Sarcoptic mange causes severe suffering in wild foxes and is treatable through medicated bait programmes that provide effective welfare interventions.
Mange-affected foxes experience intense pruritus, hair loss, skin thickening, and secondary infection causing weeks to months of progressive suffering before death. The condition is treatable with ivermectin delivered through bait, enabling welfare intervention without capture stress. Identifying and treating mange-affected urban foxes represents one of the most direct individual wildlife welfare interventions available.