If one lives in an urban UK location, Foxes are bound to be a familiar sight. They wander around taking very little notice of humans, as they scavenge for their daily meals.
Living in both urban and rural locations, I must say that the difference is staggering. Where once Foxes lived out in the woods and fields, they are now no longer to be seen. They have all moved into towns.
When we recently returned to the UK, the very first thing we saw when we arrived at our house was a Fox wandering about, and even inspecting the inside of our garage before heading off. He, or she, was blissfully unaware of anything unusual in its behaviour.
Since then I have seen them almost daily, and suspect that they are living under some dense bushes in front of the house. They have adapted very well to city/town life.
Foxes are very beautiful animals, but I have crossed swords with them. I once lost a whole run-full of hens (about 12) to one; in the morning I'd found every single one of my Chickens either dead or dying. The Fox had found his way in, but they couldn't find any way out; and had paid the price. Had I left them free-range in the barn, maybe I would only have lost one!
People do feed Foxes, but they aren't domestic animals. They may resemble a medium sized Dog, but that's where any similarity ends. Best to leave them be wild.
I don't dislike seeing them around, although I would prefer them to live out in the countryside. However, with Fast-Food outlets on every street corner, they know that there is an easy meal waiting for them in the form of left-overs, or spillage. And who could blame them.
I haven't seen any foxes, my suburb is too close to the city, but they have been seen in outer suburbs and in the hills area where I have family they often get the hens. My daughter used to keep three hens and they were allowed to roam free on her property but a fox got them, now she has three and they are fenced in with a moveable frame so they still forage as if wild, but are safe at night from foxes.
ReplyDeleteOver here they seem to have quit the countryside in exchange for town/city life. I see them almost every night.
DeleteTalking of hens I wonder if there are ever any standoffs between seagulls (our shameless garbage raiders here at the coast) and urban foxes. I am sure they [the foxes] would prefer a bit of proper bird to a half eaten hamburger in a cardboard box.
ReplyDeleteU
I did see a Crow (or Rook?) attacking some young Seagulls recently. Very aggressive.
DeleteThey are everywhere here and kill native animals as well as fowl. Thanks very much to your ancestors who sent them. Well, mine too I suppose. It is said my city of Melbourne has the largest urban population of foxes in the world. However, they are very shy creatures here. You may see one run across the road but not much more.
ReplyDeleteHere they have become oblivious to humans; they just accept us as being a part of the scene.
DeleteFoxes moving into the cities will presumably (hopefully) mean the demise of fox hunting.
ReplyDeleteIt has meant an end to Fox Hunting, but not to Fox Killing. Sadly their numbers are now controlled by gassing, poisoning, or shooting. Very unpleasant in comparison to how things used to be.
DeleteIn many places in the world and here too there are wild animals that started living in cities during the lockdown.
ReplyDeleteThe Fox migration to inner cities has been going on for quite a long time. They are now almost as common as Seagulls.
DeleteThere are no foxes over here. However, our urban menace is the long-tail (or rat to non islanders).
ReplyDeleteYUK; I'm not keen on Rats. I was expecting to see some here with the Dustmen's strike, but luckily nothing.
DeleteThe problem is people do feed them, they grow strong have bigger litters and then there are too many foxes. Our mad neighbour puts food, raw sausages and eggs out everyday, so we are plagued with them. Like you I think they are majestic, but should be in the countryside not in towns, and yes I know we build houses on they land.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a good idea to feed them. People think they're being kind, but in fact they're being a menace.
DeleteThe prevalence of foxes in your cities is somewhat similar to what is occurring with coyotes here, though they aren't seen quite as much during the daytime, but that is slowing changing. Once darkness arrives small pets best be kept indoors, even for those with fences around their yards. As our drought continues here in Southern California U.S. more wildlife, bears, bobcats and mountain lions are coming out of the mountain forests into residential areas -- bears and cubs swimming in peoples swimming pools, increasing visits to trash cans on garbage pickup day.
ReplyDeleteI suppose one can't blame them looking for food and water, it's just a shame that they need to.
DeleteWhere we go on holiday, Naval resort, there is sea on one side and bare hills on the other. Foxes come down from the hills to the beach at night and enjoy leftover pizza and souvlaki. They hang around the houses, waiting outside the kitchen door for leftovers. I was thrilled to see them close up but am happy to leave them there. Wild cats are enough around my kitchen door.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what they do for food in the winter. There are houses and villages a few kilometres away. I suppose they migrate.
Restaurants will always throw out food, and the Foxes know where to look.
DeleteDo you remember Hannah Hauxwell? She lived on a remote Yorkshire farm and there was a famous black and white TV documentary about her life. She became famous and something of a national treasure. In one of her books she said that in all the years she lived on that farm she never saw a single fox. It was the same for me growing up in an East Yorkshire village - I only ever saw one fox emerging from a wood about five hundred yards away. Urban foxes have become so brazen as you suggest.
ReplyDeleteBack in France I used to see one occasionally, but not recently. Maybe they've all gone to our nearby town.
DeleteOn our infrequent trips to Londonium I remain amazed at the number of foxes spotted, even in daylight hours. Back home in the Welsh hills they remain elusive and a rare sight. I must say though that compared to our local Renard the urban ones look extremely unhealthy...
ReplyDeleteAu contraire; I'm amazed by how healthy and luscious they look. Big bushy tails and shiny fur, they look very good down here. It must be the sea air.
DeleteWe have foxes in the neighborhood where I live and in many subdivisions near St Louis Missouri. I have seen very healthy beautiful ones, we have red foxes and grey ones. I saw one in our driveway one night. I imagine he may have been going toward our backyard to feast on persimmons that were ripe and on the ground.
ReplyDeleteOne day I was driving and some sort of creature started to cross the road in front of me and then became frightened and turned around to go back to the side walk. It started to try again and decided my car was too close and went running back into some bushes in a nearby yard. That time I got a closer view and I could tell it had a fox face and ears, and tail, but the poor thing had only a shadow on its body and tail, where fur should have been. It looked pitiful. A day or two later I read in our local paper that the community next to ours was having a problem with foxes that had severe mange. So many people had called the authorities about them, that the authorities were trying to capture them, have them treated for mange and relocate them to a rural setting. So the fox I saw crossing the road had mange. Poor thing. The newspaper article about the foxes with mange said it spreads through all of the foxes so easily because their dens become infested with the mange and then the whole fox family gets it, and spreads it. It indicates that there is a large population of foxes all living in too small of an area.
Susie, I'm afraid that the banning of Fox Hunting in the UK will mean more spread of such diseases. When hunting Foxes, it was always the old, the lame, or diseased who were caught and killed, meaning that the Fox population remained manageable and healthy.
DeleteMange is awful. We had a bear with mange. It had to be put down.
DeleteFoxes are seen, and heard, a lot here. They love the arable farmland of the east of England.
ReplyDeleteWe always used to see them the morning after the hay was cut. They would come to feast on all the chopped-up creatures. I haven't seen any for several years.
DeleteIt does seem unnatural for the fox to find city and town living perfectly acceptable. For me, they are woodland creatures. In my opinion, people intentionally feeding wild animals for their own pleasure is wrong. My neighbor was feeding a 250 pound black bear so he could video the bear on the staircase leading to his screened porch. When my dog became involved, I requested a stop to these actions and identified the downside of not doing so. Problem solved.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd want a Brown Bear wandering around my property. I have seen videos of them on porches etc. Aren't they dangerous?
DeleteI was astounded to read Steve's posts on his foxes. I am even more surprised to discover they are such a widespread urban problem there.
ReplyDeleteIf no-one no longer controls them, their numbers will grow; not unlike Cats or Rabbits. They do need some control, which used to be done by hunting. Unfortunately the Urban protestors won the day, and now they have moved in with them.
DeleteIn my twenty odd years living with the farmer on the farm I could count on one hand the number of foxes I saw.
ReplyDeleteI saw two greeting each other in the road last night. Rather like Dogs, they circled each other, sniffed each other, then went their separate ways.
Delete