Foxy thief snatches bag - then returns it to owner

Foxy thief snatches bag - then returns it to owner Foxy thief snatches bag - then returns it to owner

The hunt is on for a ‘thief’ who stole a handbag from a woman. The suspect is described as 1.25 ft high, with pointed ears, hairy and red.

Jeremy Clark, 38, told The Argus how he was at home in Maple Drive, Burgess Hill, when he spotted a fox making off with his wife's handbag - then return it to her.

He was preparing to go to hospital with his wife, Anna, 35, when the cunning carnivore made his move.

He added: “We were in the [estate's] car park and he looked at me for a few seconds before letting out this feeble yelp.

“Next thing I knew he had my wife’s handbag in his mouth and was running towards the bushes.”

Jeremy screamed at the fox to drop the bag but he scuttled off out of sight.

He added: “Anna had everything in there: her phone, money, purse, keys and letters. I couldn’t believe the fox had just taken it – it was mad. I thought that was it.”

But a few minutes later the guilty looking fox crept back into the car park with his bushy tail between his legs. In his mouth was Anna’s bag which he dropped at her feet before running off.

Jeremy added: “I have no idea why, we couldn’t believe it. We see the fox around quite a bit. I think people feed it.”

Comments(14)

leobrighton says...
9:30pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Perhaps it didn't smell very nice

davedebrax says...
9:39pm Wed 24 Oct 12

The Burgess shale is full of shape shifters.

Crystal Ball says...
8:44am Thu 25 Oct 12

Perhaps the bag did not suit the fox's outfit so he went on the hunt for something more appropriate.

plantwoman says...
9:11am Thu 25 Oct 12

It's not unusual for foxes to steal things other than food - if we don't collect the dog's toys from the garden each evening, the foxes will play with them and will take them away. Unfortunately, in our case, they don't return them.

runnergirl says...
11:47am Thu 25 Oct 12

Brilliant! Love those gorgeous foxes.

Nathan_Adler says...
12:52pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Reading the title I put "Foxy Snatch" in a google image search and well................
.....

paul76 says...
1:32pm Thu 25 Oct 12

My mum had a friendly fox in her garden. She used to throw a rubber glove and it would go and get it and bring it back.

TES of Brighton says...
2:22pm Thu 25 Oct 12

The article makes a welcomed change from the usual anti-fox 'fox bit child' scare-mongering stories. More like this please!

plantwoman says...
9:28am Fri 26 Oct 12

runnergirl wrote:
Brilliant! Love those gorgeous foxes.
So do I!

One night in very heavy rain, we had one curled up asleep on our front doorstep - dry and cosy!

Juleyanne says...
4:36pm Sat 27 Oct 12

Agree with TES, lovely story more of these please Argus, foxes are amazing creatures.

adorable says...
7:56pm Sun 28 Oct 12

you wouldn't like foxes if they dug under your fences or jumped over the fence and used your garden as a toilet.

brightman says...
10:16pm Sun 28 Oct 12

adorable wrote:
you wouldn't like foxes if they dug under your fences or jumped over the fence and used your garden as a toilet.
I suggest a layer of concrete under your fence and a nightly covering of the fence with lard.

plantwoman says...
10:35am Thu 8 Nov 12

adorable wrote:
you wouldn't like foxes if they dug under your fences or jumped over the fence and used your garden as a toilet.
Actually we have six or more foxes in our garden every night without fail, they don't bother us and we don't bother them and yes, we do like them!

Athena says...
12:47am Thu 15 Nov 12

A fox recently attacked our cat, who was dangerously ill as a result. The fox has also dug up our brand-new lawn, and leaves its dung all over the place. A different fox killed all my brother's ducks. Foxes are very beautiful but they are dangerous animals and not at all cuddly.

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