Has London been invaded by foxes?

Bright eyed and bushy tailed, foxes are the most polarising animals in the UK – you either want to give them a cuddle or run for the hills. 

In our cities and especially London residents have complained of urban foxes growing more fearless and even darting into their homes. 

Millionaire businessman David Walsh recently infuriated neighbours by erecting an electric fence to keep out foxes at his £44.5million Notting Hill mansion without planning permission.

He claimed that it was justified because his wife was ‘scared’ of them.  

While Mail on Sunday columnist Alexandra Shulman revealed she caught scabies from a fox that wandered into her home and nestled onto her sofa.

But her admission is far from the only instance of increasing human interaction with the much-maligned creatures.

This summer, Google’s plush London offices were overrun with feral foxes, who dug up its luxurious roof garden. 

And the creatures have found TikTok fame, going viral for fighting in the middle of busy streets, sleeping in central London bushes and running after confused Americans visitors.

So have foxes invaded our cities? Experts claim that actually we could be to blame.

In fact they believe urban foxes have become more brazen and noticeable because they no longer fear humans.

‘The statistics show that there’s actually been a drop in the number of foxes but people are more aware of them now,’ said Lynne Driscoll chair of Fox Angels Foundation. 

‘Because so many people feed them, it encourages foxes to go into their homes,’ she added.

‘They’re also losing green spaces, so they’re coming more into people’s gardens, so they’re more visible.

‘We don’t see it with foxes in the countryside it’s always urban foxes. In the countryside you rarely see them, they’re more afraid of humans, they have space, it’s a very different scenario.

‘But in the city, foxes are being forced to interact with humans.’ 

Foxes aren’t new additions to the city, they started making London their home in the 1930s. 

And there are now an estimated 10,000 of the cunning creatures living across the capital.  

Meanwhile, the number of urban foxes contracting scabies, known as mange, has skyrocketed.

Lynne explained that when humans feed foxes processed food their immune systems weaken, making them more vulnerable to mange, which is when a mite gets under their skin. 

Denise Gradus, who helps rescue foxes said: ‘When you see a fox with no fur and scaly skin and sores it’s from this mite, it affects them really badly and they constantly itch, they can’t sleep, they can’t hunt for themselves anymore and eventually it gets to all the vital organs and will eventually kill the fox if left untreated.

‘They come closer and closer to our houses, they lose their fear a bit because their so desperate, especially in the winter because they’re freezing.’

Denise warned that one of the reasons foxes are casually sauntering into homes is because of an alarming number of TikTok.

She said: ‘TikTok trends of people encouraging foxes into their houses, they think it’s cute but what that is doing is causing foxes to lose their own wild instincts and therefore, you are endangering the foxes. 

‘We need to keep foxes wild.’

In one video, which has garnered over 500k views, a user posted a video of two foxes fighting on their hindlegs with the caption: ‘Fight club. West London.’

American users have also been posting about the ‘culture shock’ they experienced when moving to London and being faced with foxes. 

Miriam Giraffe said: ‘Do you know what was a culture shock moment when I moved to London that I was not prepared for and nobody warned me about, the foxes.

‘I don’t think I’d seen a fox in real life let alone heard one before moving to London.

I’m always surprised at how big they are. And the thing I found most shocking is the noise that they make.’ 

Others have described London as ‘fox city’ and a ‘hotspot’ for the creatures. 

But some feel sympathy for the ‘dog-like’ animals, who seem desperate for shelter.  

A video of a particularly bold fox roaming through Soho in broad daylight sparked concerns from commenters that it may be sick. 

One said: ‘He seems so scared someone help him now.’

Another added: ‘Ah bless he’s all skittish and frightened… how the hell did he get that far into London streets.’ 

So while electric fences are a drastic way to ward of the furry animals, experts recommend ignoring them and the problem will go away.