Rising numbers of neighbourhood fox sightings on lower north shore streets.

Published On: August 7, 2024

There has been a recent spike in fox sightings on the lower north shore.

By ANNA USHER

On Monday night, Cremorne resident Ben Taylor was heading up Murdoch St at 9:30 pm when he saw something unusual moving through the bushes.

Much to his surprise, the 26-year-old had come face to face with a mature fox.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he told Mosman Collective, “I had no idea foxes lived on our local streets.”

It’s thought that household rubbish and domestic pets (like chickens) are attracting foxes in urban areas. Image: Supplied.

Mr Taylor said the animal, with its distinctive bushy tail, appeared in good health and was unphased by human attention.

“I watched it for five minutes as it wandered around, no doubt searching for food,” he said.

Davy McGill is another local who recounts a recent encounter with a fox in Neutral Bay, seen wandering near the Grosvenor St car park on July 1.

“He was a right healthy-looking thing – I wish I could have got a photo, but I was kind of shocked,” he said.

This fox was photographed on Balmoral Oval.

A fox standing at the rear of a Mosman property.

Architect Karina Kerr captured some incredible video of another local fox, this time in Earle St, Cammeray, as she drove home from her early morning fitness class.

“It was 6:45 am when I saw a fox just cruising down the street,” she told Mosman Collective.

“I had to stop and get a video; otherwise my husband would have never believed me.

“We all know they exist in more rural parts of Sydney, but it’s crazy to think they are in built-up areas on the lower north shore.”

WATCH: A fox cruises a local street in the early hours of the morning.

The European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was introduced to Australia in the mid-19th century. A medium-sized predator, they are a highly successful invasive pest species, occupying almost 80% of the nation.

Pest ecologist Graham Wilson from the Greater Sydney Local Land Services recently told the ABC that foxes thrive in urban areas.

“Urban foxes are at least two or three times the density of foxes in agricultural and rural landscapes,” he said.

This grainy image, taken of a fox in Neutral Bay, left the photographer astounded.

The monitoring website Fox Scan shows the heaviest concentrations of reports over the past year were in Sydney and Melbourne, with the most significant numbers recorded in Bayview, Kellyville, Blakehurst, Greystanes and Warragamba.

Dense clusters of sightings were also recorded in Campbelltown, Collaroy, Cammeray and Roseville.

WATCH: Resident Ben Taylor filmed this fox on Murdoch St, Cremorne.

With foxes now living on 80% of the Australian mainland, local councils are trying to control them.

North Sydney Council has confirmed with Mosman Collective they have received “unusual” reports of fox sightings over the past few months.

“Council does not formally monitor fox populations, but we have received a few unusual reports of foxes that are active in the daytime and seem unperturbed by people,” a spokesperson said.

“When we receive these reports, we record the sightings on FoxScan, a mapping tool run by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.”

A fox, sighted near Gore Hill cemetery.

The same fox, leaving the car park area.

The next fox baiting program in North Sydney LGA is planned for October 14 – November 1 in Badangi, Balls Head and Berry Island reserves.

“Dog owners must keep their dogs out of these reserves during the baiting period and for four weeks afterwards (until 29 November), as the fox baits used are highly toxic to dogs, but not native animals,” the spokesperson said.