Many people find foxes endearing. London’s foxes and becoming more and more common in our cities. It’s hard to find places that do not have a population of foxes. This is especially true if you’re living in a suburban area of London. But is feeding foxes a good idea?
Foxes actually seem to favour environments inhabited by humans. They prefer properties with gardens. They also like to stay close to sources of food, such as dustbins. But what this also means is that in an effort to stop foxes attacking garden bins, many people end up feeding foxes in their gardens. But is this really advisable and what can go wrong?
Why feeding foxes is best avoided
First of all, feeding foxes leads to a dependency on humans. If they’re constantly getting food from you, it may weaken the fox’s ability to hunt. Another problem with this is that each fox has a territory. When you feed a fox, other foxes may try and take over this territory. This can cause fox control problems down the road with fox fights in your garden.
Another issue is that foxes that are fed become less scared of humans. This can also cause future problems. The fox may approach humans who are not as friendly as you are. In this case, it could be hurt, or even killed.
The exact opposite is also true. Foxes that are given food by one human could become aggressive when denied it by another. Foxes come to expect food from humans. When they don’t get what they want, they might get angry, especially if they are hungry. This is one of the biggest reasons why foxes become dangerous and attack humans.
Other issues to consider when feeding foxes
You also have to realise that, just because a fox takes your food, this doesn’t mean they immediately need it. Foxes are known to store food in underground larders. This means that the fox may simply be burying anything you give it. This can lead to other pest problems in your garden, such as rodents.
Something else to think about is this: neighbours may not be happy with what you’re doing. If the fox returns over and over to get food, your neighbours may consider the fox to be a pest and they could take action. This might mean something horrible, like trying to poison the fox.
At the end of the day, it’s better if you avoid feeding foxes altogether. It may seem as if you have a special bond with the fox, but this isn’t quite as reciprocal a relationship as you might imagine. The fox doesn’t care about you as much as you think, as you’re simply a source of food.
Feeding fox picture courtesy Ahmad Elgendy under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
