Foxes may be bold and crafty, but we love them anyway!

Stories of bold and cunning foxes ‘wreaking havoc’ within urban neighbourhoods are on the rise, but public feelings towards them remain positive, according to a new study from the University of Hull.

Dr Blake Morton, an animal behaviourist from the University of Hull who led the study, said: “For many people, foxes are now a familiar sight in their back garden or out on the street – particularly at this time of year when young foxes are out and about during the day exploring.

“There has recently been a lot of publicity about foxes claiming that they are becoming bolder and more of a nuisance within cities – even riding on buses or snoozing on people’s garden furniture. Not all members of the public have negative fox experiences, but we constantly read and hear about it from other people.

“Since stories and imagery play a huge role in shaping our attitudes about things, we decided to put this to the test.”

The University of Hull study was the first to test whether messages like this are biasing how people feel about foxes.

The study, published in the prestigious journal Biological Conservation, showed that 83% of people still had positive feelings about foxes. Participants remained positive despite being made aware that bold and intelligent behaviour from foxes likely explains their ‘pesky’ interactions with people.

Dr Morton said: “These findings are important because they illustrate that the likeability factor of foxes is deeply rooted and difficult to change just by discussing their nuisance behaviour. This matters because it can lead to important conversations about how to find solutions to manage coexistence without persecuting these animals.

“It is interesting that although foxes are often perceived to be bold and crafty, we seem to love them anyway."

A total of 1,364 members of the public were randomly selected across Great Britain to take part in an online experiment administered by Dr Morton’s team. Participants were not told what the study was about. Half were given stories depicting bold and cunning fox behaviour, such as this video here, which shows foxes exploring and solving food puzzles that the scientists left overnight in people’s back gardens.

As a control for comparison, the remaining participants were given relatively neutral content, such as this video here, which shows foxes travelling through different landscapes. Afterwards, all participants completed the same 24-item questionnaire evaluating their perceptions of foxes, including questions on whether they felt fox behaviour negatively impacted their everyday lives.

Dr Morton said: “Foxes are an important part of nature. As we devote more land to building homes, it is crucial that we understand how to avoid conflict with these animals. This requires sharing information about foxes to explore positive ways to coexist.”

Dr Morton added: “The UK is a nation of animal lovers. Our results show that it is possible to discuss issues arising from living alongside foxes, such as how to dispose of our waste properly to deter bin-raiding behaviour, without necessarily changing people’s appreciation for them. This starts the conversation on how to encourage coexistence, and that’s great news for foxes and people.”

Read the full study in Biological Conservation, here.