§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information he has as to the number of foxes living in the larger urban areas of Great Britain; and how the density of the fox population in urban areas compares with that in rural areas;
(2) what surveys his Department has carried out into the health hazards associated with the presence of foxes in urban areas.
§ Mr. MacleanThe average fox population density in cities varies between 1:2.24 fox families per square kilometre. However higher densities are found in some cities up to 8.5 adult foxes per square kilometre. In rural areas fox densities vary widely, depending on habitat, between one fox per 30 hectares in rich habitats to one pair298W per 4,000 hectares in poor habitats. This Department has not carried out any surveys into health hazards associated with urban foxes, but they can become infected with a variety of parasites and diseases, including rabies.