Foxes are adaptable animals that live in many different environments across the world from the Arctic tundra to the deserts of North Africa.
Foxes are truly omnivorous, without specialised food requirements, so it is not surprising that they live in many of our towns and cities.
They are most numerous in areas of low-density suburban housing, such as those built in the UK in the 1930s, when land was cheap and houses had large, enclosed gardens. Overgrown areas and spaces under garden sheds provide shelter and food is abundant.
Older housing in industrial towns and many modern developments have little open space or small gardens but will still support populations of urban foxes. There are many food sources available to foxes in towns. They are not dependent on food from dustbins, although if rubbish is not properly contained they will take anything edible – as do cats, dogs, squirrels and birds. They eat large beetles, craneflies (‘daddy-longlegs’), earthworms, field voles, small birds, blackberries, windfall apples and pears. A warm, wet night can provide hundreds of worms that are easily picked off lawns for a substantial meal. They may also scavenge from bird tables or compost heaps.
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