Factors associated with fox (Vulpes vulpes) predation of lambs in Britain

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Moberly ◽  
Piran C. L. White ◽  
Charlotte C. Webbon ◽  
Philip J. Baker ◽  
Stephen Harris
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Large Range ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Flock Size ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Regional Location ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fox Control

Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are believed to have an economic impact on farming through predation on lambs, poultry and game. Investigation of the causes behind variation in the impact of predation between farms is required to improve management of these problems. A questionnaire survey of sheep farmers was combined with field data on relative fox population abundance to investigate some of the factors associated with both the occurrence and scale of perceived fox predation in Britain. Reported lamb losses to foxes were generally low but there was a large range in perceived levels of predation, from 0.0008 to 0.26 lambs per ewe, with 59% of respondents reporting that they had lost at least one lamb to a fox at their most recent lambing. Flock size was an important factor determining perceived fox predation. Fox predation was more likely to have occurred on larger farms, but, when it did, fewer lambs were perceived lost per ewe. Various other non-management characteristics, including regional location, had an influence on fox predation. Fox abundance was positively associated with perceived predation. Indoor lambing was an important preventive measure against fox predation. However, the effect of fox control on livestock predation was difficult to determine because of potential reactive behaviour by farmers to lamb losses. The analyses indicate that multivariate rather than univariate techniques should be used in the assessment of predator impacts and in making management recommendations. The identification of farm characteristics associated with fox predation, such as location and indoor lambing, enables the potential identification of problem farms where preventive management should be targeted.

The fate of dried meat baits laid for fox control: the effects of bait presentation on take by foxes and non-target species, and on caching by foxes

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 371 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Thomson ◽  
N. E. Kok
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Radio Transmitters ◽  
Fox Control

Non-toxic, dried meat baits (45 g) containing small radio-transmitters were laid on cleared sandplots in mixed farming and grain-growing areas in Western Australia. Baits were either buried, tethered by wire trace to a hidden peg, or simply laid untethered on the surface. Baits were exposed for 1 night only and new transects were established each day. Data were available on 1521 baits. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) visited 23% of plots and took baits from 64% of those visited. Unburied baits (both tethered and untethered) were taken significantly more frequently than the buried baits. Of all baits taken by foxes, 25% were cached. Foxes were more likely to cache buried baits than either tethered or untethered baits. Excluding baits taken to cubs, foxes cached baits 3–380 m (mean 87�m) from their original locations. Some baits were carried to cub dens up to 1.25�km away. The fate of 27�cached baits was monitored for varying periods. Of these baits, 59% were later eaten by foxes, most within 3�days. Non-target species took 3% of the baits on offer. Birds were the most common non-target animals to take baits, and in some cases dropped baits up to 400 m away. In terms of takes relative to visits, most takes by birds were of the untethered baits (88%, cf. 33% for tethered, 17% for buried baits). Compared with other baits, a significantly lower proportion of the untethered baits that were taken by birds was actually eaten. Baits cached by foxes and baits moved by birds represent a potential hazard to farm dogs and vulnerable fauna. Recommendations on bait presentation, distance restrictions, and likely risk to farm dogs and non-target species are discussed.

The effectiveness of a large-scale baiting campaign and an evaluation of a buffer zone strategy for fox control

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 465 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Thomson ◽  
N. J. Marlow ◽  
K. Rose ◽  
N. E. Kok
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Population Reduction ◽  
High Level ◽  
Fox Control

The effectiveness of a baiting campaign against red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was investigated in a rangeland area near Carnarvon, Western Australia. An area of 3180 km2 was aerially baited with dried meat baits containing 3 mg 1080 poison (5 baits km–2) in August 1995. All 45 radio-collared foxes monitored in the area were killed by baits. More than half the radio-collared foxes died within 3 days of baits being laid; the last surviving radio-collared fox died 44 days after baits were laid. The overall population reduction was estimated to be >95%. Further implications of this high level of bait uptake are discussed in relation to immunocontraceptive control of foxes, as well as for population reduction or vaccination of foxes to control rabies. Reinvasion of the baited area occurred mainly in autumn, when juvenile foxes were dispersing. The relevance of this result is discussed in relation to developing more effective baiting strategies. As part of another experiment, outer sections of the baited area were periodically re-baited as a buffer zone to reduce immigration by foxes into the central baited area; the buffer baiting proved to be very effective in preventing recolonisation of the entire baited area.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Badgers (Meles meles) and Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Northern Ireland

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. H. O’Hagan ◽  
Ana V. Pascual-Linaza ◽  
Catherine Couzens ◽  
Clare Holmes ◽  
Colin Bell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Multi Drug Resistance ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
The Impact

Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria can be shared between humans and animals, through food, water, and the environment. Wild animals are not only potential reservoirs of AMR, but are also sentinels mirroring the presence of AMR zoonotic bacteria in the environment. In Northern Ireland, little is known about levels of AMR in bacteria in wildlife, thus the current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of AMR bacteria in wildlife using wildlife species from two ongoing surveys as a proxy. Nasopharyngeal swabs and faecal samples from European badgers (Meles meles) (146 faecal samples; 118 nasal samples) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (321 faecal samples; 279 nasal samples) were collected throughout Northern Ireland and were used to survey for the presence of extended spectrum beta lactamase resistant and AmpC-type beta lactamases Escherichia coli (ESBL/AmpC), Salmonella spp. (only in badgers) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). ESBLs were detected in 13 out of 146 badger faecal samples (8.90%) and 37 out of 321 of fox faecal samples (11.53%), all of them presenting multi-drug resistance (MDR). Fourteen out of 146 (9.59%) badger faecal samples carried Salmonella spp. [S. Agama (n = 9), S. Newport (n = 4) and S. enterica subsp. arizonae (n = 1)]. Overall, AMR was found only in the S. enterica subsp. arizonae isolate (1/14, 7.14%). No MRSA were detected in nasopharyngeal swabs from badgers (n = 118) and foxes (n = 279). This is the first attempt to explore the prevalence of AMR in the two common wildlife species in Northern Ireland. These findings are important as they can be used as a base line for further research exploring the origin of the found resistance. These results should encourage similar surveys where environmental samples are included to bring better understanding of AMR dynamics, and the impact on wildlife, domestic livestock and humans.

Estimated 1080 dose rate for the M-44 ejector for the control of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 291 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Marks ◽  
F. Gigliotti ◽  
F. Busana
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Fox Control ◽  
Target Effects

Recent studies have suggested that bait movement and caching by foxes (Vulpes vulpes) may increase the potential risk of off-target effects from 1080 meat baits close to urban habitats. The M-44 ejector is an alternative way to deliver 1080 to foxes that will eliminate bait movement and caching. Whilst the M-44 ejector has been used for the control of foxes using cyanide in the United States, we investigated its use with 1080 as a toxicant. Exotic eutherian carnivores are generally more sensitive to 1080 than are most Australian endemic wildlife species, yet no useful difference in sensitivity to cyanide exists for these groups. The lower risk associated with occupational exposure to 1080 compared with cyanide suggests that it is a more desirable toxicant for fox control. Pen trials were undertaken in order to establish an appropriate capsule dose of 1080 to be used in the ejector. A minimum capsule dose of 2.7 mg of 1080 is estimated to be consistently lethal to foxes weighing up to 8.3 kg. The recommended dose is below the current meat bait dose of 3.0 mg 1080 used in Victoria. This may represent an improvement in occupational safety and a reduction in non-target risk.

The potential for participatory landscape management to reduce the impact of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) on lamb production

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette J. McLeod ◽  
Glen R. Saunders ◽  
Steven R. McLeod ◽  
Michelle Dawson ◽  
Remy van de Ven
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Control Effort ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Lamb Survival ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fox Control

ContextRed fox (Vulpes vulpes) predation has an impact on populations of many species throughout its range worldwide, and as such, the red fox is the target of control programs. AimsWe investigated the potential for participatory landscape management to reduce the impact of fox predation on a major prey species, lambs. MethodsThe present study monitored fox-management programs already operating across 4.5 million hectares of regional New South Wales to compare the impact of varying (frequency and spatial coverage) control effort on lamb survival. Key resultsThe frequency and timing of fox control was correlated with lamb survival. Lamb survival was higher in areas where fox baiting was carried out twice a year, in autumn and late winter/spring. Spatial coverage of the control program was also positively correlated with lamb survival. Properties that had near neighbours (up to 2.5 km away) participating in group fox-control programs had higher survival of lambs than properties that did not. ConclusionsThese results support the development of a high level of group participation in fox-control programs that considers both spatial extent and frequency of baiting programs. They also support a movement away from the reactionary, short-term practice of baiting small areas to protect vulnerable prey. ImplicationsCoordinated group-baiting programs are likely to deliver improved lamb survival and should be promoted in areas where ongoing control programs for foxes are necessary.

scholarly journals Foxes in trees: a threat for Australian arboreal fauna?

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina S. A. Mella ◽  
Clare McArthur ◽  
Robert Frend ◽  
Mathew S. Crowther
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Invasive Predator ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Impact

We document the first evidence of tree climbing by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Australia. Camera traps recorded foxes in trees on the Liverpool Plains, New South Wales. This finding prompts a reassessment of the impact that this invasive predator has on Australian fauna: from purely terrestrial to also potentially arboreal.

The impact of fox control on the relative abundance of forest mammals in East Gippsland, Victoria

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Dexter ◽  
Andy Murray
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Treatment Site ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fox Control

Predation by European red foxes is believed to be the major cause of the extinction and decline of a large number of native medium-sized terrestrial mammals in Australia. We examined the impact of poisoning of foxes on the relative abundance of a group of medium-sized mammals in an experiment conducted in three large forest blocks in south-eastern Australia. The blocks consisted of paired sites, as follows: one site where poison baiting was used to control foxes (treatment site) and one where foxes were not controlled (non-treatment site). At all six sites, the population responses of a range of mammals were measured, and compared between treatment and non-treatment sites. The relative fox abundance, as indexed by bait-take, declined during the course of the study at treatment sites and to a lesser extent at non-treatment sites. The decline in bait-take at non-treatment sites was most likely due to treatment sites acting as ecological traps, so that reduced intra-specific competition attracted foxes from non-treatment to treatment sites, where they were subsequently poisoned. There was a significant treatment effect for the abundances of total mammals, long-nosed potoroos, southern brown bandicoots and common brushtail possums, with higher abundances at treatment sites than at non-treatment sites. Common ringtail possums increased in abundance during the course of the study, with no significant difference between treatment and non-treatment sites. There was no significant effect of time or treatment on the abundance of long-nosed bandicoots. The increase in the abundance of native mammals at treatment sites was most likely due to a lower predation pressure by foxes brought about by fox control, and the smaller increase in abundance in non-treatment blocks was likely due to the ecological-trap effect because of fox baiting at treatment sites. The present study demonstrated that broad-scale fox control can lead to increases in the abundance of native mammals in forested habitats, without recourse to aerial baiting or fences. The study also demonstrated that the influence of fox control on the fox abundance can extend well beyond the perimeter of the area baited.

Evaluation of attractants and bait preferences of captive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Saunders ◽  
Stephen Harris
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Chemical Attractants ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Fox Control ◽  
Rabies Vaccination

The development of bait types, additives such as synthetic flavours, and attractants for use in fox control and rabies vaccination programmes is briefly reviewed. A captive colony was used to establish bait preferences for foxes. A variety of bait types and additives were screened for this purpose. The potential of chemical attractants to enhance the discovery of baits by foxes was also examined. Gustatory additives, such as beef flavour and sugar, enhanced bait acceptance, and olfactory attractants such as synthetic fermented egg showed promise. Trials using captive animals allow for observations impossible under field conditions. However, field trials are also needed to determine whether behavioural responses of free-ranging animals are similar to those observed in captive individuals.

Characteristics of Physician Relocation Following Hurricane Katrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Kusuma Madamala ◽  
Claudia R. Campbell ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Yu-Hsiang Hsieh ◽  
James James
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Introduction: On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States, resulting in the evacuation of more than 1.5 million people, including nearly 6000 physicians. This article examines the relocation patterns of physicians following the storm, determines the impact that the disaster had on their lives and practices, and identifies lessons learned. Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted among licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Mississippi. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe respondent characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with physician nonreturn to original practice. For those remaining relocated out of state, bivariate analysis with x2 or Fisher exact test was used to determine factors associated with plans to return to original practice. Results: A total of 312 eligible responses were collected. Among disaster zone respondents, 85.6 percent lived in Louisiana and 14.4 percent resided in Mississippi before the hurricane struck. By spring 2006, 75.6 percent (n = 236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4 percent (n = 76) remained displaced. Factors associated with nonreturn to original employment included family or general medicine practice (OR 0.42, 95 percent CI 0.17–1.04; P = .059) and severe or complete damage to the workplace (OR 0.24, 95 percent CI 0.13–0.42; P < .001). Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of physicians remain displaced after Hurricane Katrina, along with a lasting decrease in the number of physicians serving in the areas affected by the disaster. Programs designed to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return.

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