We have been very aware for some while that urban foxes can be a real issue, not only in terms of digging up lawns in search of grubs, caterpillar and worms (foxes are omnivores) but also in terms of a health hazard for pets and particularly for humans.
Foxes mark their territory with faeces which is why one will some times see faeces on fences, walls and compost heaps as well as on lawns and flower/vegetable beds. Fox faeces is a bio hazard and contains a number of pathogens and other risks to human health. It should be removed very carefully, preferably with disposable gloves.
Foxes can be trapped (but not poisoned or gassed) and then dispatched humanely. (It is against the law to release urban foxes into the countryside). Trapping is a short term solution only; a territory once left empty will soon be re-occupied by another fox family and trapping services are usually expensive, typically anything between £250 and £500 per visit. Shooting, although allowed by law, is not usually an option for most people.
So what to do……?
Ideally one would want to keep foxes out of one’s garden before they become established and we have been working with a manufacturer to provide a non lethal fox deterrent which had proved very successful in a countryside environment.
The deterrent is an electric fence which delivers a non lethal but high voltage discharge. It has a low profile, can be either mains or battery driven and need be in place for only a matter of a month or two after which time it can be removed until foxes, usually different ones, start revisiting when it can be reinstalled again, once more for a short period. There is no ‘once and for all’ solution and the fence will need to be deployed every so often if you are in an area troubled by foxes but it will mean no fox digging, no faeces and no hazards to children and pets.
There are over ten thousand urban foxes in the London Metropolitan Area so one can see the size of the problem and why foxes present no easy solution.
Following our own extensive testing, we can now confirm that the system works extremely well in an urban setting. We have also trialled a version for badgers which also works very well, and anecdotally we’re told that squirrels have apparently also been deterred in gardens where this is installed.
So if you are interested in the system please give us a call on 0800 0612606.
Posted by: James on: 25th March 2010 in the: Lawn pests category