The fox is responsible for the damage to people’s gardens, defecating around the property and onto garden furniture and children’s toys.

The faeces are used to mark their territory. It can leave behind a bad smell and along with their urine can make a property undesirable. Foxes are prone to many of the same diseases and parasites as domestic dogs including the roundworm Toxocara Canis, the larvae of which can cause blindness in children.

They can also carry mange. Mange is caused by the itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei which burrows into the skin. This is easily spread to domestic dogs and is the same mite that causes scabies in humans. In some areas, mange is currently prevalent in foxes; it is very virulent and infected animals invariably die.

The fox will also damage refuse sacks leaving rubbish on the floor which in turn attracts other pest activities such as rats. The fox will kill pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, and chickens and have been known to kill the domestic cat. Foxes commonly burrow under buildings, garden sheds and garages. In one case a cost of over £50,000.00 was paid for the under pinning of a retaining wall that had subsided due to the burrowing of foxes over a long period of time. We pride ourselves on providing humane fox extermination services for domestic customers and businesses in London and Kent, including Tonbridge and all other urban and rural areas.

FOX CONTROL METHODS

We offer trapping programs to remove foxes that may be causing problems such as damage within the garden and noise. Traps are set in areas of activity and can be checked by yourselves or by our technician (traps must be inspected twice a day). We can also offer a cull. This will only be carried out after a daytime survey and only fully trained marksmen will carry out a cull. Humane fox extermination is a priority of ours and we always aim to minimise the suffering of any animal we cull.

Culls will only ever take place once permission has been received from the local police. All carcasses will be removed and disposed of in the correct fashion in accordance to local authority regulations. In some cases, fox-proofing can be carried out. The simple fabrication of one-way doors to allow the fox to exit an area but not be able to return can sometimes be enough to move the fox on.

WHY CAN’T FOXES BE CAUGHT AND “RETURNED TO THE COUNTRYSIDE WHERE THEY BELONG”?

It is a misconception that foxes belong in the countryside. Foxes are very adaptable animals and the same species are found in all habitats from the arctic to the desert. The English countryside is no more a “proper” habitat than any other; urban areas are just one more habitat colonised by this very adaptable species.

It is also a misconception that you can move a wild animal to a new area, release it and it will instantly settle down and live happily ever after. Nature just isn’t like that and releasing animals in a new area is not recommended. It is unlikely that there will be a vacant territory and the animal will therefore wander widely in a strange area looking for somewhere to live. Since it does not know the area, it will not know the dangers or best feeding sites. Invariably it will die fairly soon, and it would have been far more humane to have killed the fox rather than dump it in a strange area.

Since dumping animals like this is clearly inhumane, such action could well be a offence under the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960.