Bibliography Date: 28/8/11 URL: www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/feral/fox.

html Title: Feral Animals of the Northern Territory

European Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes

Impacts

The European red fox is a serious threat to biodiversity conservation in Australia. Predation by European red fox is appropriately listed as a key threatening process under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The fox is a generalist and opportunistic predator and scavenger and there is abundant evidence that predation by foxes is a major threat to many species of native fauna. Studies in Western Australia have shown that foxes have a major detrimental impact on existing populations of black-footed rock-wallabies (Petrogale lateralis), brush-tailed bettongs (Bettongia penicillata), numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) and tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii). Populations of all these animals increased following intensive fox control. Similarly, in New South Wales, malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) survival has been shown to increase following a reduction in fox numbers. In the Northern Territory, one of the two last known wild populations of the rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus) was exterminated by a single fox. Remaining wild populations of the bilby (Macrotis lagotis) may be at risk of extinction if foxes continue to push northwards into the bilbys remaining stronghold.

Foxes eat our native wildlife

Click image to enlarge Pic: NSW Dept of Primary Industries

Little is known of the competitive impacts of foxes on native fauna. Preliminary results from research conducted in Western Australia indicate that the density of the chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii) increases following 1080 poisoning of foxes. Foxes are a significant agricultural pest. In some sheep growing areas, fox predation may account for up to 30% of lamb deaths. Recent observations suggest that foxes may also have an impact on cattle in some areas, particularly on calves and calving cows. Foxes also prey on poultry and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and ostrich (Struthio camelus) chicks which is of concern to some commercial operators. The potential role that foxes could play in spreading exotic diseases like rabies if ever they were introduced to Australia is of major concern to health and agricultural authorities. Background The red fox is native to Europe, Asia and North America. It was introduced to Victoria between 1855 and 1871, and by approximately 1893, it had spread to New South Wales and South Australia. Foxes probably reached the Northern Territory between 1920 and 1930. The rapid spread of foxes in Australia was aided by humans through deliberate introductions to new areas.

Fox distribution in the NT Click for PDF 516kb

Distribution and Habitat Like feral cats, foxes are nocturnal, shy and elusive which makes it difficult to assess population abundance. Population density is dependent on prey availability and fox numbers are highest in high density rabbit areas. Fox densities of between 0.6 and 2.0 per square kilometre have been recorded in the arid and semi-arid rangelands of Australia.

The spread of the European red fox across Australia was closely linked to that of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and today the distributions of both species largely coincide. The northern limit to fox distribution in Australia is believed to be somewhat flexible, expanding northwards during good seasons and retreating southwards during drier times. In the Northern Territory, foxes are largely confined to the more arid areas but appear to be expanding their range in a northerly direction. They were rarely encountered in the Tanami Desert northwest of Alice Springs in the 1970s and early 1980s, but now they are relatively common as far north as Tennant Creek. Management Current techniques for controlling foxes include poisoning, shooting, trapping, den fumigation, exclusion fencing and altered agricultural practices. Broad scale fox control is not conducted in the Northern Territory. However, some foxes are undoubtedly killed during dingo baiting programmes conducted by the Parks and Wildlife Service. Poisoning. Foxes readily scavenge and can be effectively controlled over large areas using baits containing the compound 1080 (sodium mono-fluoroacetate). Baits can be made target specific through choice of bait, bait placement and 1080 dosage. Foxes will readily dig up buried baits so the practice of burying baits is a good way to lessen impacts on non-target species. Shooting, whether for sport or pelts, is relatively ineffective in regulating fox numbers. Fox drives can be effective in removing a large number of foxes from a small area but are costly and time consuming. Dogging is generally considered inhumane and is not recommended as a general control technique. Trapping foxes is very labour intensive. Trapping with steel-jawed traps is inhumane and is banned in most states and territories. Alternatively, soft-catch traps with padded rubber jaws are far less damaging and their use for fox control is legalised in most states and territories. Leg snares are also a humane alternative to steel-jawed traps. Exclusion fencing can be used to effectively exclude foxes from small areas of agricultural or conservation significance. However, foxes are very adept in scaling fences even when they are electrified and the damage done by foxes to wildlife or domestic stock when a protective barrier has been breached may be considerable. Den destruction and fumigation can be an effective local control technique at the time when cubs are born. However, dens are usually difficult to locate. Alternative management practices may lessen the impacts of foxes in agricultural situations. For example, the time of lambing and the location of lambing paddocks can be manipulated to lessen the likelihood of fox predation on lambs. Also, effective rabbit control can lead to a reduction in fox density and hence predation impacts on stock.