Mt Presentation
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:18 am
Here we go again... The Daily Mail today with another story of a Fox getting Into a house and biting a toddler.. Yet, experts who have closely examined details of previous claims, Invariably find a family dog or cat In the house which then actually defies logic... no Fox will enter a house where a dog Is present.
For my presentation, I will be talking about a very little known phenomenon Involving Vulpes Vulpes and why Hunting and Culls are absolutely futile.
First of all, Foxes do not roam In large packs. They are fiercely territorial and live In familys consisting of an Alpha Dog, Alpha Vixen, Subordinate Dog and Subordinate Vixen. Only the Alpha Vixen can reproduce. She will have two litters each year producing 8 cubs maximum. When the cubs reach 4 to 5 months old, the Alpha's oust those cubs from the family.
The average life span of Red and Urban Fox Is just 2 years. It's estimated over 100,000 Foxes are killed by cars every year. Given the short life span, ousted cubs only take over old territories when Alpha's or Subordinates have died.
Mother nature can be very cruel. Fox populations regulate themselves and Subordinate vixens conceive but do not get to whelp their Kits. they only serve the purpose of producing milk should the Alpha Vixen be killed where they will then take over raising the Kits to Cubs.
In 1940 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries carried out a Cull of Urban Foxes In the East End of London. Stats are a little sketchy as serious studies had only just begun but they basically wiped out the Urban Fox population of the East End.
Within 4 days, there were just as many Foxes In that area... the dead replaced by newly ousted Cubs taking over the territory.
But something even stranger happened... Sketchy stats showed that within 2 years, the Fox population for that area had actually quadrupled.
How was It possible ? If newly ousted Cubs had replenished the territories within 4 days, then It would be Impossible for more Foxes to move In due to the extreme territorial nature of the Alpha;s. The Birth rate of Alpha Vixens could only double the population In the East End and that was providing no Foxes met their deaths.
There was only one explanation.... Mother Nature had stepped In to replace all those dead Foxes and the phenomenon was that Subordinate Vixens had begun to produce live Kits weaning them to live cubs.
Two years later, the Fox population In the area remained static... Subordinate Vixens had ceased to produce.
For my presentation, I will be talking about a very little known phenomenon Involving Vulpes Vulpes and why Hunting and Culls are absolutely futile.
First of all, Foxes do not roam In large packs. They are fiercely territorial and live In familys consisting of an Alpha Dog, Alpha Vixen, Subordinate Dog and Subordinate Vixen. Only the Alpha Vixen can reproduce. She will have two litters each year producing 8 cubs maximum. When the cubs reach 4 to 5 months old, the Alpha's oust those cubs from the family.
The average life span of Red and Urban Fox Is just 2 years. It's estimated over 100,000 Foxes are killed by cars every year. Given the short life span, ousted cubs only take over old territories when Alpha's or Subordinates have died.
Mother nature can be very cruel. Fox populations regulate themselves and Subordinate vixens conceive but do not get to whelp their Kits. they only serve the purpose of producing milk should the Alpha Vixen be killed where they will then take over raising the Kits to Cubs.
In 1940 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries carried out a Cull of Urban Foxes In the East End of London. Stats are a little sketchy as serious studies had only just begun but they basically wiped out the Urban Fox population of the East End.
Within 4 days, there were just as many Foxes In that area... the dead replaced by newly ousted Cubs taking over the territory.
But something even stranger happened... Sketchy stats showed that within 2 years, the Fox population for that area had actually quadrupled.
How was It possible ? If newly ousted Cubs had replenished the territories within 4 days, then It would be Impossible for more Foxes to move In due to the extreme territorial nature of the Alpha;s. The Birth rate of Alpha Vixens could only double the population In the East End and that was providing no Foxes met their deaths.
There was only one explanation.... Mother Nature had stepped In to replace all those dead Foxes and the phenomenon was that Subordinate Vixens had begun to produce live Kits weaning them to live cubs.
Two years later, the Fox population In the area remained static... Subordinate Vixens had ceased to produce.