Why are there so many foxes on Woodstock Rd?

hannahdev

I'm starting to find the number and boldness of these foxes a bit disturbing. Walked past one rummaging in a wheelie bin the other evening. My husband doesn't mind them though and wondered what the general feeling is towards them?

ChangN4N6

They have on occasion attacked children (incl terrible case in Stoke Newington few years ago). They are technically vermin and carry diseases . Like rats. They are over populated because of junk food refuse . The bunny cuddlers won't hear of any action against them and killing is against the law. Islington council had a eco diversity policy which basically encouraged them. Stupid. There is a man online who humanely disposes of them and when I lived in Highgate , where they started coming into houses, 4 neighbours clubbed together and paid for a cull. Which worked . Tally HÖ. Chang

miss annie

I like to see them but encouraging them by feeding them, dropping food litter or not putting lids on bins is bonkers.

Idoru

As foxes get more used to humans they'll get bolder. But they're harmless. It's not a good idea to encourage them. For one thing you'll also be encouraging rats. Best thing to do is keep any waste food where the foxes can't get to it and just ignore them.<br>

ADGS

They're clearly not harmless - unless you count attacks on pet cats and even babies as non-harm. Now, annoying as I find babies (and some cats), I would consider that a questionable definition. 

dorothy

I find the number of them quite disturbing.   Sometimes you see several on an evening walking home.   I think loads of people routinely feed them scraps.   I've met quite a few locals who almost have their own semi-tame one, which they might have known since it was a cub and then feed on a regular basis.   They have names for them, treacle, marble etc.   I know someone who puts out food, with medication such as worming tablets in it.   It's all well-meaning, but there's so many of them and they're so tame.   The way they come right up to you, probably expecting a chicken drumstick to be given out of your hand is just strange.  

conformable_kate

Foxes everywhere around here. I like them, on the whole, a bit of the wild in the urban, though less so if they start behaving like pets! But I don't feed them. Article on BBC quotes 16 per square mile in London, and suggests that it isn't worth trying to kill them off because others move into the empty spaces (compare badgers) - also that fox attacks are extremely rare<span style="font-size: 10pt;">:  </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24563919" style="font-size: 10pt;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24563919</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span>

N2n4

Usual scaremongering from chang. Considering how prevalent you would have us believe foxes are, one (unsubstantiated?) attack in x number of years is not very many really.

yagamuffin

Does anyone have any evidence of fox attacks on babies or cats? I'm not saying it doesn't happen it's just I've heard anything more than hearsay.<div>In my experience foxes and cats generally stay clear of one another.</div>

miss annie

My sister's cat lost an eye to a fox but ghat was out in the countryside - not urban foxes. I think there have been two confirmed cases of foxes biting children. Both cases the fox has wandered into the house through open doors. I'd speculate that it was probably giving the baby a sniff, baby probably attempted to touch it or started crying and the fox panicked and bit it.

Idoru

There are two relatively recent reported cases of foxes biting children. Most wildlife experts - including Chris Packham, and really who's going to argue with him? - agree that the stories are very unlikely and those that have seen pictures of the wounds say they're much more similar to dog bites. Fox attacks on cats are very, very rare. If you search on YouTube, however, there are plenty of videos of domestic cats easily seeing off foxes. <br><br>If you want proof of how the media feeds into hysteria around wildlife bites read this: http://www.buglife.org.uk/news-&-events/news/falsehoods-about-false-widows-put-rest<br>;

miss annie

My sister's cat is completely white so an easy target to spot. Beetroot uses common sense and either hides or does a runner when the foxes are in the garden. She likes to sit by a (slightly) open window and rant to herself about them while they are going about their foxy business.

ChangN4N6

Names like Treacle, Marble etc show how ppl get sentimental over evil. Beetroot has the right idea.

DillysDad

Evil? Get over yourself, Chang. I think it's likely that foxes find the amount of people more 'alarming'. As usual, hysteria and scaremongering prevails in the face of nature. Over pruning in parks and green spaces, leaving out food, rubbish, more and more people over populating cities etc all make foxes more visible. Cats are responsible for more deaths in this country than any other animal. Our wild bird population has been decimated at the paws of domestic cats.

gardener-joe

@DillysDad: It is perhaps not helpful to contest "hysteria and scaremongering", as you put it, with received wisdom and personal opinion. The subject is an important one for the area. For myself I wonder where's the evidence for either side of the rather unhelpfully polarised "He said ...", "She said ... " knockabout being played-out here? Facts please!

DillysDad

The attitude to wildlife in this country is hysterical as a result of scaremongering. One unsubstantiated fox attack gets plastered across the press, cue precious humans throwing out paranoid personal opinion as 'perceived wisdom'. People love to have a common enemy, even when there isn't one. And there are plenty of facts regarding the plight of wild birds as a result of domestic cats.

ChangN4N6

This story is not uncommon. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276529/Fox-attacks-baby-First-picture-week-old-Denny-Dolan-finger-ripped-Bromley-home.html Its not the foxes fault that the natural resources of nature have been perverted by humans leaving out KFC boxes . Too much grub = over population. They have to compete and attack. What many also say is that we need to rebalance and slash the population by humane extermination . On cats dillysdad I and many others in animal welfare would agree with you that they slaughter millions of birds and, when pushed, that there should be a limit on cats per household a limit on life licences (maybe 4 years as in Peru) . It's all a matter of rebalancing. Chang

DillysDad

I agree Chang, it is about rebalancing. Unfortunately, it seems humans are far too superior/arrogant to realise or even care about nature to change anything.

gardener-joe

But still no facts .. post a few links, please, to help me frame an informed opinion.

DillysDad

Chris Packham said culling was not needed. He said instead people had to stop throwing food on the ground and into bins since that was contributing to a rises in numbers in urban areas. An RSPCA spokeswoman said the only reason a fox would attack is due to fear. She said: "It's extremely unusual for foxes to attack young children or anyone. "It's not typical fox behaviour at all. Foxes will come closer to a house if there are food sources. Then they can become quite bold, but they usually do back off and run away when there's people around." Are foxes likely to attack or kill children? In June 1973 The Sunday Times carried an article warning about the threats posed by urban foxes. Ever since, anti-fox propaganda has warned about the threat of a child being killed by a fox, even though no child in Britain has been killed or severely injured in the 80 years since foxes colonised our cities. There are occasional relatively minor incidents involving foxes and children, invariably described in the press as an "attack", although it is very unlikely that a fox deliberately seeks out a child to attack it. In contrast, every year children are severely injured, maimed, and killed by dogs, very often their own pets and not just the larger or more dangerous breeds. The risk posed by dogs vastly outweighs the risk posed by foxes. TopWill the foxes in my garden attack my dog or cat? This is extremely unlikely. Foxes avoid dogs, even small dogs, because many foxes are killed by dogs. So it is much more likely that your dog will attack the fox, not the other way round. Attacks on cats are equally rare: cats and foxes are roughly the same size, and cats are very capable of defending themselves against foxes. So it is hardly surprising that foxes generally give cats a wide berth and flee when threatened by a cat. Occasionally small kittens are killed, but this is rare. Keeping your cat indoors at night greatly reduces the chances of an encounter with a fox. There are also a variety of other benefits: cats kept in at night are healthier and live longer, and kill less of the local wildlife." Bournemouth Echo and RSPCA website. There are a few facts. However, less hysteria and more common sense normally suffices.

Idoru

Reseach-based info from Bristol University here: http://www.thefoxwebsite.org/urbanfoxes/index.html<br>;

miss annie

The fact is that many humans are lazy and stupid so discard litter and feed foxes. The fact is that because of this foxes regard humans as a source of food and move closer to us. The fact is people read about something in the paper, half remember it later and tack on a few old wives tales for good measure. The fact Is that most of us live very near to foxes, much nearer than people do in the countryside do you feel threatened by them? They are much, much less of a threat to you than a dog, or another human for that matter.

ChangN4N6

A fox that sneaks in to a nursery and bites a child so badly it had to have an operation and risks losing an eye...that's not an 'attack'?! If you have kids, pets or grannies lock em inside to avoid problems - this seems to be advice here. And persuade the feral teens and pissed yuppies not to throw food around - good luck with that.... Or better still my Chang advice is call the man with the bolts in Stoke Newington. We seriously need a cull (within the CA and legal framework). Nov 5 might be a good night? Tally HÖ Chang

DillysDad

*Chang propaganda claxon*

ChangN4N6

Dilly foxy daydream