J. Delcourt, B. Brochier, D. Delvaux, D. Vangeluwe, and P. Poncin (2022)
Fox Vulpes vulpes population trends in Western Europe during and after the eradication of rabies
Mammal Review, 52((3)).
1. Over several decades, Western Europe experienced an outbreak of sylvatic
rabies, eliminated through an EU programme involving large-scale
red fox
vaccination campaigns. While much work has been done on the dynamics
of the virus and on the efficiency of vaccination campaigns, very little attention
has been paid to the impact on the large-scale
dynamics of the fox
population.
2. As Western Europe has now been free of rabies for about 15–20
years, the
aims of this review are to characterise the impact of rabies during the outbreak
itself and to increase understanding of how fox populations evolved
thereafter. The rabies-free
populations in the UK are also integrated as a
comparative control.
3. Trends in fox populations are based on a review of available data, mainly
hunting statistics and a few other methods. The benefits and biases of these
methods are also discussed.
4. During the rabies epizootic, fox populations experienced a significant decline
and stabilised at lower densities than observed in the past. A demographic
explosion followed the vaccination campaigns, and fox populations became
larger than had been observed before the epizootic. Rabies vaccination was
not the direct cause of this demographic explosion, as rabies-free
areas experienced
it also. The causes are more to be sought in environmental modifications
induced by humans.
5. This demographic explosion was followed by the emergence of urban fox
populations throughout Europe. Moreover, the new higher densities favoured
the outbreak of other diseases, though their impact was more limited. Around
the 2000s, rural fox populations appeared to reach densities close to carrying
capacity and populations stabilised. However, subsequently, with some exceptions, Western European fox populations seem to be experiencing a
decline. The ecological consequences of these changes in fox population density
may reach the many prey species and competitors of the red fox.
Demographic explosion, post-rabies, population trends, rabies, rabies vaccination,, red fox Vulpes vulpes, urban fox, Western, Europe
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