Do urban foxes really pose a risk to humans?

THIS lovely little fox (pictured) visits us every evening. How could anyone resist those beautiful, amber eyes as she sits patiently waiting for her supper. Far from being aggressive, she’s very gentle, more frightened of local cats and dogs than they are of her. Toxoplasmosis is also carried by cats and dogs: should they, too, be culled to prevent the spread of the disease? We’re told that foxes must be controlled because they have no natural predators. Should we extend this argument to the ever-growing population of humans, which causes more damage to our world than foxes ever could? Foxes are simply undomesticated dogs. It would be interesting to know whether their unfortunate attacks on humans outnumber human injuries inflicted by pet dogs. Those who don’t appreciate foxes are missing out on a great delight.

hoWarD DaViS, bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex. PeOPLe in other countries have to put up with bears in their back garden, leopards prowling the alleyways of the city after dark or troops of baboons trashing their offices and shops. Horses kill more people in Australia every year than spiders and snakes put together. Why snivel because urban foxes nip the British at a rate of about one bite every six years out of a population of more than 60 million? If our ancestors had been such feeble ninnies, so terrified that contact with nature might occasionally leave a few scars, we would never have domesticated any other species — and human civilisation would have remained in the Stone Age. ClairE M. JorDaN, Slamannan, Falkirk. WHEN there’s no pest control, as with rats and other vermin, there will be attacks on humans by foxes. If they have no fear of us and are aggressive, they may even have rabies. It’s only a matter of time before an infected animal is transported across the Channel. All wild animals will kill for food; it’s nature — and the larger the animal, the greater the risk. riCharD harraWaY, West Chiltington, W. Sussex.