Urban foxes
Of the various wild creatures which share
our space the fox is a common species which has successfully invaded our towns.
In one of the developments that has changed the face of a lot of the cities the
fox has moved into London becoming a fairly commonly recognized animal. Other
cities in England have also of course been colonized by the fox as well. Foxes
are seen almost everywhere, in streets and in parks walking about going about their
normal business.
They have certainly had an easier time of entering
the city than other wild animals such as the badger and the hedgehog. Though
hedgehogs are found in central London their poor eyesight tends to make them disproportionately
victims of the motor car. The badger is not found in the centre for similar
reasons. The fox however has freely exploited the opportunities available and
has come to live in a large measure as a natural inhabitant. I have personally
seen foxes cross the roads at pedestrian crossings. The fox has adapted well to
the urban environment and can even climb in buildings. One was recently
discovered at the top of a skyscraper under construction!
The opportunities provided by our throwaway
society have provided multiple opportunities to the fox to penetrate inner city areas,
They tend to see rubbish bins as an
opportunity to forage and live off take away food and diverse scraps. One
aspect of course where they could provide a control of the rat population is
not happening as food is so easily available in the takeaway restaurants so
scavenging is much safer option for them. Sometimes they can be quite bold
walking among shoppers in broad daylight is not unknown
The reaction of Londoners is a mixed one.
Most people particularly in the inner city love them and even feed them. They
are seen as a particularly wonderful wild creature and a wonderful addition to
the tapestry of life. In general they cause little damage although in gardens
they occasionally pull up plants particularly with the activities of the young
ones.
The breeding season for them is in spring
and then many people are woken up with their mating cries which can be quite
ear splitting.
Further out into the suburbs there is a bit
less tolerance of them. Occasionally lurid stories surface in the tabloid
papers about foxes entering homes and attacking babies. This is however hard to
credit as the average fox is scared of people and it is difficult to approach
close enough to get a good picture, let alone conceive of them entering a
house. In general they are timid creatures that tend to try and stay away from
people. As congeners of our cities they have a natural reserve for human beings.
Sometimes they get fed by various well
wishers and can become reasonably tame although they are not particularly dog
like. They are better at climbing than most dogs so high fencing panels do not
create much of an obstacle for them.
For most people however they form a really
special addition to our urban wildlife and the sight of a truly wild creature
walking among buildings in central London is not one that anybody can forget in
a hurry!
