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Foxes damaging pond liner

johnwithaquestion

16 years ago

Two years ago my wife and I successfully constructed a garden wildlife pond and have enjoyed it ever since. It has been a wonderful attractor of birds and other wildlife including dragonflies, damselflies and other insects which in turn have attracted bats.

This winter the friendly neighbourhood foxes decided it would be great fun to check out what is under the surface of the water. The result is that they have ripped the pond liner with either their teeth or paws. The rips in the fabric have also resulted in the water level dropping to below the damaged area which obviously is in the shallow area. Has anyone any experience of repairing such a mess? The pond liner is of a standard heavy polythene type. Any help would be much appreciated.

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Comments (2)

big_kid
16 years ago
Hi Johnwithaquestion!

What rotten luck that the local foxes have found a new game to play! I've managed to cat/fox proof my garden to keep claws away from my pond, but not all gardens are walled/fenced off like mine. I used pond netting which is strong from Wilkinsons and it's worked for me.

The ponders on this site haven't woken from their winter slumbers yet, so maybe someone else will be able to help you more, but here's my tip from five years ago. (Perhaps there is something new on the market and it might be worth chatting up your friendly neighbourhood aquatic centre for advice.) Also you could try the American part of this site, if you haven't done so already. The great thing about these sites is the way people muck in to help fellow ponders in distress!

Did you manage to save any bits of pond liner when you built your pond? In pond shops you can buy strips of sticky tape that you strip the backing off. It's double-sided stuff, so you place it over the hole, then put a patch of liner over this. Obviously you'd have to lower the level of the water more, then thoroughly dry the area before applying. The bigger the patch, the better, I guess. I believe they use this tape when people need to join edges of liner to make really big ponds. I had to use this tape before I'd even built my pond! I had cycled back from the aquatic centre with the liner rolled up in my rucksack but, as I got off my bike and leaned over, it fell out and damaged a section where it was folded. It could only happen to me! Luckily, the damage was nearer the top of the liner and, after repairing with the tape, it's still going strong almost five years down the line. (Oh dear, I do hope I haven't just tempted fate!!!!!!!!!!

Mine is a wildlife pond of approximately 9' x 8' and I absolutely love it and so do all the birds in my garden.

Good luck!
Big Kid
dampflippers
16 years ago
Hi John.
I was going to suggest the tape too. If not, you might need to replace the full liner.
To stop it happening in future, you need some sort of protective layer over the top of the liner within reach of the edge: rocks, pebbles,or I have seen some gravel edging which might be good. It comes on a roll (various widths) and is quite expensive. It is a thick piece of bytyl, with gravel set into the surface to give the look of a gravel beach.
I've tried to find it online with no success, but I have seen it in several garden centres.
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