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European red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Introduced for hunting in the 1850s, the fox now ranges across most of mainland Australia, preying on lambs, poultry and small native animals.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, mammal.

Native to: Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, SA, WA, NT.

Best time to act: Baiting is most effective before lambing and when young foxes disperse in autumn.

Identification

  • Dog-like animal with a pointed muzzle, large upright ears and a long bushy tail, often white-tipped.
  • Rusty red coat with white throat and black lower legs.
  • Tracks are narrower than a dog's.

Where it lives

Most habitats except the tropical north, including farmland, forest and suburbs.

Why it matters

  • Predation on lambs, kids and poultry.
  • Major threat to ground-nesting birds, small mammals and turtles.
  • Spreads weeds such as blackberry and boxthorn.

How it spreads

  • Disperses widely after weaning in autumn.

Control methods

  • Coordinated baiting with 1080 or PAPP baits by authorised persons, following label and state requirements.
  • Shooting, trapping and den fumigation by trained operators.
  • Guardian animals and fencing for livestock.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Keep food scraps and carcasses secure at camps and depots.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): Key threatening process. Listed under the EPBC Act, with a national threat abatement plan for predation by the European red fox.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 3, 4, 5, 6. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment; do not move it; do not keep it; do not feed it. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Prohibited dealing (wild animals). Wild or feral animals must not be kept, moved or released, other than for lawful pest control. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Established pest animal. Landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its spread and, as far as possible, eradicate it on their land.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1, C3). C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. C3 Management: landholders must manage it to reduce its impact and stop it spreading.
  • Tasmania: Declared pest. It is a declared pest under the Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas). Report sightings to Biosecurity Tasmania and follow any management requirements.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Northern Territory: Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 (NT), administered by NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

Sources