A new study by Bournemouth University and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has found that foxes in the New Forest are consuming large quantities of human food waste, which is likely to be keeping their numbers artificially high.
The research estimates that of those foxes removed over the course of a year by wildlife managers, the proportion being sustained by human food waste could be as high as 65%.
During the two-year study, scientists analysed the stomach content of 447 foxes, which showed that, on average, 14% of their diet was made up of anthropogenic, or human, food sources. Their diet also included small mammals, plants, invertebrates, birds, rabbits, hares, reptiles, and 23% unknown material, which could contain even more human-derived sustenance.
The findings, published in the journal Mammal Research, suggest that reducing food waste and better refuse management could help manage the local fox population, easing predation pressure on threatened wild birds. Nest predation and poor chick survival is primarily responsible for low breeding success of waders in the New Forest National Park including curlew, lapwing, oystercatcher, and ringed plover, all species of conservation concern that have declined by 24 to 48% nationally since 1995, according to data from the British Trust for Ornithology's Breeding Bird Survey.
Nathan Williams, a PhD student at Bournemouth University and lead author of the study, said:
“We found a wide range of human food items in fox stomachs and the remnants of plastic bin bags. Human food was more likely to be found in fox stomachs that were sampled close to built-up areas and the amount detected was consistent throughout the year, not just during the holiday seasons.
"This is likely to be a result of food waste being left unsecured by the outdated waste disposal system, and possibly people deliberately feeding foxes. The study also suggests that food waste is likely to be sustaining greater numbers of foxes than the countryside would do otherwise.”
Forestry England Keepers in the New Forest assisted the study with records of their predator control activities and providing culled animals for diet analysis.
Forestry England Head of Wildlife Management Andy Page said: “We are happy to be aiding scientific research which helps our understanding of prey and predator relationships, particularly with regard to species that are in severe decline nationally. Hopefully this will enable targeted and sustainable efforts to improve populations of threatened species. This recent work is highlighting that we can all play a part in maintaining the New Forest as a special place for wildlife.”
Head of predation management research at GWCT Mike Short highlighted the wider ramifications of the study. He said:
“This important research has implications not just for the New Forest but the whole of the UK and elsewhere where anthropogenic food sources are helping to fuel common, generalist predators, like foxes and carrion crows.
“Lethal control of predators is controversial and costly, but often it is the only viable option of reducing predation pressure on breeding waders.
“Predator management has contributed to a seven-fold increase in curlew productivity, with at least 17 curlew chicks fledging in 2024. However, given the financial cost and ethical implications of delivering effective predator control, it is imperative that we address the underlying cause of locally high fox densities, including the issue of food waste.
“It is important that people understand that by wasting food and making it available to scavengers, we are indirectly bolstering fox populations, and this has a negative impact on breeding wading birds. It also means that more foxes are having to be culled clearing up the ecological mess created by humans. Now is the time to put sustainability at the top of our national wildlife recovery agenda.”
On a positive note, the study suggests that by cutting down food waste in general, and switching from plastic bin bags to fox-proof wheelie bins, local communities could make a difference. Rather than the use of secure bins, household waste disposal in the New Forest involves plastic bags placed on the edge of properties, potentially providing easier access to organic rubbish. Plans to introduce wheelie bins to the New Forest area as of 2025 have been announced and could have a beneficial impact on conservation.
