Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes)

Red Fox

UK History

Foxes have been hunted in Britain for over 700 years. The first established hunt with dogs dates back to 1670 and there have been a total of 317 hound packs registered in Britain. Fox hunting with dogs was banned in Scotland in 2002 and in England and Wales in November 2004.

Foxes began to colonise our cities after World War I but didn’t become commonplace until after World War 2.

UK Status

Foxes are found practically everywhere in mainland Britain, as well as on many islands.It also occurs in urban areas and seems to fare particularly well in affluent suburbs. The number of urban foxes in Britain appears to remain stable at around 35,000 despite an annual mortality of 60%.

Global Status

Distributed throughout the northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle in the north, as far south as north Africa including much of North America, all of Europe and most of Asia, including Japan. The red fox represents the most abundant canid on earth, with Spring populations in Europe (excluding Russia) estimated at between 750,000 - 1,000,000 individuals.

Biology

Breeding occurs between December and February . The vixen produces one litter of about 4-5 cubs once a year in spring in a den called an 'earth'. Sexually mature at 10 months of age. Red foxes tend to live between 2 -6 years, with an upper limit of about 8 years. Cubs are taken by golden eagles, badgers, dogs and cats.

The diet includes small mammals, invertebrates and birds, as well as fruit, carrion and scavenged items.

Issues with humans

Predation of game birds, other ground-nesting birds and livestock, which includes domestic fowl, lambs and pets. As well as taking still-borns and afterbirth, foxes will also take newborn lambs although recent reports suggest that less than 1% are lost to fox predation. Foxes are widely controlled on many farms.

To help protect ground-nesting game birds, foxes are controlled on most estates and on some nature reserves where there are important populations of rare birds (e.g. capercaillie).

In the early 1980s many foxes were killed each year for their fur, most of which was exported to West Germany but this has since declined.

Fox hunting with dogs accounted for around 6 - 10% of foxes killed annually. The majority are either shot (more than 200,000 annually) or are killed on the road.

Largely as a result of public pressure, fox hunting with dogs was banned in the UK in 2005 (although it is still legal to use dogs to flush - but not kill - foxes). Following the ban in Scotland in 2002, the number of foxes killed by hunts has doubled (shot after being flushed by dogs). It is widely accepted that the ban is largely unenforceable in most areas of Britain.

Future Outlook

It is likely that the highly adaptable fox will remain a common species across much of Britain and may well continue to prosper in the urban and suburban environment where it it is largely free from control. The ban on hunting with dogs is unlikely to lead to an increase in the fox population. Numbers will continue to be controlled by shooting and snaring to help prevent livestock predation.

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