Forget Kit Malthouse's scaremongering, here's some practical advice for dealing with urban foxes

Mike Pollitt | Tuesday 15 May, 2012 16:23

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See UPDATE at end of post

Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor who you might remember from Adam’s Boris Johnson’s deputy interfered with hacking investigation story, popped up in the Ham & High earlier this week to slag off urban foxes. He said:

““People are afraid to let their small children play outside because of them. They are more and more worried about the number of foxes as numbers continue to grow.”

The story goes on to quote a resident on record claiming to have seen a fox “the size of a wolf” in St John’s Wood.

This is hysterical nonsense. For an adult response to the fact that humans and foxes live in overlapping territories, we must turn to Bristol City Council, who produced this leaflet which has since become something of a standard text. You can see why. It’s calm, authoritative, rooted in sound scientific study rather than hysterical gossip. It’s also full of useful advice rather than useless scaremongering.

If you are concerned about urban foxes, read it and follow the advice given. It’ll do you a lot more good a politician’s grandstanding ever will.

Urban Foxes Leaflet

UPDATE Kit Malthouse has been in touch to deny a declaration of war. An uneasy truce perhaps best sums up the situation:

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