Fox in the City
Did you know?...
At least 28 different fox calls have been identified but it is difficult to determine what each one means. A commonly heard call is the loud, spine-chilling cry that foxes often make during the mating season.
Out of control? The figures on foxes
· Foxes colonised cities in the 1930s when suburban development created semi-detached houses with large gardens. The size of London's urban fox population is estimated at 10,000.
· Foxes are most active from dusk to dawn. During the December-January mating season, dog foxes will howl to scare rivals away from their territory. Cubs usually appear in late March and April. Foxes born in towns rarely move to rural areas.
· Controlling urban foxes is difficult and expensive. As fox mortality rates increase, vixens compensate by breeding more cubs. Killing dog foxes also encourages fights as new males compete to fill the abandoned territory, leading to noise and fouling of gardens.
· Foxes will kill chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, but it is rare for them to attack cats. A survey in north-west Bristol showed that they killed 0.7% of cats each year, predominantly young kittens.
· In the last five years there have been two incidents in the UK of foxes biting children while they were asleep inside their homes. But experts hope that foxes will learn to attack dog owners who let their stupid dogs foul public parks.
Did you know?...
At least 28 different fox calls have been identified but it is difficult to determine what each one means. A commonly heard call is the loud, spine-chilling cry that foxes often make during the mating season.
Out of control? The figures on foxes
· Foxes colonised cities in the 1930s when suburban development created semi-detached houses with large gardens. The size of London's urban fox population is estimated at 10,000.
· Foxes are most active from dusk to dawn. During the December-January mating season, dog foxes will howl to scare rivals away from their territory. Cubs usually appear in late March and April. Foxes born in towns rarely move to rural areas.
· Controlling urban foxes is difficult and expensive. As fox mortality rates increase, vixens compensate by breeding more cubs. Killing dog foxes also encourages fights as new males compete to fill the abandoned territory, leading to noise and fouling of gardens.
· Foxes will kill chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, but it is rare for them to attack cats. A survey in north-west Bristol showed that they killed 0.7% of cats each year, predominantly young kittens.
· In the last five years there have been two incidents in the UK of foxes biting children while they were asleep inside their homes. But experts hope that foxes will learn to attack dog owners who let their stupid dogs foul public parks.
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