The Fox Problem: Australia's Plan to Protect Its Native Animals

Every day, foxes kill more than a million native animals across Australia. The European red fox is not originally from Australia — people brought it there long ago, and it has been causing harm ever since. Now, scientists and the government have drafted a new national plan to protect Australia's most at-risk wildlife from fox predation. The plan would be the country's first major update on the issue in nearly 20 years.

Sarah Legge is a professor at Charles Darwin University who helped write the new plan. She says foxes are 'one of the most impactful threats' for native mammals in Australia. The country has lost around 40 mammal species to extinction — more than any other nation in the world. Legge says foxes and feral cats are the main cause of those losses.

Scientists estimate there are about 1.7 million foxes living across Australia right now. They are found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. Studies show that foxes kill about 367 million native mammals, 111 million birds, and 88 million reptiles every year. They also kill countless frogs and small invertebrates.

The new draft plan admits that foxes cannot be completely wiped out because there are simply too many of them. However, it outlines steps to protect the animals most in danger. One key idea is to create more safe havens — places like fox-free islands and fenced zones where predators cannot get in. The plan also calls for better teamwork between state and federal governments.

Twelve animal species have been identified as being in serious danger from foxes. These include the Gilbert's potoroo, the eastern quoll, the eastern barred bandicoot, and several types of bettongs and wallabies. Seven species of freshwater turtles are also on the list. Researchers warn that without urgent action, all of these animals could face extinction.

Rob Brewster works for the Invasive Species Council as a rewilding manager. He is happy with the bold, 30-year goal of the plan but warns it needs real money behind it. 'If there's no dedicated funding streams, then this plan will not work,' he says. Right now, Australia spends only about $5 million to $7 million a year on fox control.

The environment department estimates that fully carrying out the plan would cost about $175 million over the first five years. That works out to around $35 million per year. Foxes are thought to cause about $190 million in damage to Australian nature every year, so the plan would actually pay for itself in environmental benefits. That makes a strong case for the government to invest in it.

Bronwyn Hradsky is an ecologist at the University of Melbourne. She says that once you start controlling fox populations, you have to keep going — it is a long-term commitment. She believes some of Australia's amazing native species only still exist because of fox and cat control done so far. 'A plan like this that pulls it all together, and aims higher and further, is really valuable,' she says.

Matthew Rees, a scientist at the CSIRO, agrees that getting rid of all foxes on the mainland is not realistic. But he says it is possible to reduce the harm they cause. Fox control has mostly relied on poison baiting in the past, but the new plan also looks at indirect methods that can be cheaper and easier to manage. These include protecting habitat and helping native animals survive alongside some level of fox pressure.

Brewster warns that many people find foxes cute and have grown used to seeing them in cities and suburbs. He worries people are forgetting about native wildlife because they rarely see it anymore. 'It's really scary because people are falling in love with the only thing they're seeing,' he says. The goal of the plan is to make sure Australia's unique animals are still around for future generations to enjoy.