Evidence That Urban Foxes Are Changing Their Breeding Season?

 

  I have written before (on the blog) about fox breeding season and how I have noted cubs born later or earlier than is considered normal. We have to realise that all of the information we have comes originally from country hunts. They needed to know when cubs were born and where foxes lived to make it easier for them to hunt and kill them.

In the countryside foxes tend to get shot, snared or poisoned as well as hunted. There is a false date given for when foxes moved into urban areas 1930s Edinburgh. Utter nonsense of course since the Cur fox before extinction lived near suburbs and human habitat. They were replaced by the red fox.

Climate change has been at work. Humans more friendly to foxes have been at work. Up to around 2000 there were no large number of feeders. From 2000 on and from internet influence the feeders have become a problem to an extent with overfeeding when towns and cities are full of the fox's natural food source -rats and mice. In suburbs rabbits can be found and are also taken as prey.

The urban fox is not like the country fox which is rapidly disappearing. Town foxes get good shelter, good weather and water sources as well as extra food -often what is left out for hedgehogs or cats is an easy snack. This may well be changing fox breeding seasons; in the past it was waiting until food sources were there to feed cubs on. That problem is gone.

I was sent this photo today (14 09 2026) of a vixen looking pregnant. I am told of a similar instance in another part of Bristol. Before these two reports I was told by someone that a vixen living on their property looked "quite pregnant".

The  vixen above and the other one will have an eye kept on them. The third vixen the person does not want location known or to give out further information she just wanted to know if there was anything extra she could do to help the fox.

It could well be that urban foxes are changing habits and it is something I have been noting for a few years but, ridiculously, I seem to be the only naturalist in Europe doing this fox work but there must be others?

I will keep an eye on the situation and continue making notes but it is important that rescues and wildlife hospitals are aware of the changes.