Conservation & Ecology


European or Red Fox


Victims or vermin?


What is it about the fox that splits opinion? Are they cute or cunning; deceitful or adorable; victim or vermin? Peter Britton delves into the lifestyle of the European or Red Fox to discover more about ‘Sly Old Reynardine’


W 114 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016


hen Fairport Convention updated the traditional folk song Reynardine for inclusion on their iconic, late sixties album Liege & Lief,


they, perhaps unwittingly, promoted the much held view that foxes (renard being the French for fox) were sly, cunning, evil and deceitful. Reynardine was a human who took the form of a fox to lure unsuspecting women to his den. Yet, in literature and films, the red fox


(Vulpes vulpes) is often regarded as one of the good guys; Disney’s Robin Hood and Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox for example. But even dear old Walt couldn’t quite decide as he created and cast the Fox Brothers as the bad guys in his animated film Pinocchio from 1940 - yes, it really is that old! More


recently, The Gruffalo has portrayed the fox as not being of sound character. And it is this indecision about their


character that splits opinion, but not, as some might think, right down the middle. In a recent survey on urban foxes, close to 66% said they were more than happy to have them in their area; 25% had no strong opinion, whilst the remainder would prefer to see them culled, or at least controlled. In rural areas, especially amongst the


farming community and landowners, the split is more equal. It was only in 2005 (2002 in Scotland) that fox hunting was banned and, ever since then, there have been calls from some quarters for it to be reinstated on the grounds of the animal’s verminous nature. But can the fox really be classed as vermin, or is it simply a victim of propaganda?


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