Factors Affecting the Movements of Dog Foxes in Edinburgh

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Abstract
Young dog foxes (15) were radio-tracked through a variety of urban habitats in the City of Edinburgh to obtain information for fox control in the event of a rabies outbreak. Dog fox ranges varied between 42 ha and 4.6 km2 in an area where the size of the breeding territories of vixens was estimated as 1.5 km2. The largest ranges were found in Jan. and Feb., and the smallest in late spring and summer. Individual foxes showed distinct patterns of seasonal variation in range size and activity. Fox ranges were larger in areas where they had access to used and disused railway tracks. Juvenile and adult foxes showed dispersal movements of between 1.4 and 17.5 km, mainly along railway tracks. Juveniles dispersed in Oct. and Nov., but older dogs made long distance movements in Feb. and July. The results are discussed in relation to the problems of urban fox control, the mechanism of rabies transmission in fox populations and the social stratification of dog foxes.

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