Is the fox a pest ?
The fox has a reputation, handed down from generation to generation
through fables and country tales, of being a cunning and ruthless
thief which lives off lambs, poultry and pet cats. The fox has
suffered much from this image - eagerly exploited by those who kill
foxes either for sport or financial gain. However, over the past two
decades there has been considerable scientific interest in fox
biology. Studies have been undertaken by the Institute of Terrestrial
Ecology, the Universities of Oxford, Bristol and Aberdeen as well as
the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (MAFF) (now DEFRA, the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the Department
of Agriculture & Fisheries for Scotland (DAFS). This research has
shown the fox in an entirely different light and unanimously confirms
that man's efforts at 'controlling' the fox population are largely
ineffective and that the damage caused by foxes is insignificant.
For example, a five year study undertaken for DAFS revealed that
whilst up to 24% of lambs in the Highlands of Scotland may be lost
through still-births, malnutrition and hypothermia, only around 1% are
lost to foxes. (Ref: "Scavenging and predation upon sheep and lambs in
West Scotland" by R Hewson and A F Leitch, Journal of Applied Ecology
(1984) 21, 843-868). Perhaps more importantly, a three year study of
fox predation on lambs in Scotland found that leaving foxes in peace
did not result in an increase in fox numbers or an increase in the
already small number of lambs taken. (Ref: Predation upon lambs by
foxes in the absence of control, by R Hewson M.Sc., Ph.D.,
M.I.Biol.,Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen 1990).
It has already been firmly established that the vast majority of the
lambs taken by foxes are either already dead, or weak and unlikely to
survive. Nevertheless, farmers have constantly argued that although
lamb losses are small, they would be much larger if foxes were not
ruthlessly controlled. The Aberdeen University study challenges the
necessity of this high level of persecution - much of which is paid
for by the tax-payer and farmer. Similar surveys by MAFF have led it
to the conclusion that fox predation on lambs is "insignificant". A
recent study by Dr Piran White of York University showed that an
average of only 0.4% of lambs are killed by foxes, making it
uneconomical for most farmers to undertake fox control measures.
Keeping new-born lambs indoors for the first few hours of their lives
is the best way of preventing fox predation, the report found. In
addition to this, a survey by the Mammal Society during the period of
foot-and-mouth disease in 2002 when hunting was banned demonstrated
that fox numbers did not rise, indicating that hunting has no effect
on the fox population.
Regrettably, the vast majority of poultry these days are kept in
battery cages or broiler sheds and are therefore not at risk from fox
attacks. Free-range poultry are rarely taken by foxes in daylight and
therefore losses will be small, provided that the birds are securely
housed at dusk. In most cases where foxes kill a large number of
birds, it is because the farmer has failed to shut the hen house door
or the housing is inadequate - in other words poor husbandry. Foxes
are accused of 'killing for fun' because they may flee leaving many
dead birds behind. This is known to biologists as 'surplus killing'.
In the unnatural surroundings of a chicken-run the fox's natural
killing instinct is continually triggered by prey which are prevented
from scattering as they would in the wild. In fact, it has been shown
that when a fox gets into a chicken coop the commotion arouses the
farmer and his dogs, lights go on, doors open and the fox flees.
However it is known that in an undisturbed situation, the fox will
make many trips to carry off the dead birds, and bury them for future
use when food may be scarce. Such caching of food is instinctive for
foxes and has even been observed in young orphaned cubs. Foxes have
also been falsely accused of killing cats, but studies by Oxford and
Bristol Universities have shown that foxes have a healthy respect for
the formidable armoury of an adult cat and will generally avoid
confrontation. The remains of cats have been found at fox earths and
there have been claims of sightings of foxes carrying dead cats.
However, such cats are likely to have been road accident victims - the
fox merely doing what it does best - scavenging.
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