Numbers game
The GWCT announced the results of some fascinating research [http://bit.ly/foxresearch] recently, which reveals how effective fox control can be when it’s done properly. The study analysed data from 22 shooting estates, and used computer modelling to reconstruct the processes that affect fox numbers, such as the production of cubs, and foxes moving in from other areas.
It’s telling that all 22 gamekeepers achieved reduced fox numbers at the vital time when ground-nesting birds are most vulnerable to predation. The average was around one-half of what fox numbers would be without control – and some diligent keepers had got their fox populations almost down to zero.
It’s good to have proper evidence that proves what keepers and fox shooters know full well from practical experience, and that nails the antis’ lie that there’s no point killing a fox because another one will just move in to fill the vacant territory.
