Some Dublin residents are concerned that foxes could spread diseases to their pets, says Fianna F\u00e1il Councillor Rory Hogan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Foxes can sneak into back gardens where their dogs may be, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So residents \u201care concerned about the safety of their pets and also concerned for the welfare of the foxes\u201d, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hogan put in a written question<\/a> at Dublin City Council\u2019s South East Area Committee on 9 March because he wants to know which state agency is responsible for urban foxes.\u00a0<\/p>\n The council is responsible by law for the control of dogs and horses but its remit doesn’t extend to red foxes, came the reply.<\/p>\n \u201cThe council has no current plans to develop a strategy concerning urban foxes,\u201d it says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hogan says that that leaves his question of who is responsible unanswered. \u201cThere is a gap in regulation and responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n While the numbers of foxes in cities has been steadily creeping upwards, it\u2019s debated how much this is a problem \u2013 or actually, if humans respond right, a boon.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the National Parks and Wildlife Service said that the presence of foxes in the city is mostly beneficial. \u201cFoxes play an important role in the control of rodents in both urban and rural areas.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam Smith, a postdoctoral researcher in wildlife ecology at University College Dublin, said, meanwhile, that it is possible but unlikely that foxes could spread illness to pets as long as the pets are vaccinated.\u00a0<\/p>\n In general foxes are not causing sufficient problems for the council to consider a cull, says Smith, but it is important that people don\u2019t feed them, so that the city benefits from their role as predator of rodents.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re distracting them from their role in the ecosystem,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Foxes versus cats<\/p>\n \u201cThere is an extremely high density of foxes in Dublin,\u201d says Smith, the postdoctoral researcher, who monitors wildlife cameras in Dublin as part of the Urban Wildlife Information Network.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The population has been growing for the last 20 or 30 years, he says.<\/p>\n Hogan says that this has highlighted the need for oversight.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere seems to be in recent years a migration of foxes from rural areas to urban areas, and there isn\u2019t really any policy or government agency taking charge or setting out the control of urban foxes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n No one to tackle this concern that pets could contract a disease from a fox, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith says that isn\u2019t really a big risk for people who keep pets wormed and vaccinated. \u201cIt is possible, but lots of things are.\u201d<\/p>\n To reduce the risk, people should feed pets indoors if possible, he says, not leave food dishes out for long, and regularly disinfect the dishes.<\/p>\n The spokesperson for the National Parks and Wildlife Service says: \u201cThere is no information available to NPWS which demonstrates that foxes pose a risk to pets through the spread of illness.\u201d<\/p>\n Some pet owners fear that foxes could kill cats, but the Irish Wildlife Trust says that it is unlikely. \u201cIn the vast majority of cat-fox interactions, the cat wins,\u201d says the trust on its website.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Cats are far more likely to catch a disease from another cat or get killed by a car, says Smith. \u201cWe have wildlife cameras, you see foxes and cats, they kind of try their best to avoid each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, a fox and a cat could fight over food, says Smith, and if that happens, the bigger animal will probably win the fight. But then, cats are good at jumping and climbing, so they\u2019ll usually find a way out.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUrban environments allow multiple escape routes for cats,\u201d says Smith, \u201cif they are losing a fight or if they don\u2019t feel comfortable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Foxes don\u2019t pose a major risk to cats, says Smith, but cats are themselves serious predators. \u201cI don\u2019t recommend outdoor cats anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n They cause havoc to the ecosystem, he says. \u201cCats are very efficient predators of small birds and small mammals.\u201d<\/p>\n Foxes on the rise<\/p>\n The increase in Dublin\u2019s fox population could be down to fewer dogs roaming the streets, says Smith. But he isn\u2019t really sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n Foxes are hunted and shot in rural areas, he says, but in cities, the main predator is the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n Authorities have to weigh up pros and cons in deciding whether to control a wild animal\u2019s population growth, says Smith.\u00a0<\/p>\n