Urban foxes booming in London as numbers quadruple nationwide

  • London

Urban foxes are booming in London as numbers quadruple nationwide, a new study shows.

Some 3,890 of the animals were spotted in London - the biggest population in the UK - amid a total figure of 150,000 nationwide.

A fox at Kew Gardens in London. Credit: PA

But Bournmouth was top of the list for density, with 23 per squared kilometre.

But this was closely followed by London which has 18 per squared kilometre.

Researchers also tagged foxes with transmitters and used them to monitor group sizes and their territories.

Biologist Dawn Scott, of Brighton University, and zoologist Phil Baker from Reading University, asked the public to report fox sightings in July and August from 2013-15.

An urban fox in north London garden. Credit: PA

While urban fox numbers are rocketing, the animal has declined in the UK overall, suggesting rural animals are declining, according to a report in the Sunday Times (£).