Im guessing they had enough food about, Badgers have been known to kill Foxes in a situation where food is scarce. Both animals look in very decent condition.

This video shows a Badger attacking a Fox in a back garden.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVzfcpu9RM0&feature=fvw

I love foxes. I live in an urban environment but am close to quite a lot of woodland, as well as a few parks/allotments/school playing fields.

The foxes in one of our smaller parks have been really busy of late as Cosmo is on a smell alert around all the edges and bushes...he also rolled...norty boy. I have only ever seen one fox in there though and that was at a time when people were known to be hunting them

In the woods there are a lot but again I have only seen one or two (in 15 years of walking there). I have never ever seen one in the larger parks.

Locally we do have foxes and my OH saw one outside the house in the last cold spell. (I was hoping to get chickens in the garden but am thinking it is too risky...) A friend has them in her garden at the moment and pet rabbits locally have been eaten by them.

We are out and about a lot though and don't see them that much. It is always a pleasure and delight when we do though. Our friend is the local postie and even he doesn't see them that much. Perhaps our foxes are lucky to have the amount of greenspace they do, despite being 'urban'..

Thing is there is a little local hysteria at the moment because of them being active around houses and gardens due to the weather. People are scared to let their dogs in the garden (Daschunds)....or let their cats out. Seems the anti fox media have a lot to answer for....

I think, especially in this weather, peoples fears will be more relevant than at other times. They massacre large groups of chickens, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs etc.. If they just took one, then I think their behaviour would be tolerated more, but with no natural predators, their numbers increase and problems arise.

sadly they do have predators...man.
We have terrible trouble with people coming in to hunt them. Notices are put up when the hunters are quite active to alert people so that they can be reported.

I cant agree with that Ailsa, they are nowhere near controlled enough, if they were we wouldnt have the "urban" element causing the problems they do.

You are talking to the person that hand reared a cub here, (honest ) Im not blind to their "cuteness" nor their appeal, but I am certain of the damage they do, which sadly is much more prevalent since the ban, as is the poor condition of many due to over population in some areas.

They are outside here every night, two, three, four sometimes. Aswell as the noise you have the damage they do. Luckily I havent ever seen one in our garden, if they did get in, they couldnt get out, that WOULD be a problem!

Shooting Foxes is perfectly legal with the land owners permission.

They aren't shooting them, they are setting terriers and Lurchers on them and digging them out It's been a problem for years. It isn't just the urban youths that do it, people are coming into the area to do it It isn't for control, it's for fun.

I wonder if we don't have the same problems because they have so many places to escape to, I am surprised we don't see more that have been killed on the roads though.

I grew up in another city but in a house that backed on to woodland,the foxes were in the garden and the bins all the time. We had my sisters wedding reception at the house (it sounds grand...it wasn't...)and have some great shots of her clearing up the bins the foxes had been in whilst she had been getting married! There were loads and loads in those woods and we saw them a lot and all the local kids knew where they lived.

I suppose I just don't see an urban fox problem...I don't see the foxes that much, but thats probably because they have somewhere safe to hideout and are shy of humans. I see more when we go to the countryside (but fewer birds, that's another story though!!!!)

I can't comment on foxes causing problems in other urban environments really...just here. I love them I think my chicken plans may have gone though

Thats easy enough to prove, I cant understand why nobody has been held accountable if it happens as much as you say?

Its also perfectly legal to dig Foxes with a baying Terrier, and also for Lurchers to "retrieve" them once shot, they may very well be operating within the law.

Chances are they are controlled better.



Again, they are most likely controlled very well.

Perhaps they are controlled...but that isn't the intention behind what these people are doing. I suspect they haven't been caught because of the times they do it, everyone knows it's being done but it is actually catching them. People are however now being much more vigilant and there is a local 'fox watch'...and registration numbers of suspect vehicles are taken and the police informed immediately. I think it will be happening less...

Mmmm seems strange, if these people that ARE breaking the law, they would scarper often leaving behind dogs and equipment, obviously if they have a dog to ground, they dont just come out when called, it can be hours before they are dug too, see my point Ailsa? It doesnt make sense. They should be so easy to catch and of course if the Police have reg details, I cant understand why nothing has been done.

You may well find nothing has been done because these people are acting within the law.

Nope. No shooting Dawn...where I live and the slightest whiff of a gunshot brings the police helicopter and police out in full force.........