Experts ease fox concerns

WILDLIFE experts have dismissed claims that there has been an increase in the Southside’s fox population in recent years.

Cllr Edie Wynne (FG), who lives in Terenure, issued a press statement recently calling on Dublin City Council to establish the number of urban foxes in the city.

It followed concerns regarding the rise in the number of foxes in urban areas which was highlighted in the UK recently when one attacked and bit off the fingers of a one-month-old baby boy in London.

“We don’t have any idea how many foxes are in the city and this should be ascertained,

? Cllr Wynne said.

“I would also like a study to be undertaken on the health risks foxes might pose to the population of our city and to formulate a plan of action to deal with any risk.

?

“I live in Terenure,

? she added.

“I would have seen them before, but it would have been seldom. People in Rathgar have also told me that there are a lot of foxes there.

?

However, wildlife experts here have been quick to dampen down the publicity that surrounded the incident in London.

They say reports claiming that the numbers are on the increase in Dublin are not backed up by any scientific evidence.

Dave Wall, a former UCD zoology academic, carried out an undergraduate research project in 1995 and postgraduate research into foxes’ diet and reproduction between 1999 and 2004.

He surveyed the Southside from the city centre out to the M50 using the general public to send in sightings and reports of fox earths.

Asked if he believed that there was any evidence that the number of the animals was on the increase, he said:

“No I don’t. Foxes have been noted in Dublin since Victorian times, so they are not a new phenomenon. The fox population in Dublin is governed by the availability of food and den sites.

“Fluctuations in fox density occur from year to year so in some years people may see more foxes in their locality, in other years less.

?

Padraic Fogarty of the Irish Wildlife Trust also believes the fox population in the city has not increased, and pointed out that they are generally harmless to humans.

“It would be just speculation to say that they are increasing or they are decreasing,

? he said.

“It is just guesswork.

“Foxes rarely cause problems for anybody,

? he added.

“For most people if you encounter a fox it is quite an exciting experience.

?

A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said it was unaware of an increase or upsurge in fox numbers.

“The council has no plans to record fox numbers,

? the spokesperson added.

“And we would not have experienced an increase in calls from concerned members of the public in relation to this.

?