Hello and welcome to a slightly late Instalment from Voiceforwildlife where today we will be exploring a mammal that has split opinions across the UK. The golden angel or the red devil it is of course - the Red Fox.
The Red Fox is a dog-like mammal with a slick body and a thick cylindrical tail. The average male (otherwise known as a dog) is around 65 to 70 centimetres long. slightly smaller than the males, females (Vixens) measure in at around 60-65 cm long.Both males and females display a golden red sheet of fur that seems to flow from the top of the snout down to tip of the tail like a stream. This also coats the outer layer of the legs and paws. Extending up slightly from each corner of the nose is a crisp white curve of fur which falls beneath the underbelly. Elegant, piercing eyes sit vertically behind the snout beneath two pointed, upright ears tipped with an acrylic black. This colour is also featured in the bushy tail prevented by a white circle at the end.
These versatile creatures can survive just about anywhere, having adapted to living from dense countryside to highly populated inner cities. They are widespread across Europe however they can not be found through most parts of the Scotland. What allows the Red Fox to be such a successful species is its remarkably varied diet specially suited to an individual's habitat. In inner cities and urban areas we are all familiar with black bags of rubbish ripped beyond repair due to these opportunistic hunters. Moreover they'll happily scavenge from bird feeders and food deliberately being left out for them - which has caused much controversy among the public. In the country their diet changes dramatically, feeding on Rabbits, mice, vowels and of course any bird life that is too slow to escape. They have also been seen feeding on earthworms like many woodland species along with berries and seeds (season permitting). It may also come as a surprise that the Red Fox will even feed on crabs in salt marsh areas! The size of a foxes territory depends on the amount of available space around.
In urban areas where populations are higher, due to an abundance of food, territories can stretch from as little as 0.2 square kilometres. However in and around the countryside where there is a larger surface area some territories can reach over 30 square kilometres wide. These spaces are extremely important in spring when breeding occurs, and the night is pierced by cackles and screams that keep many of us awake. I find these particularly terrifying however it is calming to know that these are mainly used to attract mating partners or hold territories. Vixens produce one litter a year containing an average of 5 Cubs which begin there lives in an underground hole known as a den. These can also occur under raised decking in back gardens. Cubs are born both death and blind and for around a fortnight the female will remain in the earth before Cubs begin to venture outside after a month or so.
Foxes have caused many disputes between neighbours, conservationists and farmers across the country. Some feed them, in an attempt to 'tame' a wild animal and whilst this may provide the home owner with joy seeing a nocturnal (night time dwelling) creature up close others feel this puts them in danger. Foxes may begin to associate humans with food, resulting in them loosing their natural fear of humans. Once this fear is lost this can increase the chance of an extremely rare attack - especially on younger children. However, this does not mean we shouldn't feed or acknowledge foxes altogether and this problem can easily be overcome by placing food as far away from the home as possible. Another very important debate is whether farmers should have the right to use in-humane but totally legal traps to kill foxes on their property to prevent live stock being killed. Since these creatures have little legal protection farmers should not be discriminated for killing them as they are acting within the law however all traps must be checked at least once a day. Fox hunts also occur across the country and although this may seem to be the cause for loss of population over 50% of casualties are caused on our roads.
So there you have the golden bandit of Britain. Stealing the nations heart or chipping away at our patience? The wonderful, red fox.
(No credit is taken for the photo)