Latest fox attack reignites whole urban fox debate

The attack took place on 6 February at the home of the little boy. The child’s mother heard screaming from her son’s room, only to find her son’s hand in the mouth of the fox and one of his fingers had been torn-off. The baby was rushed to St Thomas’ hospital were surgeons managed to reattach the baby’s finger. It is believed the fox entered the house via an open back door.

This incident has once again brought to the fore the entire problem of urban foxes and the previous attacks, including the attack on the Koupparis twin girls in June 2010 – see report here.

Interviewed on the early morning BBC news programme on Sunday 10 February, Richard Moseley from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) explained that attacks like this were extremely rare. He pointed out that people were making foxes tamer by feeding them, but it should not be forgotten that these are wild animals.

To hear the interview click this link to the BBC website – the interview is towards the end of the article.

Click here to read the Mail on Sunday story in full

Meanwhile, speaking on BBC radio, Tim Stevens, a councillor from Bromley, was asked if there should be a cull of urban foxes. He pointed out that this would need to be a co-ordinated campaign including surrounding local authorities if it was to have any chance of success.

Not to miss publicity opportunity, London mayor, Boris Johnson said: “This was a wake-up call to London’s borough leaders who are responsible for pest control. They must come together, study the data, try to understand why this is becoming a problem and act quickly to sort it out.”

Quite by chance, the problems associated with urban foxes and how they could be managed are explored in the latest edition of Pest magazine – to be with readers w/c 18 February – for a sneak preview click here.