Foxes

Carroll, Jeannette. __foxy2.jpg__. spring 2001. Pics4Learning. 3 Jun 2007 http://pics.tech4learning.com

The European red fox was introduced into Australia in the mid-1800s for hunting. They can now be found in the wild over most parts of Australia and have become a huge pest. They prey mostly on newborn lambs, so they a big problem for sheep farmers. They also prey on young goats and poultry. But it's not just the farmers that are effected. We as Australians are all effected because foxes kill smalll native animals, so we all lose. Species such as the greater bilby (Australia's own 'Easter Bunny') and birds that nest in the ground, even reptiles, are vulnerable to foxes. Fencing, poison baits, trapping and shooting are some of the control measures governments and farmers have put into place in the past in an effort to reducing the imapct of this introduced pest.