Evaluation of neophobia and its potential impact upon predator control techniques: A study on two sympatric foxes in southern Patagonia

► We evaluated the existence of neophobia in two sympatric Patagonian fox species. ► Neophobia was evaluated through the response of foxes to a novel object (a traffic cone) in the wild. ► Both species showed a neophobic response in the presence of the novel object. ► The removal of the novel object increased exploratory behaviour in foxes.