Foxes

Foxes are common in many urban areas as well as the countryside. They are one of the most popular British mammals and we get lots of enquiries about them. 

Hopefully this page will help answer some of the questions that might be ‘foxing’ you!

Want to help the foxes in your area?

Or perhaps you want to deter them from your garden? 

Our 'Living with...foxes' fact sheet (see top right of this page) and FAQs have some general information.

Visit the Fox website for lots of background information about the animals themselves.

Two advisory booklets - on urban and rural foxes - are available to download from Natural England.

 

Hunting with dogs

This was banned in England and Wales with the passing of the Hunting Act 2004. If you’d like information on the Act or how many prosecutions there have been, visit the Hunting Act website.

 

Have you found a fox caught in a snare? 

Find out what to do with injured animals. If the fox is still alive, call the RSPCA as soon as you can on 0300 1234 999.  

We're opposed to the use of snares but some types are still legal - our FAQs have more information. The government has published a code of practice about the use of snares.

 

Do you think a fox has been poisoned? 

It is illegal to poison foxes.The government’s Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme looks into the deaths of wildlife where there is evidence that pesticide poisoning may be involved.

Look out for:

• Dead animals cut open and staked out - these may be laced with poison
   
• Several dead birds or other animals close together
   
• Creatures that appear to have died suddenly for no obvious reason
   
• Eggs in unusual places, e.g. out in the open away from any nest, possibly with an ink mark.
   

If you find an animal – wild or domestic – that you think has been poisoned by a pesticide, or find evidence of pesticide abuse that puts wildlife or pets at risk, contact the government’s Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme Hotline on 0800 321 600.

 

We care for injured foxes

As many as 100,000 foxes may be killed on roads each year in the UK, and many more are injured. We care for many injured and abandoned foxes through our rehabilitation work at our wildlife centres.