On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 10:21:02 +0000, Steve Haigh
wrote:

Martin Sykes wrote:
"John Towill" wrote

I've just heard on the radio (so it must be true :-) ) that foxes hate
human hair, so place some in a fox hole, and away they will go, sounds too
good to be true for fox haters with fox infested gardens, but hey, it must
be worth a try.

Hugh F-W suggested it was the scent of humans that detered the fox, and
hair is the easiest way of distributing the scent when you are not
there.

Mind you, in a more recent program, "Tales From River Cottage", Hugh F-W
had installed an electric fence to deter the foxes, so maybe the hair
didn't really work all that well after all. A fence sounds all together
more effective.

Simple-sounding folk remedies are often suggested (and picked up and
retold) as deterrents for rabbits and deer. (We don't have much of a
fox problem.) Hair, urine, soap, hot-pepper sprays are all
recommended. However, experience shows that if the animal is hungry
enough, or the plant is tasty enough, the effects are minimal.
Physical barriers are about the only sure cures.