The fox in Australia

The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is native to North America, Europe and Asia. It is a medium sized (3-7 kg) scavenger and predator and belongs to the dog-like group of mammals known as the canidae. This group includes domestic dogs, wolves, jackals, and numerous other species, many of which are endangered (see http://www.canids.org/).

The red fox was introduced deliberately to Australia in around 1871 and now occupies the lower three quarters of the continent (Figure 1). The first introductions are believed to have occurred near Geelong, Victoria.

The spread of the fox is well-documented. By 1910 it had reached Queensland, and by 1911 it had reached Western Australia. By the 1930s foxes were being reported from as far as Broome and Cairns (Figure 2). The rapid spread of the fox was facilitated by the concurrent introduction of the rabbit (Oryctolagus cunniculus), which quickly spread and grew to vast numbers - thus providing a ready prey source for the fox.

The fox is one of the most damaging of Australia’s pests. It was recently estimated to cost Australia $227 million dollars each year in stock and biodiversity losses.

More effective fox control via genetic mapping of management units

A long-standing goal of land managers is to find the most efficient and cost-effective way to control foxes. One of the key questions is - at what scale should control (such as baiting) take place so that controlled areas are not immediately re-invaded by foxes from surrounding regions?

A key to this is to determine how far foxes move. The problem is that measuring dispersal in foxes is very difficult. Techniques like radio-tracking require a lot of effort for a small amount of very detailed information. Also, foxes show quite different movement behaviours in different landscapes, so results can’t be generalised across studies.

New DNA-based methods can provide excellent information on fox dispersal and population structure across continental scales, while requiring much less effort than other techniques. They work by measuring how the relatedness of foxes decreases with their distance apart.

In this project we are attempting to generate a genetic map of foxes throughout Australia. It will allow us to identify precisely the relevant scale at which fox control should take place, region-by-region, state-wide. The use of such ‘biologically meaningful’ management units is similar in concept to catchment-based management, which has been widely embraced as the most effective method for water resource management. Similar "genetic mapping" projects conducted on feral pigs in south-western Australia, and feral rats inhabiting islands, have been highly effective.

The aims of this project are ambitious, and will require extensive collaboration with members of the public and government agencies. We would welcome your participation! You can find out how to become part of the project here.

More details about the history of the fox invasion into Australia is provided on the www.feral.org.au website.  There is also an excellent new website with information on foxes worldwide.  See www.thefoxwebsite.org/.

South Australian fox by Joe Tompkins

Figure 1. The approximate distribution of foxes in Australia (taken from Saunders et al 1995).

Figure 2. The spread of the feral fox in Australia (taken from Saunders et al. 1995).