Do Foxes Attack Humans?

Foxes are famous for being cunning, clever, and sly animals. They are opportunistic predators who eat whatever they can find. Foxes often visit your garden but should that worry you? Do foxes attack humans or will they leave you well alone?

No, foxes do not attack humans often. Foxes won’t attack you unless they feel threatened or are being captured or cornered. Foxes near their dens are hostile as they’re protecting their kits. 

Foxes are generally calm animals and often run away when they see you as they’re more scared of people than people are scared of them.

Foxes only attack when they feel threatened or if you corner or capture them. If you’re close to a fox den, the fox would be hostile as its family is in it. Rabid foxes, which are rare, can attack people as well as an injured or sick fox. 

What to do If a Fox Approaches You?

The most common type of fox is the red fox. You’ve probably seen these foxes in your neighborhood as they’re very common. Foxes are commonly found in the wilderness and wooded areas, but many can be found in urban and suburban areas.

They like these areas as they find a lot of food where people live. Being omnivores, they can eat various foods and have a very diverse diet. 

If a fox approaches you, don’t be scared, and it’s best to leave it alone. Avoid sudden movements that could scare off the fox. Don’t make the fox feel threatened or accidentally corner it as it could make the fox hostile towards you. 

The main reason you will come across a fox is that the fox may have only come near your home searching for food. Foxes are omnivores and like to eat almost anything. If a fox hasn’t found enough food near its den or on its usual hunting grounds, then the fox might visit the closest house to find any leftovers left in the trash can or some rodents in your yard.

Foxes are also known to steal eggs from chickens and other birds, so if you have a chicken coop in your yard, keep an eye on it as a fox may try to climb your fence and steal your chicken’s eggs by sneaking into their coops. 

Foxes are agile, athletic animals and can easily climb high surfaces like walls, fences, and trees to get what they want. As foxes eat various things, a fox may climb your fence specifically to reach any tree that has a bird’s nest or squirrels in your yard.

If you want to avoid contact with foxes entirely then put high enough fences and good security measures around your yard especially if you have small pets like cats or small dogs, a garden with fruits, chicken coops, or trees in your yard to keep away the foxes from ruining your yard and attacking your animals.

Foxes generally stay away from people, and if a fox is approaching you, it’s only doing that in hopes of finding nearby or in your yard or garden. 

Don’t approach the fox if it’s near you or try to feed it, especially by hand. This will not only further invite the fox to visit your yard, but foxes are also known to have fleas or diseases like rabies or scabies that can get you very sick if a fox bites you. 

If a fox gets accidentally stuck somewhere, it can’t escape, then be calm and distance yourself from it as the fox may get hostile as it’s scared and cornered and will feel threatened. Stay silent and allow the fox to escape calmly by opening a route for it. 

How Often Do Foxes Attack Humans?

Foxes are calm animals and are scared of humans, so they avoid them and won’t attack people without any reason. They may only get hostile if they’re injured, sick, or feel threatened, cornered, or captured.

Most food that the foxes eat is found near their dens or on their hunting grounds, and if food is scarce there, then they will visit your yard to salvage trash or eat your garden’s fruits or any small livestock you have in your yard, such as chickens.

Most fox attacks are only due to these reasons where a fox invades someone’s home and accidentally cornered itself and bit you trying to escape. They can attack small dogs or cats when they’re cornered or threatened, but overall, fox attacks are rare.

Summary 

Foxes are generally considered as cute, calm animals, but they’re also famous for being sly, clever predators who kill and take more food than they can eat to use for later. But, do foxes attack humans or not? Fortunately not!

Fox attacks are rare and only happen when the animal feels threatened or if you approach their den when they’re looking after their kits.