Sir, - Anne Duggan (April 4th) expressed concern at the plight of the urban fox in the new era of the wheelie bin. I'd like to assure her that urban foxes won't starve to death on account of this new development in waste management. They live on a wide variety of food, ranging from beetles and grubs to select cuts of chicken left out by fox-watching householders and can adapt their diets to use the most plentiful food source around, so they rarely go hungry.
Urban foxes don't particularly need to be fed (though they won't complain if you do feed them); the main reason most people feed them is to get a better view of them. If you do want to feed foxes in your garden, leave out a moderate amount of food (based on the number of foxes visiting), as excess food will attract rats, mice and cats. Put the food in a position that is well away from the house but easily visible from one of the downstairs windows. To tempt a fox too close to the house is asking for trouble as an inquisitive fox may enter through an open door or window and I have encountered foxes in both basements and attics!
So please don't feed foxes just because you feel they need fattening; they are slinky little animals by nature and well able to fend for themselves in the urban environment. They have been in Dublin since at least the 1950s and it will take a far greater challenge than the wheelie bin to budge them from the comforts of urban living! - Yours, etc.,
Dave Wall, Mammal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.