Foxes
The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
The fox is the most widely distributed and populous dogs in the world, having colonised large parts of Europe, America, Asia and Africa. It was also introduced into Australia in the 1800’s for recreational hunting although some sources suggest it was to help control the spread of Rabbits.The Fox is a remarkably resourceful creature, able to cope in a very wide range of different environmental conditions, from sub-tropical regions to icy tundra the red fox is able to find food and keep warm.In the UK the red fox feeds mainly on small rodents such as field mice, rabbits and voles but will eat almost anything it finds, often eating carrion or preying on new-born lambs in the spring. Foxes carry the mange parasite which can spread to domestic pets and can be contracted by humans. They are considered a pest in urban areas because they scavenge through domestic and commercial refuse bins,devastate gardens, rear there families under buildings, prey on pet rabbits and can also wipe out an entire chicken coop in one night.This resourcefulness is one of the main reasons they’ve been able to populate our towns and cities with great success. They are superb hunters, able to sprint, turn and jump with surprising ease for dog, they can be as agile as a cat.
Control - Our first line of control is trapping, we generally set 2 fox traps and when the the foxes are caught they are released back into the wild. In extreme circumstances where traps cannot be set or the fox has wised up to the trap, then we can humanely shoot the fox and dispose of it accordingly.
