Cull urban foxes if numbers are out of control, says former minister "All wildlife needs managing full stop," Sir Jim said. As human beings, we have to recognise that the environment in which wildlife lives is managed by people and that means that when populations of any wildlife get excessive, then they have to be controlled. Each authority must estimate what the problem is in its own area, if indeed it is a problem. But if there [are] excessive numbers then they should cull them. Asked whether people are too "squeamish" about the idea of culling some of the UK's 33,000 foxes, Sir Jim, who lost his ministerial post in David Cameron's last reshuffle, said: "Yes I do. Frankly you get elected to public positions to sometimes take difficult decisions. That doesn't always mean doing what the public want. Denny underwent emergency surgery after his finger was ripped off by the fox at his family's home in Downham, near Bromley, which lies in the London borough of Lewisham. Doctors at the Evelina Children's Hospital re-attached his finger during a four-hour operation, but there are fears he will lose full use of his hand. The baby, who was left covered in blood, needed stitches to his cheek and treatment for injuries to his face and head, including a black eye where the animal had hit him against a door frame. Mr Cawley, 38, who lives near Eltham, south east London, said he believed the fox had been attracted by the baby's scent. It then "hissed" at Denny's mother, Hayley Banks Cawley, 28, as she ran in to the room screaming, he said. "He had teeth marks in his head," Mr Cawley said. I think the fox tried to bite his head but when it didn't fit he bit Denny's hand. Hayley heard his screams and then a thud as the fox pulled Denny off the sofa. If it hadn't been for her quick actions, who knows what would have happened. We think the fox must have smelled Denny as I don't think he'd have seen him from the garden. He's recovering well, though there's not much chance he'll get the feeling back in his ring finger on his left hand where the fox bit him. Mr Johnson has said that "foxes are a growing menace" and has not ruled out demanding that London council leaders embark on a cull. Andrew Boff, the leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly, said: "It is cruel to animals not to manage their populations." Wildlife experts warned that foxes should not be mistaken for "cuddly," friendly pets. Lewisham council, which owns the home at which the attack took place, was derided for suggesting they were simply playful creatures.