Mouse damage in forests: Fox hunting is no solution

Forest owners are advised to encourage carnivores such as foxes to settle in order to protect valuable forest stocks.

Editorial team Wild beim Wild — 11 October 2023

Wood mice cause damage to young trees

In the areas damaged by climate change, young forests are increasingly re-establishing themselves.

This attracts wood mice, which cause damage. Forestry experts recommend regular inspections of forests. At high population levels, short-tailed voles in forests can become a problem, gnawing the bark of young deciduous trees.

Foxes as natural mouse hunters

Mouse feeding damage is often a death sentence for young deciduous trees in particular

To prevent mouse damage in broadleaf woodland plantations, preventive biological measures can be taken, such as encouraging birds of prey, constructing passages for foxes, and using flap openings in plantation fences.

The IG Wild beim Wild calls on decision-makers to stop fox hunting as the most effective measure. Studies show that foxes eat around 30 kilograms of mice per year, equivalent to approximately 3’000 to 5’000 mice. Hobby hunters, however, pursue these animals relentlessly, regarding them as living targets or as competitors.

100’000 foxes killed in five years

Over the past five years, militant hobby hunters in Switzerland killed around 100’000 foxes. Yet more and more scientists are calling for a rethink. There is no reason to hunt foxes, either from a wildlife biology or a public health perspective. Switzerland has been free of terrestrial rabies for decades. Alveolar echinococcosis is one of the rarest parasitic diseases in Europe.

That is why the government of Luxembourg already introduced a ban on fox hunting established. The conclusion after eight years: no problems. Fox populations regulate themselves based on social structures, food availability, weather conditions, and disease.