Bird flu in foxes prompts calls for a major rethink of how cities tackle the pest

The discovery of bird flu in foxes on Australia's mainland has prompted calls for a major rethink of how the country manages the pest, especially in cities.

Authorities first detected H5 in a red fox in metropolitan Adelaide in late August. Victoria later confirmed that a fox found dead at Torquay, south-west of Melbourne, had also died from bird flu. Officials are not concerned that foxes will spread the disease directly, but say the animals could move infected carcasses, particularly in urban areas.

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Cities are just forests of food for a fox.

Australia has an estimated 1.7 million foxes, with densities in urban zones reaching three times those in other areas. Some Melbourne suburbs have between 16 and 23 foxes per square kilometre. Lisette Mill, a vertebrate pest controller and biodiversity surveyor, said she was not surprised that the disease had crossed into foxes so close to a major city.

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A rethink moment for the whole of Australia.

"Cities are just forests of food for a fox," Mill said, pointing to rubbish bins, compost bins and pet food in backyards. She described the discovery as "a rethink moment for the whole of Australia" and said city residents, not only farmers, needed to take part in biosecurity efforts.

Mill advised residents to clear food sources from yards, secure waste bins and prevent foxes from coming into contact with chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits. Sick or injured foxes may approach houses and sheds because they seek food that is easier to reach. Foxes can also carry diseases such as mange. Overseas outbreaks have shown that cats and dogs can contract H5 bird flu, usually through contact with sick or dead birds.

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Nobody who values their dogs, or farm working dogs, wants to see any of them impacted by this horrible disease, or any of the others that foxes carry.