The Fox in Belgium: Habits, Tracks and What to Do If You Spot One?

A red shape darting across the cycle path in the evening, a bushy tail disappearing behind a hedge, a loud scream on a cold winter night. The fox is everywhere in Belgium, in the forest, in the countryside and increasingly in the heart of the city. Yet we rarely get a good look at it. Pull on your Ember Trail Hoodie, with a fox in an autumn forest, and learn all about this clever animal: how it lives, how you recognise its tracks and what to do when you come across one.

How Do You Recognise a Fox?

• Colour: reddish-brown on the back, light on the belly and throat.
• Tail: long and bushy, often with a white tip.
• Ears: pointed, with black backs.
• Size: the body is about 60 to 75 cm long, with a tail of roughly 40 cm.
• Weight: usually 5 to 8 kg. A fox is therefore much lighter than it looks.
• Speed: a fox can run up to 60 km per hour.

How Does a Fox Live?

A Family With a Territory

A fox defends its territory all year round. In the countryside that can be several hectares. In the city it can be much smaller, especially where foxes find food. A family consists of a dominant female, the vixen, and a male, the dog fox. Sometimes sisters or daughters are allowed to stay with the family.

Screams in the Winter Night

The mating season falls in winter and early spring. At night you can then hear the loud howling and barking of foxes. Anyone hearing it for the first time is often startled: it sounds almost like a human screaming.

The Young

In spring, between March and May, 4 to 6 cubs are born. In June and July you are most likely to see the young foxes playing near their earth. At the end of summer they set off to find a territory of their own. That is a dangerous period, mainly because of traffic.

Lifespan

In the wild a fox can live to around 10 years old, but most foxes do not live past 3 years.

What Does a Fox Eat?

A fox is a true opportunist: it eats whatever it finds.

• Mice and rats are its favourites. A fox also clears away weak and sick animals.
• In addition: rabbits, birds, eggs, insects, beetles, earthworms and slugs.
• In summer and autumn it also eats fallen fruit, blackberries and bilberries.
• In the city it finds food in rubbish, compost heaps and cat food.

A fox is mainly active at night, just like the owl on the Night Watch Sweatshirt, which sees everything the night hides.

Urban Foxes

The fox has fully returned to our cities.

• In Brussels the first foxes were seen in the early 1980s, around the Sonian Forest. Between 2001 and 2017 they were recorded in 82% of the entire city, right up to the Grand-Place. Most live in the south-east, for example in Watermael-Boitsfort and Auderghem.
• In Ghent the fox has lived around the city centre for years.
• In Flanders the fox is once again found everywhere after a long absence.

Urban foxes are generally healthy and shy. They do not spontaneously attack people.

How Do You Recognise Fox Tracks?

• Paw print: narrower than that of a dog and more teardrop-shaped. The tracks often lie neatly in a straight line.
• Droppings: often twisted and pointed at one end, sometimes white from bone remains.
• Earth: a burrow with an entrance of about 25 to 30 cm, usually taller than it is wide, with a long, flat sand heap in front of it.

Tracks are best looked for on a muddy forest path or after a snowfall. There you will often find them among fallen leaves, such as on the forest floor of the Forest Floor T-shirt.

Is a Fox Dangerous?

No, not to humans. Attacks are very rare. Even so, a fox remains a wild animal, which you should treat with respect.

Rabies

Rabies has not been found in wild animals in Belgium since 2001.

Sarcoptic Mange

In 2025 there were increasing reports of foxes with sarcoptic mange in Brussels and the Flemish fringe. You recognise it by bald patches, hair loss on the tail and a fox that rubs itself against trees. The risk to humans is very small. Dogs can catch it, but it can be treated by the vet. Do not approach a sick fox.

Fox Tapeworm

The fox tapeworm is a parasite that can also infect humans through fox droppings. In Belgium it occurs mainly in the south, with most infected foxes in the Ardennes. In Flanders it is very rare, and it has not been demonstrated in urban foxes in Brussels. In 2019 Sciensano recorded 10 new human cases, all in Wallonia.

To reduce the risk:

• Wash your hands after walking, gardening or contact with animals.
• Wash or cook anything you pick in the wild, such as berries or mushrooms. Also read our article on mushroom hunting in Belgium.
• Freezing does not help: the eggs survive it.
• Wear gloves when gardening and do not touch fox droppings.

Foxes and the Law

• In Brussels the fox is strictly protected: you may not kill, catch, move or disturb it. Hunting foxes has been banned there since 1991.
• In Flanders foxes may be hunted under certain conditions. In 2025, according to the INBO, 11,780 foxes were shot. Poison, snares and traps are always prohibited.
• Catching a fox and releasing it elsewhere does not work: an empty territory is quickly taken over by another fox.

How to Protect Your Chickens

A fox that gets into a chicken coop often kills all the chickens. Natuur en Bos gives these tips:

• A high fence: at least 180 cm high, or 120 cm with an electric wire.
• Fine mesh: mesh size of at most 3 cm (chicken wire at most 4 cm), with wire of at least 1.5 mm.
• Bury it: dig the mesh in or lay a hard floor, so the fox cannot dig under it.
• Top edge outwards: bend the top edge 30 degrees outwards and remove shrubs that could serve as a springboard.
• A lockable night shelter with a solid floor, possibly with an automatic door.

Did you still suffer damage? Report it to Natuur en Bos within 14 calendar days.

A Fox in Your Garden?

A fox in your garden is usually not a problem. Most complaints concern rubbish, an earth under the terrace or garden shed, droppings or noise.

• Do not feed the fox. Fed foxes become lazy, their territories shrink and there are more foxes.
• Keep your rubbish and compost heap well closed.
• Do not leave cat food outside.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a fox dangerous to humans?

No. Foxes are shy and do not spontaneously attack people. Never touch a fox or its droppings, and do not approach a sick fox.

Why do foxes scream at night?

In winter and early spring it is mating season. Foxes then call loudly to each other, with howling and barking that sometimes sounds like a screaming human.

How do I protect my chickens from foxes?

With a fence of at least 180 cm (or 120 cm with electric wire), fine mesh that you bury, and a lockable night shelter.

For Anyone Who Has Ever Met a Fox

A fox that stands still for a moment and looks you straight in the eye before it disappears into the dark: you never forget a moment like that. Discover all our animal designs in the Wildlife collection, such as the Ember Trail Sweatshirt with a fox on a path full of autumn leaves, or the Pack North T-shirt with a pack of wolves in the snow. Shipping is free across the EU from €45 (otherwise €4.99).