Why are there Foxes in London?
London, like many major cities around the world, has embraced the presence of foxes due to their remarkable adaptation to urban environments. Several key factors contribute to this phenomenon.
Habitat Availability
Urban areas in London provide a diverse range of habitats for foxes, including parks, gardens, and other green spaces. These areas offer shelter for young foxes and foraging opportunities for adults. The abundance of natural habitats within the city limits ensures that foxes have a suitable home to thrive in.
Food Sources
As opportunistic feeders, foxes have adapted well to the urban food sources available to them. They are not picky about what they eat and often scavenge in bins. Additionally, discarded food from humans, small mammals, and birds provide a steady diet. In some cases, people even intentionally feed these animals, further cementing their presence in urban life.
Reduced Predation
The urban environment in London offers fewer natural predators for foxes. The built environment provides natural protection from larger predators, which allows the fox population to flourish. While humans are still a significant threat, this reduced exposure to natural predators contributes to their survival.
Human Tolerance
Many Londoners have grown accustomed to sharing their city with foxes, reducing conflict and promoting coexistence. The human-tolerant nature of these animals has helped them integrate into the urban landscape. In some cases, people even derive enjoyment from observing foxes in their natural habitat.
Breeding and Survival
Foxes have adapted their breeding patterns to urban life, often denning in parks or gardens. This flexibility in denning locations helps sustain their populations in cities. With a growing fox population, it's estimated that there are approximately 15 foxes per square mile in London, highlighting their successful adaptation to urban living.
How Do Foxes Reach Different Parts of London?
London's extensive rail and canal network provides foxes with an easy means of transportation. They commonly follow train tracks and canals, which offer them access to the open countryside and most towns and suburbs within the city. This network allows foxes to move and explore different parts of the city with relative ease, such as the regions around Wembley, Cassiobury Park, Croxley, and Rickmansworth.
Accessibility and Freedom
By following the Grand Union Canal, foxes in London have a significant amount of freedom. They can freely access areas with small rodents, birds, or even household garbage. This canal provides a lifeline for foxes, allowing them to seamlessly navigate through small housing estates and green spaces.
The Nature of London's Fox Population
London has a significant amount of green space in the form of parks and gardens, which supports a substantial fox population. Subsequently, the city is home to a large number of foxes. With people comes food in the form of leftovers, rubbish, and other sources of sustenance that provide a steady diet for foxes.
Foxes in London are primarily nocturnal, though records show they are often seen in daylight after dawn and in the late evenings. Their primary foraging times are during the night. The noisy chatter of foxes is a common sound in urban neighborhoods, but they have surprisingly become quiet during the lockdown period, possibly due to the birthing season in March and April.
Overall, London's fox population enjoys a certain degree of protection under the law, with activities such as poisoning foxes being illegal. The lack of natural predators in cities, apart from humans and some dogs, further facilitates their survival and thriving in these urban landscapes.
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