colorado) from the midwest, and have seen a few around town and in my neighborhood. When I was a 911 operator, someone called to say they saw one crossing the street near the university. I asked if it was injured, but no, the caller just thought it was remarkable enough to call 911 to report it, and got angry when I told her it was not a 911 emergency. Plenty of sheep around here as well, although I didn’t see that many of them around there either, even though I was in rural areas often. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-fox-or-sheep-in-real-life/757179.md?page=6)