Are British urban foxes (<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>) “bold”? The importance of understanding human–wildlife interactions in urban areas

Padovani, Roberto J.; Shi, Zhuoyu

doi:10.1002/ece3.7087

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…Since foxes were willing to consume the food rewards when novel objects were absent, it also rules out the possibility that food-related motivation explains why foxes avoided the objects. Finally, as reported in Padovani et al (2021), we found in our larger multisite sample no seasonal differences in foxes' responses to novel objects, which rules out seasonal differences in food abundance, and hence, variation in their motivation due to hunger.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Factors, such as speed of habituation, may be crucial for them to overcome their aversion to such novelty (Vincze et al, 2016). Age, sex, dominance, associative learning, and/or personality are also some of the many other factors that might influence foxes' decision-making (Fawcett et al, 2017;Griffin et al, 2013;Padovani et al, 2021;Soulsbury et al, 2011a). As previously discussed, foxes may simply prefer to exploit easy-access resources wherever possible, similar to what has been proposed for challenging tasks in some populations of wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) (Morton, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have administered novel object tests to urban foxes (Padovani et al, 2021), but these objects did not contain food which makes it difficult to evaluate opportunistic behaviour within a foraging context, and data from rural populations are also needed for comparison. Studies have also found that urban foxes can behave more opportunistically than less urbanised populations in certain contexts (e.g., unfamiliar bait) (Gil-Fernandez et al, 2020), but responses to one form of novelty do not necessarily reflect how animals might react to other forms of novelty, including objects (Miller et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bold but not innovative in an urban exploiter, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Morton

Gartner

Norrie

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Urbanisation is the fastest form of landscape transformation on the planet, but our understanding of how wildlife responds to such changes is still in its infancy. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are renowned for thriving in urban settings where they have many opportunities to exploit food within or in close proximity to a wide variety of human-made objects (e.g., litter and contents of outdoor bins). The visibility of such behaviour has likely contributed to urban foxes being labelled as bolder, cunning, and a general nuisance to people. Studies in other animals show that frequent exposure to novel objects can sometimes lead them to overcome their aversion to unfamiliar objects in general (e.g., stimulus generalisation). However, it is unclear whether this applies to the willingness of urban fox populations to exploit food-related objects, particularly when they are first discovered and hence the most novel. To test whether urbanisation encourages wild foxes to exploit food-related objects, we administered eight types of novel objects containing food to 87 free-ranging foxes across a large urban-rural gradient (one object per location). One fox approached and exploited an object in the first instance, while the remaining 86 foxes avoided them. After two weeks, five foxes exploited the objects, while another 13 foxes touched the objects but quit before gaining access. Urban variables (e.g., road, greenspace, and human population density) did not predict whether foxes acknowledged or touched the objects, but their likelihood of touching them was predicted by the type of novel object encountered. When objects were absent, foxes willingly consumed the food. Thus, as with rural populations, urban foxes in the current study displayed an initial aversion to novel objects, suggesting that increased access to food-related objects through urbanisation does not necessarily encourage all foxes to exploit such resources when first discovered. Other factors are needed to overcome their initial aversion, which may have important implications for changing the general perception and management of this species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bold but not innovative in an urban exploiter, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Morton

Gartner

Norrie

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Red foxes have shown to be adaptable enough to be able to deal with these stimuli and therefore have been able to take advantage of anthropogenic foods on offer. In urban areas, their densities are typically much higher (Harris & Rayner, 1986), they can live and breed in residential back gardens (Padovani et al, 2021), have become more nocturnal (Gil-Fern andez et al, 2020), and have even been shown to change morphologically to develop traits normally associated with domestication (Parsons et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red foxes in Japan show adaptability in prey resource according to geography and season: A meta‐analysis

Hisano

Evans

Soga

et al. 2021

Ecological Research

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The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the world's most widespread member of the order Carnivora, occurring across a large range of latitudes and inhabiting multiple habitat types. There is no comprehensive study of how the diets of this flexible generalist vary across the whole Asian continent. We conducted a meta‐analysis of red fox diets in Japan, examining the patterns in food type selection and their associations with seasonality, regional climate, vegetation productivity, and human influences at the national scale. Using linear mixed models, we revealed significant seasonal effects on the frequency of occurrence of mammals in general, ungulate carcasses, birds, and invertebrates in the diets of red foxes. Furthermore, the frequency of occurrence of mammals significantly decreased with mean annual temperature and increased with vegetation productivity. The frequency of invertebrate occurrences increased with temperature, and that of anthropogenic foods increased with human population density. Trophic diversity and dietary niche breadth increased with annual temperature but decreased with vegetation productivity and population density. These results suggest that the red fox is a flexible predator in Japan that adapts its foraging patterns according to variations in resource availability and abiotic conditions, while persistently consuming a certain ratio of animal prey to meet its metabolic requirements. Modifications of predators' trophic niches can influence structures of prey communities and interactions with sympatric competitors. Our findings are important for informing ecosystem management practices under ongoing environmental and social changes in Japan.

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“…These interactions have been documented in multiple species across terrestrial, aquatic and aerial environments (Brookhouse et al, 2013; Dayer et al, 2019; Padovani et al, 2021; Pagel et al, 2020; Usui & Funck, 2018), with national and public parks being popular targets (Marion et al, 2008). Humans risk injury from these interactions as animals become accustomed to utilising humans as a food source (Burns & Howard, 2003; Kofron, 1999) and disease transfer is also an associated risk (either directly, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing risky interactions: Identifying barriers to the successful management of human–wildlife conflict in an urban parkland

et al. 2022

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1. Managing activities that result in human-wildlife conflict is a challenging goal for modern scientists and managers. In recent years, the self-motivated feeding of wildlife by humans has garnered popularity but with consequent risks for the health and safety of both parties. This has resulted in calls for management in areas of high contact, for example, parklands. Traditional controls are typically utilised (i.e. signage, patrols), yet their success is varied, leading to a rise in research aiming to improve them. This research has primarily focused on language and design, with little attention paid to the role that audience type (i.e. international tourists vs. locals/residents) may play in their success. Proportions in audience type present can vary both between parks and spatially within a single park, however, controls are usually applied homogeneously with no consideration for how response may vary between these groups.2. Here, we performed a robust before-after study across two summers using a wild fallow deer population in a public park that are commonly fed by visitors as our model. We deployed controls, following best practice as outlined by the literature, and tested their overall effectiveness. We then identified key areas with differences in visitor type proportions and tested for variation in success between them.3. We found that the numbers of visitors feeding the deer significantly decreased overall after the introduction of controls, although interactions were not eliminated entirely. We discovered that the effectiveness of these controls varied with changes in visitor type, with the most positive effects occurring in areas with more international tourists and no significant effect occurring in areas dominated by resident visitors. Notably, of the food offerings remaining, the proportion of foods that could be perceived as 'nutritionally beneficial' increased in | 919People and Nature GRIFFIN et al.

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Are British urban foxes (Vulpes vulpes) “bold”? The importance of understanding human–wildlife interactions in urban areas

Abstract: There is a widespread perception that interactions between people and wildlife are increasing as human populations and urban areas expand. This is of particular concern with carnivores (Curtis

Cited by 15 publications

References 69 publications

Bold but not innovative in an urban exploiter, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Bold but not innovative in an urban exploiter, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Red foxes in Japan show adaptability in prey resource according to geography and season: A meta‐analysis

Reducing risky interactions: Identifying barriers to the successful management of human–wildlife conflict in an urban parkland

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