Foxes in Your Garden
Wily Mr Fox
Foxes are carnivorous animals that have proved very adaptable. They are often found in the countryside but are also common in urban areas of the UK and many other developed countries.
By and large, it is untrue to suggest that foxes have been driven into town due to hunger. It is more a case that, similar to humans, they find urban living convenient and comfortable so they are equally at home in town or country.
Food is not a problem for a healthy fox. Some households deliberately leave food out for foxes. In other cases the food has been put out for other reasons such as leftover pet food or to attract hedgehogs and other wildlife.
However, even without help from people, foxes can manage very nicely since their diet is so wide and varied including such foodstuffs as meat (raw or cooked), baked items like bread, cake or pizzas, fruit, bird food, insects and any small animals that happen along. In fact their diet is every bit as varied as humans
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Lifestyle of a fox
In captivity, foxes have been known to live for up to 14 or 15 years. In the wild, however, foxes typically live two or three years, primarily because of the dangers they face such as being hit by a car at night.
Cubs are born in early spring and a pair of foxes may produce four or five cubs a year. Foxes tend to be territorial, living in family groups in an area that has sufficient food supply to support them.
This lifestyle tends to stabilise their numbers in urban areas. Their territorial inclinations prevent areas being overrun by foxes, but on the other hand when foxes are killed or removed from an area, it isn't long before others come in to claim the territory.
In addition to an adequate food supply, foxes need somewhere to hide during the day and to serve as den sites where they can nurture their young. Consequently they tend to be attracted to larger gardens where there are hedges, outbuildings, sheds or neglected areas that provide the kind of cover they want.
Myths about Foxes
Whilst we are here considering foxes as a pest for gardeners, we need to acknowledge that they are often unjustly accused of being at fault, for example:
- Foxes accused of scavenging in dustbins
If your dustbin has been rifled over-night it is unlikely to be a fox that is responsible. Although quite cunning, for the most part foxes are simply not big enough to overturn dustbins, though if some other creature is responsible, you might find a fox checking out the spilled contents for any tasty morsels.
In practice, since foxes will eat a varied diet, there is usually ample food available to them in an urban environment and therefore a healthy fox has little incentive to be searching in dustbins. - Foxes accused of killing pets
Dogs and cats tend to ignore foxes and for their own part foxes also tend to keep themselves to themselves so that it is rare that a fox will attack a household pet.
Foxes are, however, quite partial to smaller wild animals and birds if they are able to catch them and they are obviously not able to distinguish those that are wild from those that are household pets. If you keep any small mammals or birds as pets, therefore, you do need to take precautions to protect them if they are outside at night. - Foxes accused of attacking people
In practice, foxes tend to be vary wary of people and usually do all they can to avoid them. Very occasionally, a fox may be bold enough to enter a garden during daylight hours but if they see a human they will disappear very quickly.
Only if they are threatened and feel the need to defend themselves are they likely to show any aggression. In fact, people are far more likely to be attacked by pet dogs or cats than by a fox.
Surveys in the UK indicate that the majority of people actually enjoy seeing foxes in their gardens. They have in fact been voted as one of the most popular of Britain's wild animals.