Urban foxes live in close proximity to humans in many cities, creating welfare challenges that require understanding of fox behavior and ecology.
Urban foxes occupy an ambiguous welfare position - wild animals that have adapted to city life, but whose welfare is affected by human-created hazards. Road accidents, mange (often treatable), poisons, and trapping represent the main welfare threats. Mange outbreaks cause particular suffering, with affected foxes experiencing extreme itching, hair loss, and immune compromise. Treating mange in urban fox populations is feasible through medicated food baits, and several organizations coordinate such programs.