Urban foxes are the subject of intense debate between those who consider them pests and those who value coexistence, with welfare implications for how they are managed.
Urban foxes face multiple welfare challenges including road mortality, mange, and human persecution. Sarcoptic mange causes intense itching, hair loss, and eventual death by starvation. Illegal poisoning and snaring in urban areas causes painful deaths. Urban foxes that become dependent on human feeding may face welfare problems when that support is withdrawn. Vaccination and mange treatment programmes offer welfare-positive management alternatives.