A Plague of Foxes.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XV, Issue 230, 22 November 1912, Page 4

A Plague of Foxes.

o - AU STKALI AN P ASTOK A LISTS ACTIVE. Foxes are becoming a serious menace in Australia (says our Sydney correspondent). They were introduced into Victoria some 20 years ago for hunting purposes, and now are tc be found practically throughout AusL ki j! :r ravages have become so serious amongst poultry and lambs that organised fox hunts are frequent, and expert shots are making much money by killing them. A recent hunt on a New South Wales run resulted in the killing of 400 foxes. Most of the native Australian animals, with the exception of the dingo, which is now a raritf, are harmless creatures, and are easily kept in check. The fox is a different proposition. It has speed, endurance, and much cunning, and in Australia has a new environment peculiarly suited to its development. The female has at least three or four pups twice a year, so.that the pest is something to he concerned about. Rewards are offered for the scalps of foxes, but they will not keep the number down. There is too much cover for the animals and too much easy food. It only needs the introduction of stoats and weasels as well to carry the experiments which we are now paying for to the unbearable point.