Wildlife

Urban foxes

By Professor Stefan Buczacki

Professor Stefan Buczacki on why the urban fox is no longer an urban myth

Foxes are on the run

'The collapse of the rabbit population first created the commuting fox, which lived on the urban fringe and travelled into city centres at night.'

'A fox's scream, usually from the vixen in the mating season, is unearthly and unbelievably similar to the human voice.'

One of the biggest and most extraordinary changes in the behaviour of a major British animal in recent times has been the way the fox has adapted to urban living, as it scavenges in dustbins and other places where food waste accumulates. As recently as my childhood, the fox was an animal that roamed the countryside around our village, but it was virtually unknown to town-dwelling friends. Now, you are probably more likely to see one in central London than anywhere else.

Foxes are rarely seen clearly anywhere in daylight, other than dead by the roadside when they are revealed as about the size of a spaniel, but readily distinguished from any dog by the combination of a rich, red-brown colour, pointed muzzle, erect ears and a very bushy tail or brush. In most places, foxes may be more often heard than seen, and their scream, usually from the vixen in the mating season, is unearthly and unbelievably similar to the human voice.

Rabbit shortage

This change in fox behaviour has been attributed in large measure to the shortage of rabbits that followed the myxomatosis outbreaks. The collapse of the rabbit population first created the commuting fox, which lived on the urban fringe and travelled into city centres at night to scavenge for food. Now, many stay there and are true city dwellers.

Foxes rely heavily on scavenging, but will eat almost anything – dead or alive, animal or vegetable – that comes their way, including fruit (as, rather surprisingly, do many of the dog family), so Aesop’s fable of the fox and the grapes might just be based on fact. Foxes are opportunistic in other respects too; one reason why they have been so successful. Even their den or earth isn’t always constructed by them, but is very commonly adapted from an old rabbit burrow or badger sett, sometimes before the original residents have moved out.

Surplus killing

They have a terrible reputation among farmers because of their habit of ‘surplus killing’ – when they enter chicken houses and kill far more than they can eat. In reality, surplus killing is not wanton, but a means of providing for times of hardship. In the wild, the majority of the potential excess prey will escape. but in the unnatural environment of a confined space, this doesn’t happen and the fox ‘can’t help itself’ in killing so many.

No way to stop them

But foxes and gardens? They really don’t mix, although I know of no certain way to keep them out. A 2m (7ft) high fence is definitely no barrier, as I discovered when a fox came into our garden one night and buried a large rabbit under a lavender bush in my knot garden, extremely close to the house. The characteristic foxy odour they leave behind is striking, and its presence often reveals that an unsuspecting gardener has, like me, had a nocturnal visitor.

Look further

Contact your local council for more information on urban foxes. You can also refer to the Rural Development Service Technical Advice Note 08 on Urban Foxes, published by DEFRA.

About the author

Professor Stefan Buczacki gained a first-class honours degree in botany at Southampton University, obtained a D.Phil. in forest science at Oxford and embarked on a career in research. In 1984 he began writing and broadcasting and has achieved numerous awards and distinctions as a naturalist. He is passionate about the British countryside and its fauna, and this is no more apparent than in his 50th book Fauna Britannica, the result of four years' research. The book includes a foreward by HRH the Prince of Wales and is published by Hamlyn.

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