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By Zanan Rahma
Foxes moved into England's cities in the 1930s and for 50 years, the local authorities trapped and killed foxes in London as an attempt to eliminate the problem. According to the Guardian, by the early 1980s, there were an estimated 33,000 mature foxes in urban London, and the 1930s practise of wiping them out, proved ineffective.
"The highest densities of foxes are now found in cities but the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management believes urban foxes still account for only 14% of the total population."
Last summer, an intruding fox attacked 9-month-old twins as they slept in their cot. Even more shocking was the story of an urban fox digging up the grave of an infant boy and stealing it. The fox was believed to have eaten the carcass. Police issued warnings, telling people to keep their windows and doors closed during the warm weather, to avoid foxes entering homes.
Days ago, it was announced that a fox was residing on the 72nd floor of London's Shard building, the highest distance ever recorded as the dwelling of a fox.
According to a study by Bristol University Mammal Research Unit's Professor Stephen Harris, foxes are currently being perceived as more dangerous than they really are. Urban foxes tend to be quite small, weighing an average of 5.7kg and having a life expectancy of less than two years. "A typical urban fox has a territory stretching across 80 city gardens. Devouring everything from berries and (usefully) rats to discarded KFC, vixens will have four or five cubs in the spring". Few
There have only been a few recorded reports of foxes attacking human beings, but it is claimed that this is only so, due to the fact that most people think that they won't be believed. Despite the recorded attacks of the 9-month-old twins, expert John Bryant says, "this is completely outside my experience of fox behavior," says Bryant. "I think it is a young fox cub. They are all teenagers, they don't know anything, and they have no fear. They wander into houses, steal cat food and will even sleep on the sofa."
Urban foxes are particularly fond of schools: there are portable classrooms to nest underneath, open bins overflowing with half-eaten packed lunches and, crucially, no dogs. "Foxes are fascinated by children," says Bryant. "When they hear the children running around the playground they will sit in the bushes and watch them, captivated."
* Do not feed foxes or leave out any kind of food leftovers or refuse. According to the borough of Richmond, "scavenged food can constitute up to 50% of their diet as foxes eat what we discard).
* Use secured bins to put out your household waste into, foxes rip into plastic bags.
* Try an infrared device that can be linked up to outdoor water hoses and fires water at intruding foxes.
* Use a fox repellant as an extra precaution; this fools the fox into thinking that another fox has moved into the area, causing the fox to desert it.
Diana: "I think the foxes are getting more brave, before they used to be scared of humans, so when they'd see us walking in their vicinity, they'd run off. Now, they just stand there and stare, this is a growing problem and I believe it needs to be addressed more adequately".
Jinan: "Just last week there was a fox in my garden, I heard its screams, but when I switched the lights on, it ran away. I don't think they're more harmful than your average household pet, but, like any animal, if it feels under threat, it will attack".
