Posted By Alan Haynes Interesting 'article' from Leicester Council on foxes. You may find it useful and informative http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=6400

Posted By Heathrow The problem is that staff are in close proximity to these creatures - they are hand feeding them ! All the infor i can find says this will never happen so theres no risk !

Posted By Alan Haynes Dundee Council say "...........although fox faeces are very smelly, they pose little disease risk. Foxes are prone to many of the same diseases and parasites as domestic dogs, including the roundworm Toxocara canis, the larvae of which can cause blindness in children. However, the chances of catching this from foxes are remote, and so far there are no known cases of children catching toxocariasis from foxes." I suggest you try to stop the foxes being fed.

Posted By graeme12345 I you could (but because you now know you cannot)I would leave them to carry on feeding them until they were bitten, it would be a good example for them of risk assessment. Plus foxes are breeding at this time of year

Posted By Rob T How about you DON'T consider culling (nice way of saying kill them) them (and no I'm not a lefty, veggie, tree hugging, Guardian reading hunt saboteur as most regulars will know! Quite the opposite but I just don't like needless cruelty). Why don't you phone the "Fox Project"or similar, who will humanely relocate the foxes to a better environment. By the way - if some of those feeders are giving meat on cooked bones, then they are putting the foxes at risk as the bones become fragile and will shatter in their mouths causing severe injuries. Just thought that was worth pointing out!

Posted By Bob Thompson CMIOSH email me directly i have some information. Bob

Posted By Geoff Parkinson You can't (and shouldn't) relocate foxes from the town to the wild. It is irresponsible and they'll probably starve to death. Rummaging in a bin is not the same as hunting! Heathrow,I'll drop you an e-mail re. 'options'.

Posted By Geoff Parkinson Rob, if you really want to know, I kill (a word you seem to think we avoid) dozens of foxes a year as part of various control programmes. These may be on farm land, or urban areas. Many Councils use such services. Culling - which actually has a definition, and isn't a mask to avoid using the 'K' word - is an effective way of managing the UK fox population. Often foxes that are trapped are subsequently destroyed. The idea is to solve the problem, not just move it. 'Heathrow' asked a question about fox control. He has a number of options, one of which is to have them culled. Offering to put him in contact with such a service does not make me a bad person. Stopping feeding won't fix the issue. For every emotive subject, there are two very different camps. One side will say 'kill 'em all', the other wants to 'save them all'. Living on a farm, I have first hand experience of foxes that have been 'relocated' into the wild. Their natural hunting skills don't exist, so they scavenge bins and kill lambs which are easy prey. I know you're thinking how does a farmer know the difference. Well, urban foxes are very different looking creatures. They often have bad fur, poor quality brush etc and are readily identifiable to the trained eye. Please review this media link http://archive.burnleyci...uk/2001/3/10/689077.html I can't help but feel the 'fluffy bunny brigade' have hijacked a perfectly reasonable H&S professional's request for help and advice. To prevent the thread degenerating, I am happy to continue this offline. My e mail address is above. Heathrow, I'll send you details dirctly by e-mail.

Posted By Martin J Morley I don't see the need to kill any foxes. A purely practical response to the matter of culling/killing is that if foxes have found the area to be inviting, their removal will only leave a void to be filled by new arrivals or growing offspring. Only making the environment unrewarding stands a significant chance of success. martin morley

Posted By GeoffB4 Quote: Anyway, all I was saying was that the killing option should be an absolute last resort not a first! You said a lot more than that Rob T, but I'm pleased Geoff Parkinson responded in a more mature way.

Posted By Pete48 When all is said and done, foxes are wild animals. The human intervention of your staff is not helping these animals in any way. Perhaps taking that approach and as has been said, make sure there are no temptations for them in your area of control would be the best natural way to solve this matter. If you have never lived and worked with or amongst wild animals in their natural habitat, it can be difficult not to impact their lives by applying human values to their existence. Just think about that almost uncontrollable urge to cuddle that snow tiger? It wont do either of you any good at all.