Reader letter: Foxes pose no risk to health and council should use them to clean the bins

I wish to take issue with an article printed last week '˜Foxes are posing a health risk'.

This piece is totally misleading in my view and is nothing short of scaremongering. The statement foxes are a health risk is totally ludicrous.

All creatures can carry parasites, including humans - head lice, worms, scabies etc, so why the necessity to malign foxes?

As for the rise in population of urban foxes, if humans had not taken most of their natural habitat, then they would not have to move into towns to seek food.

In my opinion, they do a great job, clearing up the detritus left by people.

As for “cleaning our dustbins”, that is hilarious, seeing as the council has decreased the household rubbish collection to once a fortnight, therefore causing an increase in fly tipping, as the householder struggles to cope with the ever-increasing amounts of household waste.

It might be in the council’s best interest to employ the foxes to collect up and eat all the discarded Greggs’ pasties that so often litter the streets surrounding the shopping precincts, not to mention copious amounts of discarded takeaway food.

Our wildlife is under enough threat from the illegal hunting fraternity, plus traffic fatalities, without a stupid article like the one mentioned above.

Urban foxes are very welcome on my garden. They have strong family units and it is not unusual to see an “aunt” minding the cubs while the mother has a rest and finds food. So instead of scaremongering, take the time to study the fox, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you see.

Alison Ellis

By email

Related topics: