Apology

 It seems that Blogger is having problems again. All posts are in the same font and text size but every time Blogger moves its server around it messes things up.

Hopefully all still readable.

GIGANTIC HIGH CONTENT WOLFDOG - Should you have one?

The Mystery Canid of Nomansland

I have used this image every so often so I ought to explain (for those who never bought a copy of the Red Paper 2022 vol. I Canidae) something about it.

 

It was forwarded to me by Richard Muirhead as he thought it might interest me. He had photographed the taxidermy while in a pub in Nomansland and in case you are thinking the name is a joke: Nomansland is a small village in the civil parish of Landford, in Wiltshire, England, close to the county border with Hampshire. It lies about 3.5 miles southeast of Redlynch and 10 miles southeast of the city of Salisbury.

See?

Anyway, Richard could not remember which public house the taxidermy was in, however, there is a reason I was interested in this one. You will note no black "tear stain" on the muzzle and it looks rather unlike the New British fox (V. vulpes). The area in Wiltshire is bang smack in the middle of some very well reported on jackal hunts in the 19th century -newspapers and journals. The question was whether this might be one of the jackals that escaped the hunt? 

There were other questions such as year of the animal's death and location which are both very important. In fact there was another question which arose based on my colleague LM's study of Old British fox taxidermies and colouration/patterns in fur and that was whether this was an Old type fox?

I have tried contacting every public house in the area but pubs close, get new owners (who don't want some "horrid old stuffed fox" in their pub) and so on. I tried from 2000 up to last year just in case there was a chance that some antique dealer had purchased the item. Nothing.

A date, location and full body photo would have told us a lot but there are times when you have to just give up and this is one -dropping it after 25 doesn't make me a negligent researcher...does it?

If anyone is in that area of Wiltshire reads this and has this taxidermy or any photos/information on it please get in touch.

Il n'existe qu'UNE SEULE étude sur les renards au Royaume-Uni/.Es gibt nur EINE britische Fuchsstudie/There Is Only ONE UK Fox Study

 

Yes, I run the British Fox and Wild Canids Study (f 1976) and it is the only organisation in the UK working permanently on (specifically) Fox history, welfare and conservation.

I run and do most of the workj with occasional research volunteers. Why not more people involved?

There is absolutely no funding for such a study in the UK where species, even supposedly protected ones, are considered expendable and an annoyance to developers.

I bankrupted myself carrying out this work but what has been learnt was forgotten. Lost. I would very much like to do more such as DNA testing on Old Fox and Old wild cat species -those hunting drive into extinction in the mid 18th century- but no funding makes this difficult.

Do others with an interest in fox species (in other countries) find no real interest?

Ja, ich leite die British Fox and Wild Canids Study (gegr. 1976), die einzige Organisation in Großbritannien, die sich dauerhaft mit der Geschichte, dem Wohlergehen und dem Schutz von Füchsen befasst.

Ich leite die Studie und erledige den Großteil der Arbeit, gelegentlich unterstützt von ehrenamtlichen Forschern. Warum engagieren sich nicht mehr Menschen?

In Großbritannien gibt es keinerlei Fördermittel für solche Studien. Arten, selbst vermeintlich geschützte, gelten dort als entbehrlich und als Ärgernis für Bauherren.

Ich habe mich durch diese Arbeit ruiniert, doch die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse sind in Vergessenheit geraten. Verloren. Ich würde sehr gerne weitere Studien durchführen, beispielsweise DNA-Tests an alten Fuchs- und Wildkatzenarten – jenen, die Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts durch die Jagd ausgerottet wurden –, aber die fehlende Finanzierung macht dies unmöglich.

Finden andere, die sich für Fuchsarten interessieren (in anderen Ländern), ebenfalls wenig Unterstützung?

Oui, je dirige l'Étude britannique sur le renard et les canidés sauvages (fondée en 1976), la seule organisation au Royaume-Uni qui travaille en permanence sur l'histoire, le bien-être et la conservation du renard.

Je dirige l'organisation et effectue la majeure partie du travail, avec l'aide ponctuelle de bénévoles chercheurs. Pourquoi ne pas impliquer davantage de personnes ?

Au Royaume-Uni, ce type d'étude ne bénéficie d'aucun financement. Les espèces, même celles censées être protégées, y sont considérées comme superflues et gênantes pour les promoteurs immobiliers.

J'ai ruiné ce travail, et les connaissances acquises ont été oubliées. Perdues. J'aimerais beaucoup approfondir la question, notamment en réalisant des tests ADN sur les anciennes espèces de renards et de chats sauvages – celles qui ont disparu à cause de la chasse au milieu du XVIIIe siècle – mais l'absence de financement rend cela difficile.

D'autres personnes s'intéressant aux espèces de renards (dans d'autres pays) ne constatent-elles aucun intérêt réel ?

It's The Wolf! (or the Jackal)

 

This first report is interesting. If you have read The Red Paper 2022: Canidae then you would have read of the well documented cases of wolves being encountered in the early 20th century. A "very large white animal" seen bounding off is nothing new and we have documented wolf cases from Wales, the North of England and even some areas of SE England.

The form of attack is consistent with a canid.

North Wales Weekly News - Thursday 13 January 1949

*********************************************

Here is another seeming canid attacking sheep and during the early 1900s there were a number of well documented jackal cases -for which there is photographic record.

Illustrated Police Budget - Saturday 30 December 1905 Note how they dismiss one of the well documented 1904 jackal cases as "a dog". At times the Press almost act like they were covering up in local areas -wonder for whom?

We know, because it is well documented, that hunts had members trying to breed the "perfect" hunt canid. Attempts to cross jackals with foxes, jackals with wolves and wolf-coyote/wolf-jackal. It was all about getting an animal with the stamina for a long chase as well as one that would "put up a good show at the end" (fight back when cornered by hounds).

Escapes from travelling menageries and even private (static) menageries were not unusual. Big estates had their private collections. Animals getting too large and wild to keep were very likely dumped. Again, hunts released jackals and even set up dens for wolves to provide "better sport" -all fully documented.

The one thing that I have learnt from the work between 1976 to date is that for centuries wild canids (of various types) as well as large cats have lived and bred in the British countryside and the fascinating thing is that even when perfectly describing a black leopard the witness and others report it as a "Hell"/"Devil" hound of local lore-in one case it 'was' the spirit that escaped from a coffin that was dropped head first -hence the spirit escaping and being seen as a 'black hound'!

Equally fascinating is that none of these animals has had a negative impact on "native" wildlife and there have certainly never been any attacks on humans in the wild.

So I Was Right? I'll accept that Honorary Phd now!

  I have to admit that after 30 odd years (research notes first published in   ) of being called all sorts of names because of my research findings on (just) wild cats it is nice to see that the "professionals" are catching up and providing even more solid evidence for my 40+ years of wild cat research.

Yet these people will not even accept the offer of free copies of my research work to solidify what they are finding.

On with life.

Over 300 Foxes Is UNACCEPTABLE

 

We are currently at a 26 pages long fox death register for 2025 and 351 foxes. These are only the reported ones and based on previous years the actual death number is likely twice that.

BCC sits on its ass as more wildlife dies on City roads due to speeding and other factors.

Sorry, what was BCC environment Policy -wait until it's all dead then don't bother?