Chickens beheaded by foxes in Caulfield East

Foxes have beheaded a Caulfield East woman’s pet chickens in a brazen daytime massacre — the second attack in a year. It comes as dozens of people have reported an influx of the pests in the area, but eradicating them is easier said than done.

The aftermath of the fox slaughter of Rose Agnew’s chickens. Picture: Sarah Matray

Increased fox sightings around Melbourne and a rise in chickens being slaughtered in daylight attacks have sparked renewed pleas for a pest cull.

Rose Agnew, of Caulfield East, is leading the call for action after her chickens were massacred at 3pm on January 15 in her backyard — the second attack in just a year.

Ms Agnew said the sly creatures were becoming more bold in recent months, often prowling around her neighbourhood during the day.

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Dozens of residents have reported increased fox numbers in East Bentleigh, Carnegie, Elsternwick, Murrumbeena, McKinnon, St Kilda, Port Melbourne, Brighton, Malvern, South Yarra, and Glen Huntly and another chicken attack in Ormond.

But Ms Agnew said neither the council or State Government were taking responsibility for the issue, and had passed her off to a private pest controller to deal with the spike.

“Nobody is assuming any responsibility but there needs to be some sort of management instead of just pretending it’s not happening,” she said.

“(Foxes) are a terrible problem and if they’re killing chickens, they must be affecting wildlife, too.”

Ms Agnew said the most recent attack was particularly gruesome, with some of her chickens decapitated.

“All the chickens were dead and it was absolute carnage, it is horrific … and I’m not sure what to do about getting more chickens now,” she said.

Agriculture Victoria is responsible for managing red foxes, and encouraged people in suburban areas experiencing problems to fumigate and remove fox dens, put up exclusion fencing, remove food scraps, pet food and animal carcasses, and consider getting a guard dog.

Glen Eira Council planning and place director Ron Torres said in the past 12 months, council officers had only received a handful of calls about foxes — and the responsibility fell on homeowners.

Rose Agnew is calling for the council or government to take responsibility for out-of-control foxes in inner Melbourne areas. Picture: Sarah Matray

Mr Torres said the majority of sightings occurred around Bambra Rd, North Rd and Grange Rd where there was older and dilapidated housing, as well as the Frankston and Dandenong railway lines. But sightings had dropped since level crossing works.

“It is best to involve an expert capable of eradicating the problem,” Mr Torres said.

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning spokeswoman Tori McLennon said they undertook fox population control on public land that it managed, including baiting in state forests.

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