Foxes behind brake cable vandalism

Animal experts have warned motorists that fox cubs have developed a taste for brake fluid which could dangerously affect the performance of their cars. A couple discovered the problem when they took their car to a mechanic after noticing “small bits of debris” on the ground under the spot where they park their car. The driver said: “The brake pad warning light came on when we next started up and the local garage cited fox damage.”

The mechanics then remembered a spate of similar problems being reported to them and the damaged parts were sent off to wildlife experts, who found teeth marks similar to those made by a juvenile fox. The driver added that the experts warned “they like the taste of brake fluid and know how to find it”. It is not the first such series of incidents.

A year ago, Kent Police investigated when several motorists said their cars had suffered damaged brake pipes and cables. Professor Stephen Harris, an environmental scientist Bristol University, who studies urban foxes and helped in Kent, said at the time: “They love chewing things. They also love lying under cars, particularly on cold nights. What could be better than resting out of harm's way, next to a large lump of warm metal and playfully passing the time by gnawing on the nearest piece of plastic or rubber?

“I told the police they were almost certainly looking for a young fox, under a year old, which was simply playing the games he had learnt as a cub.” Experts believe the behaviour could be a result of the habits of vixens, which often bring old leather gloves or discarded rubber boots back to the den for her cubs to chew on. Others speculate that foxes enjoy the slightly sweet flavour of brake fluid, a phenomenon which has been reported among stone martens in mainland Europe.