Results From The Bristol Fox Deaths and Bristol Badger Deaths Registers 2025
Compiled by Terry Hooper
British Fox Study (f 1976) and Bristol Badger Group (f 1994)
blacktowercg@hotail.com
With thanks Sarah Mills and to those vets who have progressed beyond the “just foxes” attitude. Also to Vale Wildlife Hospital who have helped treat and save the lives of foxes from Bristol.
Introduction.
2025 saw a record number of fox deaths within the City and County of Bristol with the greatest numbers killed by motor vehicles speeding and refusal by the City Council to tackle the problem.
When I started the British Fox Study I assumed that over the years more people would become interested in foxes and that citizens would become more active. We have feeders and also people who simply treat foxes and badgers as photo opportunities. The total lack of support from the large number of wildlife groups in the region has been very noticeable. There are, of course, individuals who will help out as and when they can and they deserve praise.
Just how many foxes may be dying onb Bristol roads we have tried to determine based on known statistical trends. Even though this is not a 100% accurate figure even if cut by 50% it is concerning and yet, for a City boasting of its environmental status and wildlife loving credentials, very few seem to care. Each year the totals are released and other than one or two “Likes” the overwhelming trend is apathy and if wildlife groups are like this then it is no surprise that species in the UK are in decline.
Sarah Mills, the Bristol Fox Lady, has worked tirelessly and has managed to treat and save so many foxes.
When you read the statistics just remember that this is one City and County and that fox death totals nation wide would be staggering. Badger deaths totals are just terrible to think about since the vast majority of deaths are based on bad science and political game playing.
Like the hedgehog, the badger and foxes are heading for extinction and the truth is that very few people care.
The 2025 Deaths Registers Analysis.
Despite pro hunt "conservation" groups and their often repeated claims in the press the fox population in the UK is far from "booming" and every night men and women go out to shoot anything they find with foxes being popular. This is done simply for 'fun' because according to the law foxes can be killed only when threatening live stock and with no livestock within miles of where these people often congregate for their 'sport' there is no legitimacy to the constant killing.
When the total number of fox deaths is we cannot say. The attitude is that “If it’s dead why report it” or people are just suffering self induced blindness to the dead animals they see. It was decided that, based on the total number of deaths at the time, AI analysis would be used to attempt to find a total.
It wass estimated that the actual number of fox road deaths based on the 360 reported incidents would likely be in the range of 4,320 to 5,760 deaths, as reported incidents represent a significant underestimate of the true figure. Research indicates that a substantial discrepancy between reported and actual wildlife road casualties and studies are suggesting that the actual death rate can be 12 to 16 times higher than the number of corpses counted, especially from a moving vehicle.
This discrepancy is due to various factors, including predator removal of carcasses, road type, traffic volume, time of day, and weather conditions.
Applying the 12-16 times multiplier to your reported number of 360 you find that:
Lower estimate: 360 reported deaths * 12 = 4,320 actual deaths
Upper estimate: 360 reported deaths * 16 = 5,760 actual deaths
Overall, the actual number is likely far higher than the number of publicly reported incidents, which often only capture a small fraction of total wildlife road mortality. To be honest those totals were slightly higher than I had estimated and even halving the totals it is still a staggering loss.
I then used AI to try to estimate the number of badger deaths covering all of the Badger Death Registers and the AI response was again shocking:
If you have 222 reported badger road deaths, the actual number is significantly higher, as most wildlife fatalities go unreported. All estimates suggest tens of thousands of badgers die on UK roads yearly, so your 222 is a valuable sample for tracking trends but represents a tiny fraction, requiring extrapolation (like 10-20x) to guess total impact, though the Badger Trust uses such reports to estimate over 50,000 badgers annually.
If we multiply 222 by 10 then we have an estimate of 2,220. Taking 222 and multiplying by 20 we have an estimated total of 4,440. Considering the personal communications with drivers, locals and others I would suggest that 2,220 is ‘acceptable’ but even halving that figure to 1,110 should concern anyone with an interest in conservation and the environment.
When it comes to post mortem studies of dead badgers none of those reported underwent one. From the very outset I was told an outright lie both verbally and via email by the pathologist involved. I was told that no necropsy could be carried out due to Health and Safety Executive ruling based oin the ‘risk’ from Bovine TB. Only in very suspicious de4aths could a necropsy be carried out and that would need to be in the pathologists garden away from the pathology lab.
It has emerged since that while I was being told this badger necropsies (badger origins unknown) were being carried out at the lab and still are. For this reason every dead badger was assessed as killed by road traffic which seemed likely considering where they were found. The exception being a badger found at the bottom of a small cliff after severe weather.
That there is a burgeoning population of foxes is a lie and statistics released by pro hunt groups are meant to bolster that lie. It was the same thing that Hunts did in the 1940s through to the 1960s and pro hunt 'naturalists' made it very clear (with a wink and chuckle) that the figures were exaggerated. If you bear that in mind:
“An estimated 70,000 to 80,000 foxes are killed annually by gamgekeepers (a proxy for "UK shooters") in Britain, according to data from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT)” -which, it needs to be pointed out is a pro hunt organisation and thusly recognised as being hunt biased.
The total number of foxes killed by all forms of shooting (by gamekeepers and other individuals) is more difficult to quantify precisely. One older estimate suggested around 80,000 foxes were shot and retrieved each year, with a further 115,000 deaths unaccounted for.
The older estimate goes back to when hunts were desperate and being constantly challenged by locals as well as by politicians and in the press in the 1950s-1960s and the quoted figures given are taken out of context and without explanation from my own work!
One might ask how you can take "a further 115,000 deaths unaccounted for" ?
How can you state 115,000 dead foxes are "unaccounted for"? Either you have reports of those 115,000 dead foxes or it is a clear pointer to someone doctoring the numbers to keep the killing of foxes as being needed.
The truth is that fox numbers declined throughout the 20th century due to hunting and in many parts of Wales there are no foxes -wildlife photographers travel from across Wales to Bristol just to photograph foxes and will tell you that "We rarely get to see foxes in Wales" -one reason probably being snaring adding to the numbers killed.
There is no precise current official figure for foxes killed by snares in the UK, but estimates suggest a significant number, with older data pointing to tens of thousands (e.g., 9,500+ in 1995, or up to 39,000 managed by gamekeepers with 25% trapped by snares, potentially 9,750 annually). More broadly, reports indicate potentially millions of animals caught annually, with some sources suggesting up to 1.7 million animals (including foxes) caught in snares across England and Wales, highlighting the significant scale, though exact fox numbers remain elusive.
Then we have rodenticide deaths that affect many species that prey on rodents:
Exposure Rates are High: Studies analyzing fox livers have consistently found high rates of anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) residues. One study from the late 1990s found that 46% of a sample of 100 foxes had been exposed to rodenticides, and ten had died directly from the poisoning. More recent research (2011-2022) shows that exposure rates to some specific second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), such as brodifacoum, may have increased since the introduction of stewardship schemes, with 43% of foxes exposed.
Secondary Poisoning: Foxes are primarily affected by secondary poisoning, which occurs when they eat poisoned rodents (such as rats and mice). Direct poisoning of foxes is illegal in Britain.
Sentinel Species: Foxes are considered a "sentinel species," meaning their high exposure levels act as an indicator of the widespread presence of these toxins in the environment and the risk to other wildlife.
Difficulty in Quantification: Determining the exact number of deaths is challenging because many poisoned foxes die in the wild or are killed by other causes (e.g., road traffic accidents) that can mask the signs of internal bleeding from the poison. Wildlife rescue charities frequently report cases of poisoned foxes but formal, national statistics are not collected.
While a precise annual number is unavailable, the high exposure rates and frequent anecdotal reports from wildlife organisations suggest that rodenticides are a major ongoing cause of mortality for the UK fox population.
Leptospirosis also takes a high toll of younger foxes and adding in "natural disease deaths" such as septicemia, kidney failure, mastitis, parasites such as worms and mange mites, cancer and when the vixen is killed and no other fox is around to feed cubs (an "aunt" fox or even dog fox) starving to death comes into the death rate -called "mismothering".
Determination of Sex
Out of the 375 known deaths some 77 were vixens and we cannot count the unknown number of cubs that died due to the lactating vixen being killed. Those cub deaths are technically termed “Mismothering”.
Some 121 known deaths involved Dog foxes. The higher rate of death may be due to the dispersal season as is usually claimed. However, the deaths seem to have been consistently high from January to December. Various factors may be involved and one is the male taking turns at hunting because despite popular myth a “brace” (pair) do often stick together and in many cases there are leashes (a group of foxes) using the same dens or that have adjacent dens.
One vixen was noted going out and returning six times and each time carrying a rat, In other cases both dog and vixen take turns in hunting and in some cases where there are other vixens present they act as “Aunts” looking after cubs while the mother goes out hunting or will even bring back food for the nursing fox. In cases where vixens have died the dog fox has been observed attempting to feed young.
Foxes are also naturally curious and well known wanderers when it comes to dog foxes so whereas the vixen having found a safe area to den may take up residence there on a permanent basis (only moving if she feels there is a threat to young cubs –at which point foxes “carrying of a pet cat” stories emerge as the cubs are misidentified) dog foxes mated and not mated can travel around a large area.
Causes of Death.
There are territorial fights and these can lead to infections and untreated death as organs are affected. Although missing pieces of ear and even the odd scar from a fight (rather as with domestic cats fighting each other) the large number of facial injuries seem consistent and in many cases not fight associated but due to being swiped/hit by cars.
Leptospirosis reared its head again this year and out of all the foxes examined since 2021 not a single case of ‘rampant’ (“in British foxes”) adenovirus has been found. It seems highly likely that any adenovirus was localised but as is usual amongst rescues it was grasped at to explain all unusual fox deaths and bypass any need to submit foxes for post mortem. This seems reinforced by what happened after the Bristol fox deaths study when rescues again started claiming that any ill foxes with jaundice had “rampant leptospirosis” –just because there is jaundice present does not mean it is leptospirosis but could be due to a number of problems such as infected wounds leading to organ failure.
Cancer is found rarely in wild foxes but it has been noted in the work carried out. There were a number of cases of “emaciated foxes” dying but due to these not being allowed to be submitted there is no way of telling whether this was due to disease or some other problem.
Mange is not a big killer, at least in Bristol now (we lost 96% of the fox population to it in 1994/1995) as once reported it can be treated thanks to Sarah Mills’ dedication to foxes. Prior to her taking on Bristol foxes the local rescue had a policy of euthenazing any fox with mange as standard. Deaths do still occur as people who have observed foxes losing hair to the point of baldness and getting progressively worse do not report them until it is too late. There is absolutely no reason for these deaths and they happen because of people who are either anti fox or simply do not care.
Vets Attitude Regarding Foxes
In Bristol the once anti fox stance by vets has vanished to a degree and we have seen vets listen and even go well beyond what would be expected including scans as part of their first treatment of wildlife duties. A good number of vets are now more friendly to foxes submitted and will even consult regarding sick foxes.
This is still a long way from the attitude that a leg injury of any kind means a fox needs to be killed –three legged foxes thrive in the wild and even raise cubs successfully. Facial injuries we have shown can be successfully treated in the wild and it is good to see some rescues actually treating facial wounds albeit in foxes confined.
Another thing vets are learning is to not misjudge fox weights when treating or medicating. Vets often vastly over estimated fox weights basing them on pet dog standard weights. Weights should be looked at from a cat size perspective.
Determined Weight (kg) of Foxes
Where known we have ascertained the weight of dead foxes and it is now standard to have any submitted to vets weighed. . For those foxes we do know the weights for 6 kgs is at the top level of weight and the 9 kgs is a rarity
Known Dog Fox Weights
1.5
1.7
2.0
2.2
2.2
3.0
3.2
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.5
3.9
3.9
4.0
4.0
4..0
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.82
4.9
4.9
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.5
5.5
5.5
5.7
5.7
5.9
5.9
5.9
5.9
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.1
6.2
6.2
6.2
6.4
6- 6.5
6.5
6.7
8.4
9.3
Known Vixen Weights
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.2
2.6
2.8
2.8
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.3
3.3
3.4
3.4
3.5
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.9
3.9
3.9
4.0
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.4
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.6
4.9
5.0
5.0
5.2
5.2
5.2
5.5
5.6
NB: one fox at 4.5kg had “back end destroyed so cannot register as dog fox
or vixen
And talking about badger deaths there are the results of the unscientific cull of badgers in just the Avon (we went back to City and County of Bristol in 1995):
During the 2022 badger cull in the Avon area (Area 44), 1,162 badgers were removed by controlled shooting, exceeding the updated minimum target of 948 badgers, with similar intense culling continuing in other Avon zones as part of the government's strategy to control bovine TB in cattle.
This cannot go on as we are losing the hedgehog, the fox and the badger in such numbers that like many other UK species they are heading for extinction by the 2030s. We have had extinctions before and the major extinction event was the 1860s when the wild cats, Old type British foxes, various deer, squirrels and other species were hunted despite it being widely written and commented on that they were going extinct.
