Chooks, pets, wildlife killed as foxes prowl northern suburbs

Fox populations in Brisbane’s north and westside have exploded because of months of rain. Residents say pets, chickens and wildlife are being massacred.

A boom in fox numbers in Brisbane’s north and westside has sparked a huge increase in attacks on wildlife and family pets.

Foxes were now being regularly sighted in Mitchelton, Enoggera, Bradbury Park, Kedron, Gordon Park and Stafford Heights on the northside and from Samford to Pullenvale and Mt Crosby in the westside.

Mitchelton’s Terita Parkes said she woke to a “traumatic scene of carnage” last week when she found six of her chickens dead inside their locked and fenced coop.

“We checked everywhere, but there were no holes dug or obvious points of entry,” Ms Parkes said.

“The following night, my husband directed the security camera at the pen.

“Sure enough, around 3am it captured a fox lurking around the coop.

“It had obviously come back for its food.

Terita Parkes’ chickens were attacked and killed last week.

“We have had chickens for 12 years but won’t be getting them again after (this)”.

Juliet Frazer also reported seeing a fox crossing a busy road in Everton Hills with a dead possum in its mouth, while others have taken to social media to report sightings and attacks.

Pest management expert Peter Lincoln said there were always some foxes around Brisbane.

“But with the good seasons, plenty of rain, debris along the creeks and fallen trees, there are more than usual,” he said.

Only last week he saw a fox carrying a dead chicken early in the morning at Kedron.

Property owners along Kedron Brook have reported seeing foxes in their backyards for many years.

European red foxes are nocturnal and rest during the day in hollow trees, logs or dense undergrowth.

Mr Lincoln said they were known to travel up to 10-15km in a single night.

Possums are frequent victims of urban foxes. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“We’ve trapped seven foxes at a property in the northwest whose owner didn’t even know they were there,” he said.

Brisbane City council has received 377 reports about foxes so far this year, a 12 per cent increase on last year.

“While a lot of people have only ever seen foxes as characters in children’s books, the reality is they’re actually in our suburbs and are a real pest” City Standards chairwoman Kim Marx said.

Foxes numbers are on the rise due to several good seasons.

“The best way to stop a sneaky fox having a pet for dinner is to have a fox-proof pen”.

She said foxes could also spread diseases, including some affecting people.

Council’s fox management included monitoring, public education, trapping and other help for residents.