Fox Hunting 'Can Increase Their Numbers'
Killing foxes during the hunting season can be counter-productive and actually increase their numbers, according to a new report.
Killing foxes during the hunting season can be counter-productive and actually increase their numbers, according to a new report.
Research commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland concluded there was no convincing evidence'' that pest control was having an impact on the fox population.
Fox hunting with a pack of hounds has been illegal in Scotland since 2002 but the law does allow the use of dogs to flush out a fox to be shot.
The report by Professor Stephen Harris from the University of Bristol said: Fox losses, whether by 'pest control' or natural mortality, are rapidly replaced, especially in winter which is the main dispersal period.
In fact 'pest control', especially when a dominant animal is killed, can lead to a local increase in numbers as more foxes move in to compete for the vacant space.
There is no convincing evidence that 'pest control' is having a significant effect on fox numbers in Scotland or elsewhere in Britain, the ban on hunting with dogs has not led to an increase in fox numbers, and using packs of hounds to drive foxes out of cover to waiting guns can have a significant disruptive effect on the behaviour of foxes and leads to higher, not lower, fox numbers in the spring.''
The report, published to coincide with the start of the hunting season, also questioned whether foxes should be categorised as pests at all.
Prof Harris said: The scientific evidence is clear: any losses of lambs to foxes are minor compared to other forms of mortality and studies in Scotland have shown that fox numbers are determined by changes in the habitat, not 'pest control'.
Improvements in husbandry would have a much greater benefit in reducing lamb losses than hunting foxes.''
League Against Cruel Sports Scotland director Robbie Marsland said the report showed the killing of foxes to be futile and counter-productive''.
He said: Those that insist upon their 'right' to shoot foxes or urge on a pack of hounds to chase and kill a wild animal need to face facts - there is no reason to hunt foxes, other than for their own 'entertainment'.
The excuses used by the pro-hunt lobby to justify this cruel so-called sport are based entirely on myths and vested interests.''
The league has previously released video footage of hunts in Scotland, claiming that the ban is being flouted.
Scottish Countryside Alliance director Jamie Stewart said: This report has been commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports from an academic who has created many such documents for them over the years, and contains no new research.
The fact remains that governments from both sides of the border accept that farmers should be able to control fox populations and a number of methods including shooting and snaring remain legal.
Professor Harris is flying in the face of all common sense when he suggests that foxes do not predate livestock.
We believe that farmers and landowners should have the best options for wildlife management.''