Mite disease threatens foxes in Danish isle

Mites that cause mange, a skin disease that leads to prolonged death, are attacking foxes and could take a heavy toll on their numbers.

Mites that cause mange, a skin disease that leads to prolonged death, are attacking foxes on the island of Zealand and could take a heavy toll on their numbers, according to the Copenhagen Post.

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The mite embeds itself into the skin of the animal, leading to irritation. It causes the fox to scratch itself and after a few months, most of the fox's hair is gone and the fox is covered in sores similar to third degree burns.

The fox's weakened condition makes it difficult to find food. Eventually, the fox dies of hunger or exposure.

Experts expect the sickness to take a heavy toll on the number of foxes on Zealand, but not to wipe them out entirely.

For a fox, mange is naturally occurring. But on the densely populated island of Zealand, the island where Copenhagen is located, the mite is more likely to be transferred between the animals.

The sickness wiped out foxes on the island of Bornholm in the 1980s, but in the more wide-open region of Jutland, foxes thrive in spite of the mite.

"A fox on Zealand could become a rare sight, but the population should manage," said Hans-Henrik Christensen, director of Denmark's Forest and Nature Agency.