Will it hit that many egos and challenge zoology and natural history and its dogma?

 The documented evidence along with full references as to the Old British foxes and Old British wild cats along with photographic evidence (added to on this blog) is contained in the 2022 Red Papers.  Interestingly, 'experts' have rejected offers to send them copies which seems very unscientific since we are all supposed to be studying the environmental and other factors from the loss of native species.

I have written articles summarising the work of the last 50 years -rejected out of hand. I suppose this is  a case of "How dare you submit an article -you are not with a university or college!"

DNA labs have all greeted by proposal to carry out DNA work on the Old fox and wild cat species held at the Extinct Fox and Wild Cats Museum  -which I can think of at least three angles for t technical papers -  all ignored.  

"Citizen Science" is another term for "You lot do all the work and we'll take the credit as the professionals".  

DNA testing could reveal the long lost species that were not just living in Ireland and Britain after the Doggerbank submergence but also lived in Western Europe.  That would, of course, smash dogma and rather than jump in and embrace any discovery (again, there are papers and possible funding in that) the attitude seems to be "If we ignore it and just keep pushing dogma our jobs will be safe".

Is Sabine Hossenfelder correct and science just can't be bothered and simply turn out nonsense papers -in zoology as in physics?

Is carrying out DNA work and studying the data that terrifying. Will it hit that many egos and challenge zoology and natural  history and its dogma?  It seems so.

Badger Sett Disruption Approved By Bristol City Council

  This is the thing that is happening and BCC KNOW they are lying which is why they never respond to evidence or emails presented. DEFRA should be informed by the locals

Local Councils: Say Nothing. Do Nothing.

 

See previous posts on this matter. The attitude of Parish and City Council (Green Party Council no less) seems to be silence.

sent to:

"cllr.mharris@longashtonparishcouncil.gov.uk"

"cllr.james@longashtonparishcouncil.gov.uk"

"cllr.abarrett@longashtonparishcouncil.gov.uk

"cllr.jfenton@longashtonparishcouncil.gov.uk"

"cllr.dwilkinson@longashtonparishcouncil.gov.uk"

Hello.

I contacted all of you on the 23rd September and so far have received no responses.

I asked that an ecological survey be carried out on the Long Ashton side of the Longmoor development. In 1998 Wessex Conservancy surveyed the area and noted badger setts (badgers have always been in the area and I first came across them in the 1970s) as well as bat nesting sites and since that time otters have returned to Colliter's Brook.

The impact of the building to be undertaken and possible pollution of water sources such as Colliter's Brook cannot be overlooked. I have been involved with wildlife as a mammalogist since 1974 and I know that these things do occur even if accidental. We lose enough protected and unprotected species each year and any and all efforts should be made to ensure that new developments do not pose a threat.

I would ask that an ecological survey is carried out to map out setts, etc. and offer suggestions. Development over our dwindling wildlife is not justifiable.

The Long Ashton side of Longmoor will be monitored but I would hope that Long Ashton Parish Council would share the concerns of some of its parishioners.

Regards

Terry Hooper

Bristol Badger Group (f 1994)

British Fox and Wild Canid Study (1974)

and

Sent to:

"Councillor Martin Fodor" <cllr.martin.fodor@bristol.gov.uk>; "Councillor Heather Mack" <cllr.heather.mack@bristol.gov.uk>; "Councillor Ed Plowden" <cllr.ed.plowden@bristol.gov.uk>; "Councillor Tony Dyer" <cllr.tony.dyer@bristol.gov.uk>; "Councillor Carla Denyer" <cllr.carla.denyer@bristol.gov.uk>

Hello.

I sent you all an email detailing the fact that the Longmoor development might impact on local badgers and otters as well as other protected species. Your response was silence.

I noted the proposal to sell off part of Eastville Park for development and that this area had established badger setts going back decades that would be impacted by development. Your response was again silence. The auctioneers have failed, despite being told, to note that the area is on active badger sett land -this should be legally declared but has not and BCC...silence again.

There is also knotweed on the nearby area. BCC -silence.

Three times this year BCC workers have destroyed dens with fox cubs in -they knew the den and cubs were there but state BCC told them they HAD to do the work. Do I really need to point out to you that this is a wildlife crime which is prosecutable?

Last week we were contacted as builders were pouring cement on a structure with an established badger sett beneath it. The concrete was broken, under our instruction, and we have camera monitored the site.

This is just part of a long list of Labour and now Green Party flouting of the law. I have tried repeatedly and politely to alert you to these matters but a line has now been drawn.

In future any suspected badger setts or fox dens must be surveyed to ensure that they are not being lived in or contain young. We can do that for BCC so it does not cost. As of 5th October, 2025 any action by BCC employees or contractors over active den/sett sites will be immediately reported to Avon and Somerset Police as a wildlife crime. The RSPCA will also be informed along with DEFRA. The sites in question (Eastville and Longmoor) are all monitored.

I have been trying to sort this out with BCC for 10 years now and we lose enough wildlife on our roads in Bristol but the local authority adding to deaths is unacceptable. I might have expected this from a Labour BCC but a Green Party run BCC?

All of this is a matter of public record now so ignore the emails but it won't help avoid legal action.

Terry Hooper

Chairman Bristol Badger Group f. 1994

Some Vets and Rescues Need To Actually Ignore Dogma To Save Wildlife

 

(c)2025 Sarah Mills

I was asked which UK wildlife hospitals/rescues I would recommend that did 100% for wildlife taken to it and specifically foxes.  

None.

There are a couple that are worth noting but I will not name as their approach is flawed and based on wildlife dogma when it comes to treatment.  I score these places 1-10 and no one has gotten a 10.  The nearest was an 8 but that dropped down to 2 for  specific reasons.

Badgers do not depend on their eyes for survival -smell and sense of hearing are the most important to them and they are, after all, mainly nocturnal animals. We had an adult badger that had fallen  into an unfenced garden of a basement flat. It was fine despite having gone unreported for 5 days and it had carried on burrowing and eating insects and worms. 

It was taken to what I had always held up as a beacon of light in wildlife rescues. It would get good care there...except the vet "thinks it's blind" so it was euthanased.  To say that I hit the roof is an understatement as this adult and healthy badger had survived (probably) its entire life blind and had it not been for a landlord not securing his property to prevent accidents, we would never have known. To kill it because it might be blind when there are also rescues or wildlife parks that might "take it on" put that wildlife hospital down to a 1.

The other reasons are that a fox blind in one eye "cannot survive in the wild" so will be killed (oops..."euthanased"). Before going on there are some rescues that will take on a fully blind fox).  The fox depends on its sense of smell and sense of hearing far more than its eye sight and if you watch a fox you will note the sniffing the air but more than that the constant ear movement: this is very obvious when a fox is hunting rats, mice and even insects -it is not depending on eye sight.

I know of a good number of foxes who are blind in one eye and are thriving and even raising cubs and providing food for them. Killing a fox for being blind in one eye is based on very outdated thinking.

A fox has a facial injury -it needs euthanasing. There are degrees of facial injury from fresh to rotting tissue and exposing of teeth etc. When necrosis has set in it is too late and it is a case of ending prolonged suffering and I have seen foxes with really bad necrosis. However, it has been proven that even treated in the wild with the right antibiotics, etc., a fox can survive and thrive -even if it carries a scar. The example of a vixen that had cubs and was treated by Sarah Mills is noted on this blog. The alternative was to trap the vixen and then euthanase as well as trapping the cubs who were quite young. The "treat in the wild" method was chosen and the face wound healed and the vixen thrived -as did her cubs. 

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2024/08/treating-infections-facial-injuries-and.html

One rescue is still killing foxes with mange and telling people that "mange is a slow death and affects all the internal organs".  Perhaps they need to read a book.

We then have the policy of "Injured leg? It cannot survive in the wild -euthanase it!" The rescue mentioned re killing foxes with mange has the same policy when it comes top any type of leg injury and they have told me and others that "this is standard policy".  Even the formerly high ranked wildlife hospital takes that attitude. 

There are, and not only in the UK, three legged foxes living full lives.  I have heard "knowledgeable" people state "A fox can survive if it loses a back leg but a front leg means that it cannot -it needs to be put down". There was no "ifs" or "buts" -front leg gone kill it. Again this shows the absolute ignorance of people who might read dogma wildlife books or some blog and as far as they are concerned that is all factual. I suggest actually studying foxes and not Google search results.

Foxes with front legs missing have survived well, bred and even raised cubs. One vixen with a twisted leg a rescue (we know the one) stated would need to be trapped and put down. So the people let the fox get on with it rather than support killing it: the vixen has had at least two litters and even her adult dog fox offspring are put in their place by her. I wrote a post on leg loss in foxes (of course I did!):

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2024/08/fox-leg-amputation-reason-to-kill.html

We have so far in 2025 lost over 300 foxes in Bristol and those are only the ones we know about. Imagine what the death toll must be like in London, Liverpool or any other large town or city.  It is estimated that we have lost between 65-70% of the UK fox population and any and every fox that can be helped to survive and bring on the next generation needs our help.

Rescues and vets (although I have found that vets at certain rescues have a massive ego and state that euthanasia is their decision) need to update their knowledge because once we lose foxes in the UK there is no more mass importing to keep the population going. Like the badger and hedgehog once gone they are gone forever so WAKE UP!

The Number of Deaths Rise... But Who Cares?

 

Yesterday I announced that the number of KNOWN dead foxes reported in Bristol stood at 300 (the highest figure recorded in recent years). This morning I added 4 more to that number.

Badgers deaths (known) now totals 76.

Thankfully I do not record every species killed on the roads though I can add one otter into the mix.

If these deaths were all related to pet dogs being killed by speeding cars that do not even stop to check if the animal is dead or report hitting them so someone can check -there would be a public outcry. The fact that there isn't is what helps the Bristol City (Green Party run) Council and South Gloucestershire ignore things....and those biscuits and cups of tea take a lot of concentration.

This is Bristol so if we have lost a (known) 304 what are the losses like elsewhere. Some idiot at The Guardian writes that there is a fictional boom in the fox population while those in the know believe we have lost 60-65% of the UK fox population.

With new government regulations for development that it wants to push through Parliament badger protection (such as it is) will be gone. Badgers have lost over 50% of their population.

By the 2030s foxes, badgers and hedgehogs will be a rare sight -where they have not become extinct.

Bristol Council Biodiversity Policy Under Scrutiny

 They are never clear on this matter and to be honest if any BCC official ever seriously quotes this I hope they choke on it:

The Bristol Biodiversity Action Plan aims:

"Highlight threats and issues affecting these priority habitats and species, together with objectives, targets and actions to address them. Encourage a common approach to biodiversity conservation and sharing of best practice."

I mention this as for a few years there have been certain things reported but no one would go public. The rumours concern BCC killing foxes which they have never out-rightly denied but just dig out the old line of not practising fox control.

We will see.

We Just Hit A Sad High Number for Bristol Fox Deaths

 

 We have no idea how many badgers have actually died in Bristol this year but the register says 75.

I can tell you that the current number of KNOWN dead foxes this year in Bristol just hit 300. The real total I do not want to think about.

Bristol City Council (GREEN party) has made it clear that they do not care about wildlife death or tackling it. South Gloucestershire Council simply shrug in silence.

I have done everything one person can do and at this rate I expect to see the kn own total hit 400 by end of year.