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Urban foxes


Townie
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We have a couple of very bold urban foxes that I suspect are being fed. One was about to walk into our house before I chased it off recently. Final straw last night when they very nearly resurrected our poor old cat who was buried a couple of weeks ago. I've since covered the spot with a few paving slabs we had around.  

My ideal solution would be lead based, but that's not practical as we live in an urban area.

Any ideas to persuade them that they're not welcome?

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Pungee pit? 

If they're tame and you've got a 22 and some subs then feed them away from prying eyes and shoot them from an upstairs window. If they're really really tame stand over them whilst they eat the cat food and shoot them where they stand. If they're coming in the garden in a spot where it's safe and again out of sight then you could stick a snare in the hole. You might get lucky with cage traps at this time of year because there's a lot of youngsters about and they're stupid! Make sure you cover the base with soil though as they won't walk on the mesh. 

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Urban foxes are virtually always being fed in the London suburbs. That makes them very tame

Very dodgy to shoot them, it may be legal but the Met Police won't take your side if there is a complaint. Chances are they don't even know what is legal and what is not so you risk a massive over reaction from them if it all goes wrong.

Cage traps very rarely catch the older foxes but if you do just take them a couple of miles up the road and release them  

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Thank you for the responses! Vince has hit the nail on the head. They are youngsters and I’ll think about a cage trap and a trip down the M20.

I’m glad no one suggested contacting the Council. They’d probably suggest making friends and trying to be more inclusive.

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42 minutes ago, Townie said:

Thank you for the responses! Vince has hit the nail on the head. They are youngsters and I’ll think about a cage trap and a trip down the M20.

I’m glad no one suggested contacting the Council. They’d probably suggest making friends and trying to be more inclusive.

Under no circumstances let them go. If you catch them dispatch them somewhere. Nobody will thank you for dumping urban foxes on their ground. If they have been raised/living on waste bins etc they would probably starve in the countryside anyway.

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townie i have had  the same problem for years all the local idiots feed the foxes  they bury all the chicken they get  my dog digs it up and lo and behold she is crapping all over the place  i got round the problem with a humane trap (cage)  and shoot them in the top of the head with a hushpower 410  shooting from above so the shot goes into the ground  its more of an execution really but it gets the job done i must have got rid of over 20 in 5 years  i double bag the body and take them to the council dump   i think it is illegal under the wildlife act to trap them and release them in the wild 

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35 minutes ago, NatureBoy said:

It's illegal and not a myth as some would have you believe! 

Help me with this one please. I know that under Schedule 9 of the CWA it is illegal to catch and release grey squirrels because they are not an indigenous specie. But foxes are. And I've always believed that catching and releasing foxes as an indigenous was legal. So, where is it stated that doing so is illegal? Reference to appropriate legislation would underpin your statement. Thanks.

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8 minutes ago, Bobba said:

Help me with this one please. I know that under Schedule 9 of the CWA it is illegal to catch and release grey squirrels because they are not an indigenous specie. But foxes are. And I've always believed that catching and releasing foxes as an indigenous was legal. So, where is it stated that doing so is illegal? Reference to appropriate legislation would underpin your statement. Thanks.

I was having this discussion recently with someone and had the link to hand so :- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/foxes-moles-and-mink-how-to-protect-your-property-from-damage#foxes 

also a screen shot from just now for ease 

D1F3A4AA-8225-45AE-8F31-B1AAD043F259.png

Edited by Spr1985
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Spr1985. Many thanks for this. I was aware of this gov doc. But, it is headed "Guidance" and is concerned with animal welfare ie it is not legislation. As Natureboy is specific in his advice that "it's illegal and not a myth" what I would like him to do is prove his point with reference to the appropriate legislation. That way I am up to date. Thanks.

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25 minutes ago, Spr1985 said:

I was having this discussion recently with someone and had the link to hand so :- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/foxes-moles-and-mink-how-to-protect-your-property-from-damage#foxes 

also a screen shot from just now for ease 

D1F3A4AA-8225-45AE-8F31-B1AAD043F259.png

That says shouldn’t, not mustn’t.

also says you shouldn’t shoot in a built up area, but that’s not illegal.

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Where I am the townies and city dwellers capture them and then release them in the dead of night into the countryside after they have finished feeding on the waste bins they turn their attention to the chicken runs and then that is when I am asked for help it is amazing how many so called animal lovers have a change of heart when all the chicken /pets lie slaughtered when they come out in the morning 

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3 hours ago, southeastpete said:

That says shouldn’t, not mustn’t.

also says you shouldn’t shoot in a built up area, but that’s not illegal.

Oh my apologies,  Shall I assume that you didn’t read the sub heading  “you must:” which at point three clearly states “humanely kill any fox you catch whilst it’s in the trap or snare”  it is quite clear to me that if you capture a fox in a trap or Snare that you must humanely despatch it 🤷‍♂️

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