Urban foxes have colonized cities across the world. Their welfare is shaped by human attitudes, feeding practices, and the hazards of urban environments. Understanding how to coexist well improves outcomes for both.
Urban fox welfare depends significantly on how humans treat them. Feeding creates dependency and increases conflict. Culling displaces suffering without reducing population. Mange causes extreme suffering to individual foxes and can be treated with homeopathic drops in food left by their regular routes. Vehicle collisions are the leading cause of premature death. Providing stable, quiet denning sites, not harassing foxes, and treating mange where it occurs are the most welfare-effective interventions for individual urban foxes.