The social behaviour of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the Brussels-Capital Region is complex; the social relationships these foxes form amongst themselves (intraspecific sociality amongst conspecifics) and with humans (interspecific sociality) indicate the existence of ‘social groups’ within this species, which is still widely regarded as solitary. These groups do not correspond to the model traditionally presented in the scientific literature (a dominant breeding pair tolerating subordinate ‘helpers’ from previous litters within their territory) but exhibit more nuanced and complex social structures, sometimes comparable to those observed in large packs of grey wolves (Canis lupus). In line with observations in primatology, highly affiliative social behaviours—which appear to ensure the relational stability of the groups—have been identified (social play, grooming, non-reproductive sexuality and soothing).

The findings also help to gauge the significance of the locations and interactions between humans and foxes within which these relational networks are formed. By shedding light on feeding practices and the effects arising from neighbourhood tensions and conflicts, they demonstrate that the social lives of foxes are inextricably linked to those of the humans with whom they coexist, and that this coexistence predates the ‘urban fox phenomenon’ of the 1980s by a considerable margin.

With a double Master’s degree in French and Romance Languages and Literatures and in Environmental Science and Management, Chloé Namias Vanden Berghe’s PhD thesis in Social Sciences focuses on red foxes in a densely urban environment: the Brussels-Capital Region. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, her research draws on anthropology and ethology and proposes new perspectives and methods for the study of animals, paving the way for what might be termed ‘animal social sciences’.

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