Urban red foxes have successfully adapted to city environments but face specific welfare challenges from human conflict, disease and road mortality in this novel habitat.
Urban foxes face a specific set of welfare challenges created by the urban environment they have successfully colonised. Road mortality causes traumatic death, often at night when foxes are most active. Mange spreads rapidly through urban fox populations where territories overlap, causing prolonged intense suffering that is highly visible to urban residents. Conflict with residents over food-seeking behaviour leads to deliberate poisoning and shooting that cause illegal but persistent welfare harm. The social intelligence of foxes means that urbanisation creates novel challenges including territorial compression and increased inter-group contact that drives disease transmission.