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Anything I can do about this damn fox?

2 replies

code · 07/07/2015 07:39

There is an adult vixen living in one of the back gardens down our road. She had 6 Cubs but I haven't seen any for ages so guessing they have moved on. She is still there. The other night I had to break up a fight between her and a neighbours cat at about 4 in the morning and this morning just now I caught her chasing my cat down the garden (I let them out at 6am). I yelled and she an into another garden. Should I/can I get her moved on? I suspect some numpty is feeding them as they look well and the bins here are all contained so they can't scrounge. It's rather worrying as she is a big fox.

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cozietoesie · 07/07/2015 10:47

I don't think there is, I'm afraid. I'm not as sanguine about urban foxes as many people having seen what they can get up to with local wildlife and cats who are out at the wrong time but there are many people who feel soft towards them and feed them. (We have a large urban fox population round here who are bold indeed with their movements.)

I also have a memory that research shows that the absence of a particular fox from an urban environment these days results simply in another fox moving in to that niche. (And if they're absolutely stymied for rubbish or easier prey, they will at least catch rats - which you will have locally as well: we all do.)

I would simply keep your cats in the house longer than you're doing if at all possible. Foxes can be very bold indeed nowadays but in an urban environment, they will still, generally, go to ground during full day when people are up and doing and there are cars moving.

(I'm assuming from your OP that you have no issue of rubbish being open to them and providing easy pickings. You wouldn't want to have too lush an environment which would sustain a large fox population - and also rats and seagulls (if you have the latter around.))

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code · 07/07/2015 13:39

Thanks Cozie
I'll keep them in until after the school run. It's a shame as I'm up at 5am and it's lovely and quiet then and I wrongly assumed, safe! No access to bins or rubbish so someone must be feeding them. There are plenty of mice and a forest 2 roads back but she is choosing to live in gardens so must have an easy food source. I wish people wouldn't feed them, she wasn't even that scared of me.

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