How did foxes come to Australia?
Red foxes were brought to Australia by European settlers for recreational hunting, with successful releases in Victoria in the 1870s. They spread rapidly and now threaten many native animals.
Within a few decades, foxes had spread across most of southern and central Australia, helped by the spread of rabbits, which provided an abundant food source. Today they are found on most of the mainland except the tropical north.
Foxes prey on small and medium-sized native mammals, ground-nesting birds and turtle eggs. Along with feral cats, they are blamed for the extinction or decline of many species, such as bettongs, bandicoots and numbats.
Fox control
The main control method is baiting with 1080, a poison derived from a compound found naturally in some Australian plants. Many native animals in Western Australia have evolved tolerance to it.
Western Australia's Western Shield program has baited millions of hectares since 1996, helping several species recover.
Tasmania has no established fox population, thanks to a long eradication effort.
Did You Know?
Guardian dogs, such as Maremmas, protect penguin colonies from foxes at Warrnambool's Middle Island.