The Fox in Australia - Solving the Problem

Since its’ introduction to Australian shores in 1845, the European fox, or vulpes vulpes, has had a disastrous impact on the native environment. So much so that this highly adaptable mammal, originally brought to Australia for recreational hunting purposes, is now a target for extermination. Their ability to adjust quickly to changes in their environment and thrive, which has lead to much harm to both aboriginal Australian species and livestock, now means that we are faced with an ultimatum: destroy the fox, or allow the extinction of native creatures and the continued damage of livestock.

As previously stated, the fox was introduced to Australia in 1845 for the purposes of recreational hunting. Supposedly, they were first released near Geelong, Victoria. They spread rapidly across the country, in part due to the concurrent introduction of the rabbit, which provided a ready food source for the fox, and also due to their invasive nature. Today, foxes are rampant throughout all of Australia, excluding the northernmost tip of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is even believed that foxes were deliberately introduced to Tasmania in 2001. Furthermore, there has been the emergence of reports indicating that foxes have even taken up residence in large cities, such as Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

Many factors have led to this spread of the fox pestilence. Firstly, the fox has an easy adaptability with concern to diet; purportedly, they will feed on a wide range of small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and fruit. Their diet often includes such native animals as the rock wallaby, numbat, brush-tailed bettong and the bilby, all of which are under extreme threat of extinction. Foxes are responsible for approximately $227 million in loss of Australian livestock and biodiversity annually, $1 million of which is lamb predation alone. Another reason for the prosperity of the fox in Australia is, although they breed only once each year, the survival rate for these cubs is very high, due to the lack of natural predators and fatal disease to challenge the fox. A female fox may wean up to 4 cubs per year, each of whom will travel over 30km away from their natal dens, thus extending the family territory, which may cover an area as large as 300- 1000ha. Finally, their worldwide distribution suggests that foxes can thrive in almost any environment, with the exception of tropical areas. In Australia, for instance, no region from arid to alpine or coastal to urban presents an obstacle to them.

With their gift of adaptation, how then, are we to eradicate, or at least control, the threat of this dangerous pest from our fragile natural environment and besieged livestock sector? In the past, many methods have been employed to this end, however most have failed dismally. Included among these traditional control methods are shooting, trapping, fencing, baiting/poisoning and den destruction or fumigation. In my opinion, each one of these methods is inhumane in some way and, as they only serve to cull foxes within a concentrated area which is almost immediately reinvaded by foxes from nearby areas, ineffective on the whole. For example shooting, unless completely accurate, leaves the fox in considerable pain until its’ death, which can be very slow. Shooting in any form, including fox drives and dogging, requires a significant amount of labour, is only productive in a small area for a short time (as foxes will not continue to return to a dangerous region) and as mentioned formerly, can be highly inhumane. Trapping is equally ineffective and inhumane, as despite the outlawing of steel jaw traps, the legal, padded leg- hold traps, or cage traps, still cause substantial injury and pain to the animals captured, and foxes are often too wary to be captured by cage traps. Furthermore, should the trapper neglect the traps at any time, the captive can be left to die cruelly from starvation, dehydration, hypothermia or predation by another species.

However, the gradual discoveries science is making with concern to genetics and DNA, is believed to allow us to eradicate pests such as the fox totally and in a completely humane way. Erstwhile, disease was considered the most humane and effective way to achieve this. Yet scientists have been unable to find a suitable disease with which to target foxes specifically and as has been demonstrated by the unleashing of myxomatosis upon Australia’s rabbit population, employing this strategy can still lead to thousands of animals dying in considerable pain and distress. Therefore, the use of disease as a form of fox control has, for the moment, been abandoned. An alternative biotechnological method of fox control is currently under research, and although it may be years yet before we can put it into practice, it is theoretically feasible. The CSIRO, in collaboration