Is A Rat In Your Garden Preferable To A Fox In Your Garden?

 

(c)2022 Matthew Maran

Remember that the UK had no mange until hunts imported large numbers of foxes each year "for the sport". Also, foxes, like predators elsewhere, feed on rats and mice.

In California rodenticide poisoning hits pumas. Mange hits pumas. Mange was deliberately introduced in the US to kill off wolves, coyotes, foxes and other "unwanted" animals because Americans simply could not kill them fast enough.

There are predators for a specific reason. We have millions of wild rabbits in the UK and some get into urban areas. A fox is said to be willing to pass a group of openly available chickens (it has been recorded in the past several times) to go out and hunt a rabbit.

In the 1950s myxomatosis (considered to have been deliberately released) wiped out rabbits in huge numbers and foxes were noted to be starving and resorting to eat foods they normally did not -rabbit was THE main prey.

In cities and towns we have a burgeoning rat and mouse population and it has been proven over decades that rodenticides do not work. Even big cities in the US such as Baltimore and Chicago trap, inoculate, health check feral cats and release them again (if they cannot be rehomed) to deal with rats. Even foxes have returned to those cities.

Rodenticides kill birds of prey, hedgehogs, badgers, foxes as well as domestic pets. Rodenticides should NOT be used by members of the public who have no ideas what they are doing.

I was recently told that a young rat was killed (after being dug out) by a fox. What should they do with the rat? I said to leave it and the fox will have it later on. Oh no! Foxes "are dirty and pee on doorsteps and defecate" and the person DID NOT want to encourage them.

I assume that, therefore, rats are welcome??

Believe me, I have faced rat infestation twice and it was mainly foxes at that time that sorted out one of the infestations at my old place. Rats in the walls and on the window ledge as well as running around the garden in daylight is not good.

I would much sooner have a peeing fox or one that drops the odd bit of poop in the garden than rat droppings, urine and damage to the house and garden.

People really do need educating. And, as I have noted before, there are natural deterrents that do work and do not involve traps or poisons.