"Ecologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that carnivores living near people can get more than half of their diets from human food sources, a major lifestyle disruption that could put North America's carnivore-dominated ecosystems at risk. The researchers studied the diets of seven predator species across the Great Lakes region of the U.S. They gathered bone and fur samples for chemical analysis from areas as remote as national parks to major metropolitan regions like Albany, New York. They found that the closer carnivores lived to cities and farms, the more human food they ate.

While evolution has shaped these species to compete for different resources, their newfound reliance on a common food source could put them in conflict with one another. That conflict could be reordering the relationship between different carnivores and between predators and prey, with an unknown but likely detrimental impact on ecosystems that evolved under significant influence of strong predators...

How much human food they ate varied considerably by location. On average, more than 25 percent of the carnivores' diets came from human sources in the most human-altered habitats...

Pauli and Manlick found that relying on human food sources increased how much carnivores overlapped one another in their competition for food. Compared to when these predators vie for distinct prey, this increased competition could lead to more conflicts between animals. Their reliance on human food could also make the carnivores vulnerable to human attacks near towns, or even change how and when they hunt traditional prey, with potentially harmful ecological consequences.

The researchers studied the diets of almost 700 carnivores, including red and gray foxes, fishers, and American martens. They gathered bone and fur samples from Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with the help of state and federal researchers and citizen-science trappers. The researchers compared the carnivores' diets to the extent of human development in the region, which varied from essentially pristine wilderness to urban sprawl...

Human foods, heavy in corn and sugar, lend them distinctive carbon signatures. In contrast, the diets of prey species in the wild confer their own carbon signatures. The ratio of these two isotope fingerprints in a predator's bone can tell scientists what proportion of their diet came from human sources, either directly or from their prey that ate human food first.

The geographic extent of the study and the large number of species the ecologists examined demonstrate that the trend of human food subsidies in carnivore diets is not limited to a single location or species. The ultimate outcome of such widespread disruptions remains unclear.

"When you change the landscape so dramatically in terms of one of the most important attributes of a species—their food—that has unknown consequences for the overall community structure," says Pauli. "And so I think the onus is now on us as ecologists and conservation biologists to begin to understand these novel ecosystems and begin to predict who are the winners and who are the losers."

phys.org

Ecologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that carnivores living near people can get more than half of their diets from human food sources, a major lifestyle disruption that could put North America's carnivore-dominated ecosystems at risk. The researchers studied the diets of seven predator species across the Great Lakes region of the U.S. They gathered bone and fur samples for chemical analysis from areas as remote as national parks to major metropolitan regions like Albany, New York. They found that the closer carnivores lived to cities and farms, the more human food they ate.

I would recommend anyone interested in the topic, read the following publication also;

https://fliphtml5.com/ljay/apty/basic/51-75

And to quote the Black Foxes UK website;

"Ensuring the animals’ needs are put first should be every wildlife enthusiast’s priority.

Red foxes (vulpes vulpes) face many threats to their survival in the UK, including habitat loss, climate change, hunting, traffic and disease. The decline of birds, insects, mammals, reptiles and amphibians over the past few decades, will also have had an impact on the variety of food sources available to foxes and people are rightly concerned about how this decline may be impacting them. It is important to remember that fox populations are self regulating and there is no indication they require management, despite the loss of biodiversity. The adaptability of the fox has it well equipped to survive alongside man.

Foxes have been thriving in our shadows and consuming human food waste for over 42,000 years. As an elusive but regular visitor to our gardens, it is understandable people want to support foxes, sharing their insights and experiences with these fascinating animals through social media. However, it is important it is done responsibly, for the best interest of the fox.

As stated perfectly by National Geographic:

“Modern society’s disconnect from nature presents its own threat, one of a culture of indifference. We lead virtual lives, plugged into devices instead of the outdoors... Wildlife photography has the power to turn people on to the wonder of nature. It’s an essential tool to inspire the desire to protect wildlife and spark real change. Photos can go viral on social media in mere minutes, bringing much-needed attention to wildlife in the throes of crisis. At the same time, social media throws together those who seek to visually capture nature in honest, careful ways with those who take shortcuts at the expense of the subject, intent only on more likes and followers...

Three Basic Principles to Remember

1. Do No Harm

• Do not seek or reinforce a foxes attention or interaction.

• Take special care at breeding season.

• Know the signs of stress and overconfidence in foxes.

• Ensure a heightened level of awareness of your impact on your subject(s).

In short, “do no harm” means allowing foxes to hunt, eat and rest in comfort as they would naturally, without feeling threatened or imposed upon - however much they may invite it. Breeding season requires special care. Avoid actions that might habituate cubs to humans or that might result in driving parents away from the den. Do not purposefully teach foxes, especially mothers and cubs, to beg for food from humans.

Continuously observe animal behavior and realize when there is a need to back off or walk away. Reading up in advance and being educated about fox behavior is the best means people have to recognize what might be considered as an unethical imposition.

© Xeppo

2. Keep Them Wild Be cautious about feeding foxes: Overfeeding may reduce wild hunting behaviours and can cause frustration to neighbours with the caching of excess supplies. More caching in gardens may result in more contact with cat faeces and the toxoplasmosis parasite. On top of this, highly processed foods are a well known contributory factor for disease in humans and an unnecessary burden we do not wish to impose on wildlife deliberately.

Avoid habituating foxes or making them dependent: Healthy wild foxes do not need our interference or our companionship. They are opportunists and will take food if it is offered, but they are perfectly capable of finding food on their own. Never feed a wild fox by hand or inside your home. That perfect photograph is not worth a fox’s life

. Honor their wildness and allow them some space and privacy: What foxes lack is the space and time to be foxes. You can provide a means for them to stay safe from human activities by building and planting a decent wildlife habitat in your garden. Support their natural ability to provide for themselves, you won't be disappointed!

Be neither friend nor foe: For wild foxes, humans are a predator. We need them to maintain healthy boundaries away from people if we wish to avoid increasing human-wildlife conflict. Foxes should not be actively approaching you, eating from your hand or entering your home. Please keep a respectful distance. If a wild fox is seemingly tame or is seeking out human contact:

• it may be an escaped exotic pet (vulpes fulva),

• it is being fed in a way that has reduced its fear of man,

• it has been rehabilitated and released incorrectly,

• or it may be sick (it does not necessarily need to ‘look sick’).

If a fox is approaching people, these things must be considered and the cause addressed. Illness or injury must be ruled out first. Contact a wildlife charity for more information if you are concerned about a fox.

© Scott Walsh

3. Feed Responsibly Is feeding the animal likely to change its behavior in harmful ways? When encouraging foxes for photographic opportunities with food lures, make sure you are not feeding in an area where foxes are unwelcome, hunted or controlled. As feeding foxes will habituate them to humans and make them an easy target. Or they may become too bold in approaching people for food, which might lead neighbours, councils and local landowners to capture and humanely euthanize the animal.

Is the food appropriate and safely provided? Foxes are primarily carnivores (meaning they consume meat) and are nocturnal (meaning they hunt at night), but can be more accurately described as crepuscular mesocarnivores (hunting at dusk and dawn, with a diet that consists of 50-70% meat), eating a wide variety of foods, including;

• Rodents, Rabbits & other Small Mammals

• Birds & Eggs

• Amphibians & Small lizards

• Insects & Invertebrates

• Berries, Fruits & Vegetables (a valued seasonal treat)

• Grains, Nuts, Shoots & Seeds

• Human & Pet Food Waste

• Commercial Wildlife Diets

While foxes do eat a variety of foods, it is important to remember that they have an ecological role to play and that their digestion and physiology is primarily geared towards the digestion of insects and small ground dwelling prey species. Bear in mind that inappropriate diets and food presentation can also contribute to poor health and promote disease.

Support wildlife in its ability to support itself and plant native. Planting for biodiversity is a great way to encourage not only foxes, but a whole array of wildlife to your garden. For more information on planting for biodiversity, see our links section below. Scatter feeding is a great way to feed several individuals and species at once and allows the observer a greater opportunity to witness natural behaviours. Scatter feeding initiates the 'seeking circuit' mentality within the brain, driving the animal to hunt, play with, then eat it's food. During the activation of this brain circuit, dopamine is released, which heightens their arousal and triggers a feeling of happy anticipation, which is rewarded by finding and eating the found food. It is important when scatter feeding that food is provided in chopped up, limited amounts, as to not defeat the point and to limit the risk of disease. Only scatter feed in areas where natural behaviours are welcome.

How much food is too much? We know from studies into fox diets that up to 18% of an urban foxes diet can consist of human food waste (considerably less for country foxes). We also know that foxes weigh around 4-8kg on average and that they need around 120 calories/kg of bodyweight/day for maintenance in a thermoneutral environment.

Foxes also consume a weight of about 400g daily, meaning that a single urban fox will eat approximately 70g of human food waste throughout a single day and then will cache the rest (we don't want caching). So we can infer from this, that if a fox is being fed <70g of appropriate foods every 2-3 days, it is unlikely to be making them dependent on you or impacting on their health and behaviour in any meaningful way.

An example of a 70g treat bag, from Lily's Kitchen (approximately 270 cal/bag) can be found, here. Or an example of a formulated wild fox diet can be found, here. More on fox nutritional needs can be found, here."

www.blackfoxes.co.uk