| Foxes in the Wolli Valley |
| Some important background |
Members report seeing foxes – adults and cubs – in the Wolli Valley quite regularly. Backyard chickens and some small pets can be vulnerable to fox attacks. A small family of foxes is believed to be living in the garden of an empty house in Undercliffe Rd and is responsible for killing a number of free-range chickens in May 2006. In September 2005, a fox killed two chickens in our secretary’s Bexley North backyard. In late in 2004, Rockdale Council removed an injured female fox from the Bardwell Valley near the Bexley Swimming Pool complex. Many people are surprised to hear that foxes are present and surviving quite well in urban areas. But as local Councils and the NPWS can attest, foxes are now found in all urban bushland areas in the Sydney area, and in much higher numbers than in rural areas. Besides bushland, they can survive in rubbish tips, sand dunes, golf courses, cemeteries and other areas. They can make dens in sandstone outcrops and dense weeds, and can actually climb trees, so roosting birds as well as ground dwelling small native animals – lizards included – end up as meals. Berries from weed plants such as blackberry or privet also form part of their diet, so the spread of weeds is yet another “contribution” they make to our urban bushland areas. If you see foxes in the Wolli or Bardwell valleys or other nearby areas let us know by email at info@wollicreek.org.au and use the attached sightings table as a guide to the information that would be helpful. If you want to know more about foxes read on ... About the European Red Fox >> |