News: August 2004

An elderly resident of Edinburgh recently reported being bitten by a fox in her garden.

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is an increasingly familiar animal in urban areas. Many people welcome them as visitors to their gardens, but others are rather less keen. There have been a number of reported incidents in Edinburgh recently of red foxes attacking domestic pets and now an elderly woman was reportedly bitten by one in her garden. It has been speculated that the animals have become more aggressive because of a shortage of food caused by a switch from black bin bags to wheelie bins by the local council.

Attacks on humans by foxes are virtually unheard of and this is the first record of such an incident in Edinburgh.

Jane Bradley. 2004. Pensioner attacked by fox in her back garden. Viewed on the web at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1016862004 on August 31st 2004.