Urban Foxes

[Harold Smith]

I have just read Cathyh's piece on Foxes in Distress and it has just reminded me about thoughts I have been having concerning foxes were I live. I live in Hucclecote, Gloucester and years ago when I used to take my dog for a walk I would regularly see foxes. Most mornings, at about 5:30, we would follow a fox down the centre of the road. It took absolutely no notice of us. The meadows and the old Gloucester (Brockworth) airfield, approximately a mile or so away, had a good population of foxes, in particular a melanistic one I observed for at least two years. Foxes were also a frequent visitor to my and my heighbours' gardens. Over the last ten years or so the number of foxes seemed to have declined considerably. I no longer get them in the garden or about the area.

Sadly the meadows and the airfield have become housing estates and a massive business park. However, I am wondering if the initial decline in the local urban foxes started with the introduction of the 'Wheely Bin', which was before the development of the airfield and during the building of the housing estates. In the past foxes would scavenge black bags and dust bins. It was nothing unusual to see a bag ripped apart or a dustbin lid and contents lying in the road. The Wheely Bin is far more difficult to get into as it is virtually impossible for foxes to get the lid of. As a result a major source of food is no longer available.

I know Glasgow and London do still have large populations of foxes. From what I have seen from recent television programmes, and not necessarily related to wildlife, the local authorities have not yet gone down the Wheely Bin route.

I would be interested if anyone else has similar ideas or suggestions.


Harold.

[Words]

From what I've read of the research carried out at Bristol, the introduction of wheelie bins shouldn't have made much difference to the fox population (their diet isn't heavily dependent on scraps). I'm not entirely convinced, but do have to say that I've not noticed a difference where I am (Sussex) in the two years since we've had wheelies. We still get plenty of foxes, and although they get fed in some of the gardens they are very capable at catching their own (I've seen them run through with pigeons, rabbits, frogs etc).

The redevelopment of your area may have made a difference to their habitual routes, but it's difficult to speculate. An increase in road traffic (and urban development would result in more cars) will have had a negative impact. The car is one of the major causes of mortality in foxes.

[mh68]

Very interesting observation Harold. I`ve come to the same conclusion re our local Foxes - lack of scavenging opportunities meaning the Foxes round here dont come into gardens etc as much as they would elsewhere.Our street backs onto a large shopping centre, everyone has wheelie bins, and the shop refuse is dumped into those large skip-type bins so very little is left lying around.There have been occasional Rat problems so litter is kept under tight control to avoid this happening too often.This all adds up to very little food to scavenge.
I`ve actually sat up all night quite a few times watching the area behind our houses/at the back of the shopping centre, in the hope of seeing scavenging Foxes but i`ve come to the conclusion that there is so little edible refuse left lying around the Foxes dont tend to bother. Very close by though, there are huge Rabbit warrens and fields with very high Vole populations so perhaps the pickings are rich enough in these places to give the Foxes little reason to look elsewhere? There are certainly quite a few Foxes locally - we hear them most nights this time of year in the nearby fields, but they rarely come into the streets.In the last 10years I can count on one hand the number of times i`ve either seen a Fox in the street, or in the garden.

Mark H

[pressld2]

Here in the London Borough of Bexley we've had wheelie bins for a good few years now (can't remember exactly how many but at least 5) and there seems to be more urban foxes than ever. I have no idea what they are living on as, despite this being one of the leafier London boroughs, I have never seen any indication of wild rabbits in the area. Plenty of wood pigeons though and we do occassionally come across a patch of feathers indicating that one of them has "bought it". We've always tended to blame cats but it could just as easily be foxes.

However, the high number of foxes I see and hear could be an extremely localised phenomenon and not representative of the borough as a whole. This is because the people who live opposite us are a Chinese couple who regularly spend long periods (six months to a year) in Hong Kong. While they're away their garden grows wild and the foxes move in, set up a den and raise a family. Maybe the people living a few streets away are wondering where all the foxes have gone.

Dave P.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by pressld2

Here in the London Borough of Bexley we've had wheelie bins for a good few years now (can't remember exactly how many but at least 5) and there seems to be more urban foxes than ever. I have no idea what they are living on as, despite this being one of the leafier London boroughs, I have never seen any indication of wild rabbits in the area. Plenty of wood pigeons though and we do occassionally come across a patch of feathers indicating that one of them has "bought it". We've always tended to blame cats but it could just as easily be foxes.

However, the high number of foxes I see and hear could be an extremely localised phenomenon and not representative of the borough as a whole. This is because the people who live opposite us are a Chinese couple who regularly spend long periods (six months to a year) in Hong Kong. While they're away their garden grows wild and the foxes move in, set up a den and raise a family. Maybe the people living a few streets away are wondering where all the foxes have gone.

Dave P.

You should ask for permission to access their back garden while theyre away Dave....would be an excellent photo op
The most reliable urban spot to see Foxes I know of - in a nearby town - is a carpark near a McDonalds, where people go to eat their takeaways, and if the bin is full the rubbish/leftovers are just dumped outside the car. There is an adjacent lake where I used to fish through the night a lot, with a distant view of the carpark, and you could set your watch by the arrival of Foxes to scavenge the leftovers. If the area wasnt so regularly frequented by local charvs/drug users and other gems of modern society I`d be trying to set up somewhere to photograph the Foxes.Sadly the thought of fighting off the local scum, intent on helping themselves to my camera gear doesnt appeal
Foxes are seen in the streets and running across the roads at the other end of town where I live, so I`d tend to agree regarding them being localised.

Mark H

[hsl]

Foxes are seen as vermin by vile snobs and council estate scumbags alike.

They are simply a natural predator, but too small to be seen as natural predators like tigers etc.

We have had families of foxes living at the bottom of our garden for god knows how long. I put food out for them everyday, but they usually have to sit and wait for the cats to finish eating it first...

Most of the people who oppose them shouldn't be allowed to raise another human life, let alone have a bearing on a wild animals life, and base their intelligence on their pay packet.

[cathyh]

Hi Harold and all,
I guess you have read my follow-up postings!
I am in Bristol, South Glos. Used to be semi-rural, now housing developement all around us is in overdrive
Food is left out by various residents, in the hope that they will find it, before local army of fat-cats sniff it out
We have wheelies but it seems a shame to put food like ham/chicken in them to rot for two weeks at a time, so I always leave anything suitable out for Mr & Mrs Fox who stroll around, often at the witching hour. They usually cross our road a little way off but I hope they have good sniffers. We have never seen them eating, but like to think an empty plate is a good sign.
My parents live a short drive away and we have all seen a healthy looking Fox in the field backing their garden, in Broad Daylight and right near the wire fence on more than one occasion - is this unusual?
The field was last used for grazing sheep, a year or two ago but floods in wet weather. By the fence in parents garden is a drainage ditch 'stream' - with Voles?

Cathyh

[mh68]

Hi Cathyh, its certainly nothing to worry about seeing a Fox out in daylight. Theyre either pretty much undisturbed, or confident enough to be out and about through the day. On the recent BBC Autumnwatch series the Fox family in Glasgow which were the subject of the Fox diaries were filmed while active in daylight, and in some areas it`s common to see them at such times.
Locally, i`ve seen very few through the day so I guess its another localised thing.

Mark H

[Ukwildlifeo]

Foxes not able to access scraps is probaly a good thing in the long run. The feeding of foxes accidental or on purpose can lead to dense populations and outbrewaks of mange and other nasty diseases. But then Im sur most people on here are aware of that.

[Clodbuster]

Originally Posted by hsl

Foxes are seen as vermin by vile snobs and council estate scumbags alike.

They are simply a natural predator, but too small to be seen as natural predators like tigers etc.

We have had families of foxes living at the bottom of our garden for god knows how long. I put food out for them everyday, but they usually have to sit and wait for the cats to finish eating it first...

Most of the people who oppose them shouldn't be allowed to raise another human life, let alone have a bearing on a wild animals life, and base their intelligence on their pay packet.

I keep chooks and a fox does get in and is a serious killer, killing far more than he may need so I quite understand people, not just farmers but others who have 3 - 10 pets in the garden, hating foxes and wanting the people who feed them and encourage them into their locality to stop. They will kill every chook in the yard and may eat one so your neighbour may be spitting at you for feeding them.