There WILL Be A UK Wildlife Mass Extinction in the 2030s.

Here we go with a dogma article (I'm sure Ms La researched it best way possible...online sources). You will note that no mention of the (old) number of badgers killed in culls -250,000 (we know it is more like 300,000) which has, along with cars, 'fun shooters', illegal killing by farmers and sett destruction, pushed badgers to where they now face extinction by the 2030s -they are already extinct in certain areas.

Oh, and we have lost around 60% of our fox population and the decline is continuing. But, "Ugh!" badgers and foxes -right? Earth.Org article:

7 of the Most Endangered Species in the UK in 2023

by Olivia LaFeb 2nd 2023

 https://earth.org/endangered-species-in-the-uk/

A recent study by London’s Natural History Museum found that Britain has lost nearly half of its biodiversity since the Industrial Revolution, a number far below the global average of 75%. Rampant human activities and land development have caused widespread habitat loss and degradation in the country, with experts warning that this continued rate of biodiversity loss will lead to an irreversible ecological meltdown and crisis, threatening the future of global food security. To date, at least a quarter of native mammals in Britain are at risk of extinction and more species will likely follow as humanity continues to degrade the environment and as the planet warms. These are just some of the most notable endangered species in the UK that are in dire need of protection. 

Endangered Species in the UK

1. Hedgehog

Despite its coat of prickly, sharp spines, the hedgehog has become widely popular; domesticated hedgehogs are now highly sought after as a household pet. In rural Britain however, the native species has been in sharp decline over the past 70 years. In 1950, estimates suggested there were about 36 million individuals in the wild, but that number plummeted to a mere one million in 2013. The largest declines are recorded in the eastern half of the country.

Climate change-induced temperature rises and overall warmer winters have impacted their hibernation patterns, resulting in the mammal struggling to forage for food. Urban and road development have limited their natural habitats, particularly across farmlands. Ongoing conservation efforts include increasing the legal protection of hedgehogs in the Wildlife and Countryside Act and encouraging more wildlife-friendly gardens in urban landscapes.

2. Red Squirrel

Once widespread and commonly found across the UK, the iconic red squirrel – with its signature russet brown fur and bushy tail – has since become a rare sighting as a result of invasive species and habitat fragmentation. The introduction of grey squirrels from North America in the early 20th century has devastated the population of the species. Grey squirrels are larger in size than its red counterparts, making them stronger competitors for foods like nuts and seeds. They’re also highly destructive; grey squirrels damage and strip tree barks, leaving trees vulnerable to disease and less habitat for red squirrels. The invasive species is also a carrier of the parapoxvirus, which is deadly to the red squirrel. Today, red squirrels are only found in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England with an estimated 140,000 individuals compared to several million grey squirrels across the UK. 

Response:  This is dogma and utter bilge. British Red squirrels were hunted to near extinction and then more imported from Europe to continue the 'shooting fun"! This is well documented IF you actually do any real research work and do not quote dogma. Red squirrels are still being killed on private estates as "vermin" and in forestry where they might devalue to trees that will be cut down for money. British Red squirrels as such became extinct in the 1860s and hunting records show how the imporeted Red were later killed in their hundreds -where do you think all the museum red squirrels come from?

3. Water Vole

This semi-aquatic rodent spends most of its day in rivers and streams, but digs burrows along riverbanks to rest at night, which helps maintain river ecosystems, as well as allow other animals and plants to thrive. Once found in almost every waterway in Scotland, England and Wales, water voles have seen a 94% drop in population within the past three decades and lost about 90% of its historic range, driving the species to the brink of extinction. The drastic population decline is attributed to the arrival and predation of the non-native American mink – for fur farming – and water pollution from industries. Though the mammal has three to four litters each year, it is not enough to keep pace with all the various threats to the species. However, UK conservation officials are taking measures to restore riverbanks, clean up waterways, and implement reintroduction programmes. 

Response: dogma again. Farming and other human activity started decreasing the population long before mink. Mink, like the Grey squirrel, badger and fox are noted for being "scapegoat species" -these are animals blamed for loss of wildlife species rather than humans accepting what THEY have done.

4. Beaver

It’s not all doom and gloom. Among this list of endangered species in the UK, the beaver has been on the road to recovery and slowly bouncing back from its status of being near extinction. Beavers are an important species as the dams they build for their homes double as a tool for filtering and cleaning water, thereby creating a healthy environment for richer biodiversity. But they were heavily hunted about 400 years ago for their prized pelt (and meat) in the fur trade. Coupled with water pollution, the semi aquatic mammal was all but extinct. Thanks to decades of conservation work and rewilding and reintroduction programmes in Devon and Scotland, beaver population numbers have been on the rise. 

Response: yes, correct. Hunting and killing for money as well as 'sport' and by land owners was responsible for beaver decline and they are STILL threatened.  Who polluted rivers? Oh, humans (I am sure someone will make a case for it being badgers).

5. Scottish Wildcat

With only about 115-315 individuals remaining in the wild, the Scottish Wildcat is one of the most critically endangered species in the UK. Twice the size of a domestic cat and much more ferocious, this feline species are mostly found today treading across the woodlands and pastures of the Scottish Highlands, hunting for small mammals, birds, invertebrates and even reptiles. 

Habitat loss from deforestation and animal trade have near decimated the Scottish wildcat population, but hybridisation has exacerbated the decline. When wildcats crossbreed with domestic (feral) cats, it dilutes the wildcat gene until it is completely wiped out. Some experts estimate that there are about 3,000 wild feral cats to every one purebred wildcat. To combat this, conservation organisations are working to neuter feral cats in the Scottish Highlands to help prevent crossbreeding.

Response: Here we go again. Quote from the quick answer internet. Wild cats were wiped out across the UK including Scotland officially by the 1860s.Humans hunted them, wiped them out then imported more from Europe to fill their shooting/'sport' land. Even in the 18th century it was declared that had feral domestic cats not been interbreeding with Old wild cats the species would have died out "Hundreds of years back" (1798).  Even the European wild cat on the Continent are likely 90% hybrids -I have written in my books and blog posts about this and it is all backed up by sources not some internet site.

6. Hazel Dormouse

This nocturnal golden-furred mammal is endemic to the UK but is now only found in Southern England, South Wales and along the English/Welsh border. The hazel dormouse is also an arboreal species, meaning they live primarily in trees, and feed mostly on fruits, nuts, tree flowers and insects. Due to deforestation and changing practices in woodland management, particularly in ancient woodland and hedgerows, the small rodent has lost significant habitats, becoming more isolated and vulnerable. Major habitat loss and fragmentations have resulted in a 75% population decrease over the last 25 years. Dormice are strictly protected by law and there are ongoing efforts to reintroduce to species in places they have been previously extinct. Though areas of suitable woodland habitat are scarce and long periods of supplementary feeding are required, organisations such as the People’s Trust for Endangered Species have successfully returned the hazel dormouse to 12 counties. 

Response: I have posted before that the UK, and particularly England, was once covered by huge forests and woodland areas which were destroyed by humans for profit and also 'sport' -driving wild animals out of cover to hunt. 

7. Grey Long-Eared Bat

As the name suggests, this particular bat species features ears nearly as long as its body and is incredibly rare in the UK – the country marks the northern edge of its range. It resides and hunts over grasslands, woodland edges for prey including moths, flies and small beetles at night. But urban development and land conservation for agricultural purposes have caused the grey long-eared bat to lose roosts – where bats rest – while traffic and artificial night lighting have increased the risk of vehicle collisions and impact hunting activities. Today, there are very few confirmed sightings of the species, including areas close to the coast in lowland areas of southern England and the Isle of Wight. They are also considered extinct in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. 

Response: She wrote it -"Humans did it"!

I need to add that there are birds at risk of becoming extinct such as the Turtle Dove (which the corrupt EU has now stated can be shot again)  -you can read more about birds "of concern" here 

https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/birds-conservation-concern

And then we have the reptiles and amphibians:

"approximately one-third of amphibian and reptile species are facing extinction risks, with 4 out of 13 species considered "Threatened". The most critically endangered is the northern pool frog, while the natterjack toad, sand lizard, and smooth snake are also at high risk. Many other species, like the common toad and adder, are also experiencing population declines and are classified as "Near Threatened" or "Vulnerable". "

Read more here:

https://www.arc-trust.org/news/extinction-risk-defined-for-britains-amphibians-and-reptiles

"Many insect species in the UK are facing extinction due to habitat loss, pollution, and other environmental changes. Over 80% of UK butterfly species have declined since the 1970s, and half are now threatened or near-threatened. Additionally, a significant number of bee and hoverfly species have become less widespread since 1980. "

Plenty of articles online but you can start here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31440646

Fish extinction? Read more here:

https://www.hull.ac.uk/work-with-us/more/media-centre/news/2023/action-needed-to-avoid-risk-of-extinction-for-seven-species-of-fish-in-britain-according-to-university-of-hull-research

There is more; much much more and while people sit back with their "someone ought to deal with this -I'm a bit busy" the corrupt politicians only see wildlife as photo opps or for publicity as they also sit back, take the bribes and corrupt deals and watch Green sites and woodland bulldozed by developers who want the land because "it looks pretty here -nice place for houses!"

Once the bulldozers move in it is too late.  As it stands the 2030s will see UK mass extinctions similar to that of the 1860s and in both cases humans are the cause.

Animal Road Deaths Official Response: "So, Let Them Die!"

 If you read this blog regularly you will be aware that since early last year, after promises by the Green Party in the Bristol City Council elections to treat wildlife and environment in the City as urgent matters they were elected then "did a Labour Party" -in other words everything they promised, including protecting Green sites, was null and void: they were in so sod off.

This blog has posts on the emails and documents I sent the relevant Green Councillors -all offered up the same excuses of "financial budget".  I hope they remember that when the wildlife death by car results in a human being killed and based on the size of some deer hit on roads that will happen.  

To try to get support or help in wildlife over/underpasses I tried the International Fund for Animal Welfare.  Their response after a month and two emails was to ask if I would like to donate to their causes.  So not interested.

Protect the Wild -nothing they can do, funding etc., etc. and then email after email asking me to donate.

The Green Party itself I had to send three emails to and remember the email outlined the "we don't want to do anything" response from THEIR Green City Council:

"Dear Terry, Thank you for getting in touch. Your request has been forwarded on to the relevant teams in Bristol, who will aim to get back to you as soon as possible. I have cc'd them to this email as well. If you have any further questions in the mean time, do let us know. Kind regards, Ayan Membership Team Green Party of England and Wales"

In other words they are sending it back to the Green City Council that does not care and is certainly not upholding the policies of the Green Party.

This has been a year of emailing and messaging while no one gives a damn about hundreds of deer, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and birds that are killed EVERY year. I have run out of real options because, truthfully, wildlife is only there to be used for publicity and making money. Saving the rapidly declining fox , badger and hedgehog populations is...not that interesting but I wonder what these people will say when in the 2030s all three species become either very rare or extinct?

After almost 50 years I can tell you that people paid more attention and did more pre 2000 than they have done in the last 25 years where we have seen warning after warning of looming, bird and mammal extinction and the best reaction is "Someone should do something (my pizza is getting cold)"

The Beast Of Faudiere -The Investigation Continues -Un cas pour nos amis français

 Since the 1970s I have blundered into one wild canid mystery after another. In some cases, such as Charles Forts mythical "killer canids of Cavan" -there was no such thing. The "Beast of Ennerdale" was another and so was the "Beast of Gevaudan" .

In the Cavan case it took over 30 years to get access to the records of the "Ennis Asylum" where 'victims' were sent. Charles Hoy Fort (who gave his name to the equally dubious "Forteana") was either a very bad researcher, added 'details' that were made up to spice a story up or a downright liar.  Yes, I have read the 1942 edition of The Books of Charles Fort so many times that I know their contents better than my own books!

The Beast of Gevaudan, Forteans and cryptozoologists will give you a number of explanations for and I have read and heard certain Forteans literally dribble over the "childe serial killer who was covering up his sexual crimes". I ought to point out that that particular explanation has absolutely no facts to back it up.  Communicating with French museums I eventually communicated with the curator of one who had produced a paper on the Beast and clearly identified it as a striped hyena.  Wolves were the "great enemy" in France and still are (see the Red Paper 2010 for a history of wolves and encounters in France -not included in the 2022 edition).

But researcher 18th and 19th centuries newspaper and journal archives I discovered many things -including a gorilla brought to England in 1801 (detailed in Some More Things Strange and Sinister).

Frederic Remington "Moonlight Wolf", C. 1909

One thing I discovered and gave details on in Strange and Mysterious Beasts were the number of cases of "Beast of ----" in France and how they may have linked to another incident in England in the late 19th century. As unbelievable as the solution to these various beasts is the evidence points to it being correct.

I may not (very unlikely I do have) another 30 years to dig into this particular case but if any French reader or researcher can help out with archive checking in France it would be appreciated.

It is a very brief item.  Almost unnoticeable if you scan through faded print too quickly:

 “A Letter from Nantes, dated July 19, says,

                    “Yesterday evening about eight o’clock, a wild
                    beast devoured two girls,one about twelve, and
                    the other seven years of age, the daughters of a
                    farmer in the Commune of Chevroliere.  The
                    animal immediately after took shelter in the fo-
                    rest of Faudiere.  It appeared to be larger than
                    a wolf, had a snout about a foot long, and a very
                    formidable set of teeth.”

The account has no thrills or high drama.  Everything is stated precisely.  I have heard the line "ill educated French peasants" used too many times to explain such incidents away.  Peasant or of "higher standing" -all knew what a wolf looked like and the assumption here is that we are only reading about a small part of the incident. The locals knew where the animal had taken shelter and had quite obviously seen it -they were able to state that it was bigger than a wolf and that it had a long snout with a "formidable set of teeth" -indicating that someone got close enough.

What is bigger than a wolf with a long snout and took the time to kill and (partially?) devour two young girls?  Believe me, I would like to say a starving or, maybe, rabies infected wolf.  I covered the history of French wolf accounts in The Red Paper (I) Canids. Again and again there are accounts of people being very familiar with wolves so to say a French person at this time would see a wolf and not be able to identify it is like saying someone sees a fox and is dumb-founded.

Having proven beyond any real doubt just what The Beast of Gevaudan and the Girt Dog of Ennerdale (read Some Things Strange And Sinister) had been, I tried long and hard to identify or even get additional information on a French case of 1800.  If any existing or would-be investigator of the mysterious  could come up with more than a non-French speaking / reading English idiot (me) could then I would give a big cheer.

I have now continuously searched the internet since 2008, originally once a week and then once a month but all I came up with was my account of what happened.  I have scoured as many of the newspaper titles as I can from the United Kingdom at that time.  However, in the early days news was received in letter form from Englishmen or travellers abroad –everything from food shortages, crime and much more.    

It may well be that some other newspaper also published a piece on this but it is more than likely only one did!

However, things to consider: the news of the attack had reached Nantes and was obviously reported on if a correspondent considered it newsworthy enough to go through the rigmarole of sending a letter from France to inform the Caledonian Mercury about it.  One assumes (hopes) that there is some archival record in Chevroliere or, if not, then, hopefully in Nantes?

We even have the date of the attack -18th July, 1830.  So one assumes that anything in print appeared after the 18th, including news of any possible hunts or the burial of the victims.

This is where French researchers who know the newspaper / local record system can help. 

So, if not a wolf, just what was The Beast Of Faudiere?

    

Reference.

1.      The Caledonian Mercury,2^nd August,1800
2.       Some More Things Strange & Sinister http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/some-more-things-strange-sinister/paperback/product-18763730.html

60% of the Fox Population is likely more accurate

 

In my post Yes. Foxes ARE Going Extinct. So What? which considered the estimates of others which concluded that we had lost 50% of the UK fox population I had reservations The post can be found here: 

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2025/04/yes-foxes-are-going-extinct-so-what.html

What were my reservations? Basically, the 50% figure. 

Over the decades I have spoken to farmers, game keepers, estate owners, 'sport' ('pest control') shooters and many others. I found out that there were a number of areas in which foxes were no longer being seen or had not been seen in some cases for 5 years.  Foxes that did appear were "quickly gotten rid of" which meant snares, shooting or poisoned bait.  In several Welsh valleys, as I reported at the time (1995-1997) foxes had vanished years before.  

With shooters they were paid to clear areas of rabbits and presented what they shot to the farmer in question. Foxes were also shot no matter the age as it "Shows we are doing the job we are paid for".  Rabbits are prey animals and foxes their predators and killing both off (especially on farms where there were no crops involved) is not good.

Every night men and women go out 'sport shooting'-in other words shooting whatever they find and this is simply sociopathic (some argue psychopathic) behaviour and for some shooters it involves zoosadism (sexual arousal from killing animals) -as some fox hunters including ex British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted in an interview. Firstly, there is absolutely no real reason why these people should dress up in cammo gear and go out with scopes fitted to rifles to kill animals. For target shooting on registered ranges yes but going out to shoot foxes, badgers, deer and anything else they want is a major problem everyone ignores.

We then have other examples of casual killing and you will find reports of these in the news, rescue web sites and elsewhere. Catapults and crossbows used to fatally injure wildlife. Then there are the brain dead groups of youths and adults who like to catch an animal like a fox simply to kick and beat to death for 'fun'.

It goes on and on and I am not even thinking about the spring and summer offensive of householders who after years of not bothering with their gardens or sheds and decking decide it all needs digging up. Fox dens with cubs destroyed and in some cases pest controllers called in to 'move on' foxes.  Firstly, urban foxes cannot be dumped into countryside let alone if they have cubs. Secondly, very few of the foxes 'moved on' are ever released but are killed.

 Local authorities calling pest controllers in to shoot foxes they consider a "nuisance" by being on their old territory also contributes to the fox death toll and ask yourself why foxes are in towns and cities? Rats and mice. The fox is the number 1 best and most efficient pest controller and there are no wildlife (mammals and birds) or pet (cats and dog) killing rodenticides involved. Pest controllers are keen to kill off foxes because then people report more rats and mice and....cash.

Local authorities should never try to 'control' foxes because when one is removed another takes its place.  Foxes control their own population numbers and disease and other hazards claim enough.  The officially sanctioned suppression of the Bristol Fox Deaths Project report proves all of this.

I get to see, hear and talk to people about foxes more than others and after decades I concluded that foxes and badgers would be on the tip of extinction if not extinct in 90% of areas by the 2030s. In my informed opinion I believe that we have actually lost 60% of the UK fox population and they should be Red Listed and any killed or injured should result in prosecutions.

But this is the United Kingdom and not four nations or even one nation of animal lovers but places where people love to moan and complain about why people do nothing to save the species we have on the verge of extinction (mammal and bird) while they watch TV and guzzle pizzas.

Yes, There ARE British Grey Foxes...Ring-tailed Foxes and More

So as not to give any possible clues as to the location of the foxes in the photographs each is credited with "(c)2025 respective copyright owner". This is also because some of the photographs appeared on Face Book groups uncredited.

One thing that I have always, for obvious reasons, been interested in is colouration of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the UK.  Our Old British foxes were wiped o0ut along with true wild cats in the 1860s -the First Modern British Extinction Period (FMBEP) - but even before this foxes had been imported from Europe to replenish depleted "hunting stock" as far back as the 1700s (evidence suggests even before that period).  

 There was a shortage of foxes from around 1900 and numbers hit an all time low and so English hunts sent people to trap foxes in Ireland and bring them back to "continue the sport". As outlined in The Red Paper this had serious political ramifications and questions were asked in Parliament.  This can be seen as a period where the imported fox population was on the brink of extinction.

After the First World War hunts claimed that no fox control meant the population was bursting out of control.  This, again, is a provable lie and probably created due to the amount of anti hunt feeling at the time. Importing foxes from post war Europe was a problem and In the 1920s, Great Britain implemented measures to eradicate rabies, including mandatory quarantine for imported dogs and cats, which was successful in declaring the country rabies-free by 1922.  No more big shipment of foxes.

This led to the Great Scarcity of 1923 at which point foxes were increasingly pushed toward extinction.  The population slightly recovered into the early 1950s before more mass deaths (starvation though likely disease) hit. The fox population never recovered.

This all means that no "fresh stock" was being added to the UK fox population and while foxes were trapped and released in hunting areas (something that still goes on today with the snatching of urban foxes and cubs) it did not help build up the population. The failure of UK fur farms meant there was a certain shot of new blood from the many foxes released.  These fur farm foxes would still have fallen victims to snaring, poisoning, shooting and hunting.  Therefore, any changes we see today are due to an isolated population and characteristics we might find in the populations their ancestors came from.

 The above fox clearly has melanism in its DNA and the leash (group) of foxes this came from had similar traits. (c)2025 respective copyright owner

 This fox has some diagnostic features that seems to indicate that it could be of North American Red Fox (NARF) heritage and when I first saw this I had to triple check where this fox was a regular visitor and it is in an area where releases from fur farms would have taken place.   (c)2025 respective copyright owner 

Another member of the leash noted in the first photo and, again, the melanism trait is obvious.  (c)2025 respective copyright owner

Clearly a red fox but with melanistic traits (c)2025 respective copyright owner

 With the above fox we can see the melanism and something that has become very familiar these days -the sooty underbelly (c)2025 respective copyright owner

This one was a real eye opener as it was the first of this type (alive) that I saw from the South West of England and although there had been one or two cross fox types photographed in the 1990s this was the first full on "Grey"  (c)2025 respective copyright owner

Following on from reports of a "black fox" being seen by office workers we soon found that it was far from melanistic (all black).  The impressive fello0w even sat and posed for a photograph before running off. (c)2025 respective copyright owner

The above is how we, sadly, see so many of these foxes and not killed by a car in this case but by a moron with a gun. Whether this cross fox was to become a taxidermy due to its unusual colouring we have no idea (c)2025 respective copyright owner

The above fox was from Southern England and there was at least one other individual looking the same in the area.  When I asked the photographer questions about this one I was asked "Is it an unusual colour for a fox then?"  (c)2025 respective copyright owner

This one was the victim of a speeding driver (we know that for a fact.  Again the clear grey fur can be seen. (c)2025 respective copyright owner

Above fox shows the strong melanistic traces (c)2025 respective copyright owner

 The above is one of a leash of foxes in which the grey fur is rather dominant over what is seen as the recognised "red" (c)2025 respective copyright owner

You are not seeing things; yes, this fox has a ringed tail!  This ringing of the tail can be seen in some very old illustrations but those are not considered evidence. Photographs of living foxes or even taxidermy examples are.  There is a fox descended from foxes imported into Australia for 'sport'  that was killed in the 1930s and it's tail is very strongly ringed. In conversation with the dealer who was selling the item I found out that this was not a fake tail attached to the fox but it's actual tail that it had in life and death.  The grey fur is still clear.by English colonists (c)2025 respective copyright owner

Another magnificent Grey and other members of this leash also exhibit the grey and "sooty" fur (c)2025 respective copyright owner

This one was photographed in Scotland and has clear melanistic traits  (c)2025 respective copyright owner

 A fox from the south of England and is one of several Grey foxes in the area (c)2025 respective copyright owner

This is one of a pair and although I thought they had been over fed later photos show this is their winter coat and once it is shed they are quote healthy looking. From the SE and in an area where fur farming was attempted  (c)2025 respective copyright owner

It has been found that a good few foxes checked after (RTA) death have had the sooty coloured underbelly -has have some rescued foxes.  This along with the darker (melanistic trait) fur has now become quite common and I have a large photo archive of such foxes and, eventually, there will be black foxes appearing (full melanism) and we have already had some unconfirmed reports of these from the South of England and well away from the North of England where silver fox-red fox hybrids are known and recorded.

The Grey foxes are obviously not related in any way to the American Grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) but it's easier when we fox people are discussing foxes to say £there are a couple of Greys in my area" and with the melanistic traits we just refer to them as "melanistic foxes". 

These  are not the only traits seen in fox coats as a number of white (non albino) foxes are known in two main areas.   In fact, there are a number of "oddities" in fox fur these days and they appear to have emerged more in the last 25years.  When DNA testing is rarely carried out it is to look at a particular aspect such as whether UK foxes share DNA with European red foxes; that really does not need to have DNA work carried out just research of all t6he easily available historical reference sources. Yes, today's British red fox is of European ancestry because our Old foxes went extinct in the 1860s.

What would be more valuable from a research point would be to see whether there are other DNA traces from Scandinavia, Russian or NARFs and to what extent that DNA dominates areas or the overall fox population.   One might also ask why we are seeing more in the way of Cross foxes?

Foxes really do require more scientific research and education of the zoological and scientific community as well as the public on foxes and their history and how we have lost so much and are about to lose even more.

The Shocking Results of Over Feeding A Wild Fox

 This item appeared on the Wildlife Aid Face Book page and shows exactly what I have been explaining for a few years now. You may think that 11.3 kg as a weight doesn't sound much but that is 24.91 lbs!!

With the Bristol fox deaths we weigh all foxes and the heaviest we have had out of 80 foxes are 7.1 and 7.5kgs so 15 to 16 lbs in weight and those were exceptions and not overweight but in good condition. The fox weights can be found here along with other information

Unfortunately, Wildlife Aid does not have FB Messenger and I cannot find an email for them so hope that they do not mind my sharing their post.

 https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2025/04/bristol-foxes-study-looking-at-causes.html

https://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ_fUtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA2eERWOFBteVc3YkhUVXpLAR43kIuo4YQFUMGboLuwcqaxg4JWslaTsmn1XOSDcB4V8KEOhI0OnX8fNqxCGA_aem_m-xTr2b9BitdQeED8umvcw

No, this is not a fox suffering with balloon syndrome; this fox, we think, might just be a WAF record, and certainly not something we see every day! He weighs a whopping 11.30kg

(c)2025 Wildlife Aid

Foxes are usually pretty good at self-regulating their food, commonly digging up lawns to cache it for a rainy day! Unfortunately for this guy, he seems to have had many (and we mean many) rainy days! Having been told that "Tank" is being regularly fed, this takes support feeding to a whole other level. On average, a healthy fox weighs 5kg. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; we have seen healthy 8kg foxes and even tiny, but healthy, 3kg foxes, but this guy is struggling!

(c)2025 Wildlife Aid

His respiratory rate is higher than it should be, even for a wild fox in a stressful environment, and he's not a fan of being active. Currently, our vet and rehab team are working together to determine the best course of action for Tank, as, understandably, this is not a healthy state for him to be in. Whilst we understand the desire to support our wildlife, and the joy and connection it brings to many of us, it is so vitally important it is done responsibly; these are wild animals and they need to maintain their ability to fend for themselves, without the help of humans.

________________________________________________

To try to explain to fox feeders why this is a serious matter I reposted the item along with a note to the two biggest Face Book fox groups. The posts were "declined" and it is not surprising why.

The amount of food and 90% of it a fox should not be given is incredible and in many cases it is for social media "Likes" via photos and video clips of enticing foxes into homes as well as hand feeding. One person (with some financial support from his fans) feeds heaps of food that would feed a family of foxes for a couple weeks -all in one night. The result is the posting of anywhere from 25 (on bad nights) to 100+ photos and clips and they all get "Likes" and praise for his great work -and he has been made a group fox 'expert'/

These are sadly not classed as wildlife crimes but they should be. The occasional support feed under certain conditions (not daily) especially when medicating is acceptable but a line of 5-10 foxes lining up at "feed time" every night is wrong.

We have a huge rodent problem in the UK and foxes are the best rodent controllers you can ask for and there are no poisons killing other wildlife and it makes a far safer environment. Foxes are not garden pets (that as soon as they get a problem are ignored for someone else to deal with).

We have so few foxes left now so let them be what they are -wild canids.

Yes. Foxes ARE Going Extinct. So What?

 

This numerical guessology proves my point. In The Red Paper you will find mention of the"estimated" number of RTA fox deaths per year which has to be added to any over all population figure.

That is before trying to estimate how many are killed each year purely for 'fun' with men and women going out nightly to shoot wildlife and with foxes being the favourite (so dozens each week are killed that way).

We also have to consider that many cubs are dying each year from leptospirosis as well as other medical conditions and every mothering vixen killed equals 2-4 cubs dying from starvation.

"Total numbers are far more difficult to estimate than population density; hence few attempts have been made. The most recent published census (conducted between 1999 and 2000) estimated that Britain has a stable population of around 230,000 animals (before cubs are born); a further 150,000-or-so are estimated to be in Ireland.

"The Mammal Society, in conjunction with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, are working on revised population estimates and distribution maps of Britain’s mammal species. Published in 2017, provisional results of the Red fox by National Wildlife Management Centre (which is APHA and DEFRA -TH) biologist Graham Smith and his colleagues provide an estimate of the British fox population based on data from the NBN Gateway project and average fox density per habitat type. Their analysis estimates that there are some 430,515 Red foxes in the UK, although the authors do note “there is also uncertainty surrounding the estimate”.

"In 2011, the ‘official’ UK urban population guestimate stood at about 33,000 animals, although this this figure comes from a study published in 1995. I have heard figures of between 10,000 and 30,000 foxes in the London area alone, but know of no supporting data for these 'estimates'. More recently very preliminary analysis of a survey of just over 11,000 respondents from across the country, completed as part of the Foxes Live series shown on Channel 4 during May 2012, led Dawn Scott and Phil Baker (at Reading University) to tentatively estimate 35,000 to 45,000 foxes living in urban Britain. A more rigorous analysis using computer models to interpret almost twice as many survey responses, tracking data and habitat mapping suggested a much higher figure.

At the Ecology Society’s conference in 2016, Scott presented an estimate of 150,000 urban foxes in Britain. Perhaps most interestingly, Scott and her colleagues observed that there was no significant correlation between the average fox density and the number of sightings. In other words, seeing more foxes around isn't necessarily an indication that there are more (or even a lot of) foxes in your neighbourhood.

https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/.../red-fox-abundance...

The latest (2015) data from the Peoples' Trust for Endangered Species Mammals on the Roads and Living with Mammals surveys suggest that we're seeing about the same number of foxes killed on the roads and visiting our gardens now as we were back in the early 2000s, while the results of the 2015 British Trust for Ornithology Breeding Bird Survey (which also counts mammals) suggests that fox abundance in the UK as a whole has actually declined by about one-third since 1996. In an article to the New Scientist in January 2017, Philip Stephens of Durham University noted that there is anecdotal evidence to suggest:

“… since the hunting with dogs ban came into force, gamekeepers have felt a particular obligation to hammer foxes as hard as they can.”

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In fact, in the 1980s I was noting and reporting that fox numbers were declining steadily and by the 1990s I stated that Wales would see a massive decline within the decade. In fact the despicable and now criminal (in Wales) snaring of foxes plus local village hunts out "for fun before a pint" were reporting that they only got the occasional "measly ragged fox" while other areas reported not having seen a fox or signs of fox activity for "two to three years".

Photographers often travel from Wales over to Bristol to photograph foxes and when asked why travel all that way the simple response has always been "We can't find any foxes in Wales".

Hunts as well as countryside "pursuit" groups have always over estimated the number of foxes to keep their 'fun' going. However, as I noted in The Red Paper, when a naturalist who was a pro hunt man did a survey of hunts and yearly totals he soon discovered that his pals at hunts were very secretive and were actually falsifying how many foxes were about.

Despite the claims that without 'control' during the 1914-1918 war, the fox population exploded it had not. People still killed foxes and there was a steep decline post war. There was also The Great Scarcity of 1923 detailed here:

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-great-scarcity-of-1923.html

and here:

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2021/11/more-on-great-scarcity-of-1923.html

We also know that in the 1950s a great many foxes died. It has been suggested that their top food item -rabbits- had been killed off by myxomatosis. According to the National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19069081/:

"In 1953 myxomatosis, a viral disease of rabbits, broke out in Britain for the first time. It rapidly killed tens of millions of the animals from Kent to the Shetlands. Many farmers and foresters welcomed a disease that virtually eliminated a longstanding and serious agricultural pest. Others were horrified by the sight of thousands of dead and dying animals. "  

There would still be rats, voles, mice as well as wild fowl and as foxes will also eat vegetation/fruit the idea that rabbit loss killed so many foxes is questionable/ Officially, myxomatosis got the the UK "accidentally" from France where it was introduced but many experts, because of incidents after 1953. believe that it was introduced. That aside, the fox population declined further and into the 1960s hunts were still having to hunt bagged foxes (foxes released by a hunt to chase and if caught before hounds reached them they could be used several times before death).

Far from "an abundance" of foxes.  If one fox in a hunting area got mange then it was practice to kill every fox, even cubs, to stop a possible spread -new foxes were caught by hunt supporters and released in hunt areas.

The Second World War did not stop foxes being killed and the lie of a war time population boom was easily proven a lie. More and more of the public being outspoken on the 'sport' meant hunts felt they had to justify continuation.

We saw the extinction of British Old Foxes in the 1860s and more than one dip in the imported populations up until 1914 and since that time, apart from closed down fur farms dumping their foxes, there has been no new blood to the UK red fox population.

For 2025 up to 30th April we have recorded 100 fox deaths on Bristol roads and three were heavily pregnant vixens. Other lactating vixens killed resulted in an untold number of dead fox cubs. While some people with little knowledge are stating that babesia is a "ticking time bomb" amongst foxes we have proven (via the officially suppressed Fox Deaths Study) that, in fact, leptospirosis is killing foxes and cubs annually in large numbers. That put into a national scale would probably give a figure in the low thousands (1000-1500) which is, like all the official figures a "guestimate" but one based on daily study.  

The number of foxes killed on roads national would hardly be the standard figure given since the 1990s of 100,000+ because we simply do not have that many foxes to spare over 100,000.  There is a similar figure given for road kill badgers and, again, we do  not have 100,000 RTA badgers each year because so far the unscientific cull has killed around 300,000 which is over half the badger population and in some areas they no longer exist.

It is always good for official bodies to make it appear that we have healthy wildlife numbers and as long as you have no idea of the number of species facing extinction in the UK at the amount it all sounds jolly nice.  Remember the current government wants wildlife areas, badger setts and fox dens destroyed if they get in the way of developments.

It is very depressing but a fact that, by the 2030s, there may be only urban foxes and badgers left and they will be prey to government policies and developers because they do not care for wildlife or green spaces just the greed for money (legal and bribes).

I would very much like to say that we have 100,000 foxes left in the UK but if even the British Trust for Ornithology 2023 Mammal Survey (disclosure: they have not been helpful or cooperative in the past so this is THEIR conclusion) noted that Red Fox numbers had declined by 49%  They sate https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/evaluating-spatiotemporal-trends-terrestrial-mammal

"Another mammal suffering from large scale declines is the Red Fox, with populations in central-southern England and eastern Wales declining by between 20% and 50% over the study period."

The BTO's statement suggests they are aware of potential conservation issues related to fox populations, such as habitat loss, roadkill, and human conflict. 

Mark Avery on his blog in 2020 noted  https://markavery.info/2020/06/24/the-red-fox-a-species-of-conservation-concern/ :

"So, if this trend is real then in 24 years the Red Fox has declined by 50% in numbers – halved! If this were a bird, and it clearly isn’t, it would be on the UK red list."  He goes on (I add an red X on each point that is correct):

"Let’s just think of reasons why Red Foxes might be declining in numbers. Here’s a list off the top of my head:

• increased road kill     X
• intensification of agriculture leading to loss of food  X
• Rabbit decline  X
• competition with Badgers
• Red Foxes benefitted from being chased around the countryside by fox hunts and are missing them
• some sort of disease   X
• some sort of environmental pollution  X

There is no competition with badgers and I have been studying the interactions between the two for many years -as have others who have compiled photographic and video archives. Foxes missing hunts.... I have only one (rude) response to that idea!

Lastly, yes, we know leptospirosis is taking a lot of foxes and if cubs die that is the next breeding generation gone. If the vixen dies that means no more cubs. Basically, death amongst any animal population is not good.  

Even though everyone knows that rabbits have declined they are still being killed nightly to "control their numbers" because that is money in a lot of pockets (more importance than species extinction apparently).

A 50% decline in the fox population?  If you check out wildlife rescues you will find they are doing their best to help orphaned cubs survive and to release them into the wild with no gu8arantee that some moron with a snare or gun will not kill them before they are a year old. Or car will claim them as it did their mothers.

If anything, and mind you I've only studied foxes for 49 years so if I say I believe the population has dropped by 60% it is likely more accurate.  What happens now?  As far as the Labour or any government is concerned "just foxes" or "just wildlife" and they have shown scant regard for it in the past. They will no doubt "tut-tut" away when they hear "The foxes and badges are falling over the extinction line" and form a ten year committee that will eventually decide that if there are any foxes or badgers left they need saving..."Oops -Too late!"