Foxes

[Catzy]

Has anyone else noticed that the foxes seem out of control at the moment?.   
I am having to pick up excrement from my garden daily.  
I think the poor animals need a bit of help.   It looks to me like their faeces contains tape worm.  Does anyone know if there’s  a charity that organises a worming programme or anything to sort out their mange.

Would the council be worth contacting ??

 

has anyone else done anything like this with success ?

thank you for reading ,

 

 

[tedfudge]

Best way is too search on line to see about a charity that can help.. 

[TWB Cat Sitter]

The Fox Project https://foxproject.org.uk/

The Fox Angels Foundation https://www.foxangelsfoundation.org/

The London Wildlife Protection https://www.londonwildlifeprotection.org/

The Greenwich Wildlife Network https://www.greenwichwildlifenetwork.org/

[Sue]

3 hours ago, Catzy said:

Has anyone else noticed that the foxes seem out of control at the moment?.  

 

They are very much in control of my very small garden.

They have dug four massive deep  holes, and every time I fill one in they just dig it again.

Chilli powder does not seem to have deterred them (it just stained a dress I was rather fond of), nor have prickly rose branches.

I'm trying Scoot next.

I like foxes, but this is bonkers.

[jazzer]

Perhaps because those who feed them, don't give them proper food, rather stuff which clearly disagrees with their digestion. plus they are scavengers, eating anything they find, 

You are not alone, likewise a daily occurrence clearing up their excrement. The worst bit is the bluebottles which feed off the excrement. IMO London needs a fox cull.  

Edited 18 hours ago by jazzer

[Sue]

25 minutes ago, jazzer said:

Perhaps because those who feed them, don't give them proper food, rather stuff which clearly disagrees with their digestion. plus they are scavengers, eating anything they find, 

You are not alone, likewise a daily occurrence clearing up their excrement. The worst bit is the bluebottles which feed off the excrement. IMO London needs a fox cull.  

The bluebottles are getting rid of the excrement.

I doubt many people are actually feeding the foxes. What evidence do you have of that? What do you think they are feeding them that disagrees with their digestion?

I expect there were foxes in this part of  London long before there were people here.

 

[jazzer]

bluebottles spread disease from the excrement

oh yes they are

bread sandwiches

cheapest dog food

food leftovers

No urban foxes were not here before humans

You have a track record of questioning what me and other posters say, just accept it rather than questioning everything

[malumbu]

2 hours ago, jazzer said:

Perhaps because those who feed them, don't give them proper food, rather stuff which clearly disagrees with their digestion. plus they are scavengers, eating anything they find, 

You are not alone, likewise a daily occurrence clearing up their excrement. The worst bit is the bluebottles which feed off the excrement. IMO London needs a fox cull.  

They've got strong immune systems allowing them to eat a variety of food in a variety of conditions.  I expect most have various parasites.  There again the neighbour's cat seems to have fleas.  We get as much, maybe even more, cat poo in the garden.  

[Sue]

10 hours ago, jazzer said:

bluebottles spread disease from the excrement

oh yes they are

bread sandwiches

cheapest dog food

food leftovers

No urban foxes were not here before humans

You have a track record of questioning what me and other posters say, just accept it rather than questioning everything

You are probably right that bluebottles spread disease from the excrement. I will Google it.

I suppose the consequences depend on  what disease the excrement may have, where the bluebottles go next, and how and to what or whom the disease may be spread.

I didn't say the bluebottles weren't spreading disease. I said they were eating the excrement. It's an important part of nature keeping things in  equilibrium, otherwise the earth would be covered in shit.

I don't see bluebottles  around  anywhere else, except on dog mess, so I don't know where they could be spreading disease to, but that doesn't mean they aren't.

You may well be right, again, about a few people feeding foxes, but how do you know people are feeding these things you mention  to foxes? Have you seen them doing it?

Again, I'm not saying they aren't, but I've never seen anybody feed a fox, nor to the best of my knowledge do I know anybody who feeds foxes.

Yes, obviously "urban" foxes were not here before humans, for obvious reasons. But foxes would have been,  when it was woods and countryside, before London expanded.  They have just as much right to be here as us. More, probably.

And it's a forum. For discussion. If people agreed on everything or didn't ask for more information, there would be no forum.

Why shouldn't I question what you and others say? I was taught to question things. Unquestioning acceptance has led - and is still leading - to a lot of evil and misery.

If everyone just accepted everything they read or heard, as you seem to be telling me to, the world would be in a worse mess than it already is.

There's a massive amount of false information being put around on social media and elsewhere, a lot of it deliberately. I'm not saying yours comes into that category.

If memory serves, you also  have quite a track record, but it's  of posting statements on this forum which you can't back up, and it isn't just me who questions them.

Apologies to everyone else for the long post.

Back to foxes! 

Edited 7 hours ago by Sue
Typo

[heartblock]

I like foxes, survivors, full of character and I don’t mind cleaning up a bit of poo 💩. Double gloves, tie up poo in outer layer of glove and dispose of appropriately. Bleach area. Wash hands.

Garden holes… I don’t know. Maybe make a sandpit for fox use 🤣

I have never seen any one feeding them, however stupid people who leave food waste on streets and have overflowing bins maybe should be the target of annoyance, not the resilient fox. 🦊 

[Azalea]

4 hours ago, heartblock said:

I like foxes, survivors, full of character and I don’t mind cleaning up a bit of poo 💩. Double gloves, tie up poo in outer layer of glove and dispose of appropriately. Bleach area. Wash hands.

Garden holes… I don’t know. Maybe make a sandpit for fox use 🤣

I have never seen any one feeding them, however stupid people who leave food waste on streets and have overflowing bins maybe should be the target of annoyance, not the resilient fox. 🦊 

You can get dog poo bags from the libraries in Southwark.  I don’t know if other boroughs offer the same.

Edited 1 hour ago by Azalea
Deletion

[Lamusica]

One thing people should note before suggesting a cull, foxes eat rats.  There is an issue though on some streets, I spoke to someone who lives on a road where they can't have solid bins so the foxes raid the waste all the time.  The foxes near me visit every night, they are fine and can't access our bins, but then I only have a shared small patch of grass, there's only a tiny bit  of fox poo now and again

[CPR Dave]

I know people who leave food out for foxes in their gardens. 

One  near North Cross Road, one in Streatham. 

No doubt there are many more in between. The ones I know can't be persuaded that it is very antisocial to feed foxes.

[Lamusica]

Re blocking foxholes, it’s suggested first check with wire that no foxes are in there, next block it with hard materials like wire or bricks 

[TWB Cat Sitter]

I can confirm people are feeding foxes locally, & all across London. The problem isn't so much whether they're being fed, but rather what they're being given. Unfortunately, a lot of the food offerings aren't suitable for foxes, which is why we see the kind of unpleasant evidence left behind.

In many cases, people are feeding not to encourage foxes, but to treat foxes for mange. Left untreated, mange is fatal, & it would be cruel to leave any animal suffering. The treatment is often provided freely by both large & local rescues like the National Fox Welfare Society, The Fox Project, The Fox Angels Foundation.... & is backed by the RSPCA in what is known as target feeding, in a compassionate effort to administer life-saving medications.

In other cases, it's an effort to lure & totally relocate the fox(es) to a safer environment.

If you are having serious issues with foxes (outside the realm of them simply existing) you can contact Fox-A-Gon  (Non-lethal fox control).

"Foxes are protected under a series of wildlife protection laws. Poisoning, gassing, asphyxiating, maiming, stabbing, impaling, drowning, clubbing & most forms of snaring are a criminal offense, with anyone carrying out such acts subject to 6 months imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine per animal."