Illustration of an Old British Fox

  I had to print (small) then scan at 600 dpi to make this better.

From Bristish Field Sports 1870 (p. 392) and if this is accurate it shows an Old fox type.

It's A Jackal! (I Think)

In a pub in Nomansland, Hants (in 2010 it was). I suspected a hybrid or jackal but I think this is an Old fox type but no date.

 credit Richard Muirhead.

That was 2010 this is now. Looking at it I am more inclined toward it being a jackal. I tried every pub landlord in the town but no one knows anything about this. My suspicion is that either someone bought it privately or it was nabbed by an antique dealer.

Had no luck with antique dealers in the area so it's another lost.

It Looks Like A Fox But...

 

 Please note that I have removed all items identifying the taxidermist. This is because of past experience and knowing that there are some very "odd" people out there. The taxidermist was asked about the mask (a mounted fox head) and only knew that it was one of the much sought after Spicer mounts. There was no information re. date.

The taxidermist had no idea about the mask other than that it was in need of repair. The repair work was based on this being identified as a fox.

Have a look at this photograph of a "fox mask" sent for repair after it was cleaned and colour restored and ears rep-laced (ears are a problem with taxidermies)  

(c)2025 respective copyright owner

Chunky but the right colouring...notice something off? Perhaps a photo of the mask that was submitted will help?   

(c)2025 respective copyright owner

Yes, it looks like a coyote head and this is a Spicer taxidermy so late 1880s/1890s when jackals, coyotes and even wolves were released for hunting in the UK. So without location I asked for an opinion in each case: "Clearly it is a coyote but looks old".

I decided to try something else so I searched online using the  image and it came up as a coyote taxidermy.

I wanted to try AI just to see what it would state. I uploaded the image and:

"The image displays a taxidermy coyote head mount being held by a person in what appears to be a workshop or storage area. The mount is an "as is" item, likely without a base."

Three sets of human eyes knowing what a coyote looks li9ke said "coyote".  An image search identified it as "coyote" and feeding into AI -"coyote".

This may be a coyote.

I have seen several fox masks that have been "repaired" and cleans, re-dyed and so on but have traits that do not look like fox and when I was told ears were replaced for "a better pair" by heart sank.  It is very likely that someone -a good few people- are looking at their 'fox mask' in their study or man shed and have no idea they have the evidence of the hunting of v coyotes and jackals for 'fun' in the UK. Some even have wolf heads that "show how big foxes are" because, quite honestly, they would not know the difference between a jackal, coyote, wolf or a fox.

The evidence is there in documents (books, journals and newspapers) of the time discussing the housing, attempted cross-breeding and releases of bagged jackals and coyotes at public events for a day of 'sport'.

This is just one example that we will never know the story of but I thank the taxidermists for the opportunity to see it "in the raw".

The Red Paper 2022 Volume I: Foxes, Jackals, Wolves, Coyotes and Wild Dogs of the United Kingdom and Ireland

 

361 pp

Paperback

Interior Color & Black and white

Dimensions A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm

£25.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/the-red-paper-2022-volume-1-canids/paperback/product-r97ywj.html?

 When the Doggerland bridge flooded the British Isles became separated from

Continental Europe and its wildlife developed uniquely. The British Isles, for the purpose of this work includes Ireland, and isolated the wolves on both became what would be island species not affected by the usual island dwarfism. These wolves, after millennia. Became “unwanted” and forests and woodland was burnt down or cut down for the specific purpose of lupicide; the killing of every and any wolf –and there was a bounty for “a job well done”.

At the same time there also developed three unique island species of Old fox from the coyote-like Mountain or Greyhound fox, the slightly smaller but robustly built Mastiff or Bulldog fox and the smaller Common or Cur fox –the latter like today’s red foxes had a symbiotic relationship with humans.

These canids were mainly ignored until it was decided that they could provide fur and meat and those things earn money. From that point onward, especially after all other game had been killed off, the fox faced what writers over the centuries referred to as vulpicide –extermination through bounties paid, trapping or hunting and despite all the hunters noting that the Old foxes were nearing extinction they continued to hunt until by the late 1880s the Old were gone and replaced by the New –foxes imported by the thousands every year for the ‘sport’ of fox hunting and this importation also led the the UK seeing the appearance of mange (unknown before the importations).

The travelling British sportsmen went coyote, wolf and jackal hunting and on returning to England wanted to bring a taste of this to “the good old country”. Wolves, jackals and coyotes were set up in hunting territories from where they could learn the lay of the land and provide good sport later. Some hunts even attempted to cross-breed foxes, jackals and Coyotes.

Then there were the legendary –almost mythical– “beasts”; the black beast of Edale, the killer canids of Cavan and the “girt dog” of Ennerdale.

In more recent times raccoon dogs and arctic foxes have appeared in the UK; some released for ‘sport’ while others are exotic escapees long since established in the countryside.

If you thought you knew what fox hunting was about prepare to be woken up by a sharp slap to the face and the reality that, by admissions of hunts themselves, this was all about fun and sport and nothing to do with “pest control”.

foxes

 

 Dead Bristol fox 330 and 331 just registered.

and Bristol City Council are munching down on biscuits and tea.

Fireworks -"oh, what 'fun'"

 Hanham, Bristol

 

This fox's life ended too soon.  Why? Because of some ***** moron's firework.

Severe damage to the leg and so was put down.  One more reason to despise humans. No apologies for the photos as we see these injuries but have to "sugar coat" them for the public.

Remember; 5th November a date when no one gives a damn about wildlife they terrify or kill  so long as the morons get to hear a loud bang!

all photos (c)2025 Sarah Mills

The Three "Wolves" Captured In Preston, Lancashire

 update  As an update to the report on the three "wolves" caught in Preston: police have now said that the animals have gone to "a sanctuary" and that they were not returned to the owner -who is unknown.

 This is a good example case of why monitoring exotics and escapes can be very convoluted in 2025.   My thanks to WildSide Exotic Rescue.

From 1977-early 2000s local authorities and police forces were more willing to cooperate and respond. Today privacy (even when not needed) and the fear of any comment being used against them means cooperation is often restricted but let me make it clear from the outseyt that Lancashire Police have been open to communicating but there have been problems as I will note further on.

First we had coyote packs roaming the UK and now we have wolf packs. Not sure how knowledgeable the police dog handlers are when it comes to wild canids or their knowledge on counting...one...two... oh. One appears to have escaped again..

I am glad the police have such expertise in wolves. Here is the item from Yahoo News 30 10 2025:

Police have issued an update after reports of ‘wolf-type animals’ were spotted roaming the streets of Barton.

On Thursday (October 30), at around 4.15pm, police received reports of what were thought to be wolf-type animals roaming in the Station Lane area.

Three animals were seized and taken to specially trained dog handlers so they could assess what type of animal they are.

Preston Police can now confirm that the animals are not thought to be wolves. Police have handed care of them over to the council.

A police spokesperson said: “Yesterday (October 30), we let you know about some wolf-type dogs found in Barton.

“Despite the speculation, we can confirm this was a real post, and not a trick (or treat).

“The dogs have been seized and we can confirm they are not thought to be wolves. The members of the public who reported this did so in good faith, and we want to thank them for getting in touch.

“We know there’s been a lot of ‘howling’ about this online, so we thought we best to update you.”

                                                                    -------

Checked the Preston Police page and left this message: "Terry Hooper

I've studied wild canids since 1976 and run the Exotic Animals Register and were I to come across these in the wild I would have thought wolf or wolf hybrid. A blood test would get a clear identification of species. And, yes, there is still a lot of exotic breeding and selling going on."

01  11 2025

"Hello.

"Regarding the three canids caught by police in Preston, Lancashire on 31^st October, 2025.

"Identification has been by police dog handlers and with all due respect they are not expert at identifying wild canids. I have studied foxes, jackals, wolves and coyotes since 1976 and as soon as I saw the photographs I could see that there was a lot of wolf traits."

That written, I always -always- get as many opinions from people who specialise in an animal as possible as that doesn't just back up my identification but people dealing with wolves each day carry more weight with identifications.

A DNA test takes time -0I know this only too well from working with Sir Alec Jeffries at Leicestyer University in the late 1990s/early 2000s on sample testing to ID exotics/  To confirm a canid is a wolf or a wolf-dog hybrid can generally take some 2-4 weeks to process once the sample is received by the lab. Some specialized tests, such as those offered by the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory for wolf-dog hybrids, can have a turnaround time of at least 15 business days

Once "in the UK" is mentioned people start throwing up objections or offer the "You don't have wolves in the UK".  However two have informally told me that there are "wild canid characteristics that would require DNA testing for a positive confirmation".  Here are what experts who don't mind being named state (all are weary due to wolf-dog hybrids):

JAB Canid Education and Conservation 

"They appear to at least have wild canid content. As far as I know wolf wolves do not exist in the U.K. A dna test could positively identify them"

The Voyageurs Wolf Project studies wolves in and around Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota.

"Hi Terry, Thanks for reaching out. They certainly have wolf-like characteristics but we are always wary of making any definitive statements about whether animals like this are truly wolves because wolf-dog hybridization is widespread and just because a canid looks like a wolf does not mean it is entirely a wolf. I.e., a high content wolf-dog hybrid can look very much like a wild wolf and not be a pure wolf. Hope that all makes sense. Best, Tom"

Wolf Watch UK

"Hi Terry, thanks for your email.

  

"Apparently, the police have established that these are not Wolves, and they are now in the care of the local council. I am guessing they might have DNA tested them.

  

"Unfortunately with the publics wish to own dogs that look like Wolves this is likely to be an ongoing problem which really does cause a lot of confusion and certainly cannot make your life easy.

"Best Wishes

Caroline

Wolf Watch UK "

Even being very conservative re identification the canids in the photos do possess wolf features. The best that could happen is that they are signed over to a trustworthy rescue and any DNA testing carried out thereafter.

Terry Hooper

British Fox and Wild Canids Study (1976)

Exotic Animals Register (1977)

The responses are quite sensible and point to the fact that you need to know the history of the animals in question. Escapes are also not unknown. If you have read The Red Paper Canids I discuss the lone wolf-dog that went missing in Scotland. There were reported sightings and then two clearly seen and identified wolf dogs -so where did the second come from?  To add to that in another part of Scotland two other wolf dogs were sighted. There can be no connection which means that there are two pairs of wolf dogs surviving well since in five years since the main lost animal sightings indicate healthy animals.

Someone seeing a wolf dog could well be more hostile toward it thinking that it is a wolf. 

On exotic animal groups there was a frenzy -people were constantly contacting the police ("repeatedly") which might explain police reticence -crime is the priority not "three lost dogs". The local authorities were also flooded with messages and on Face Book pages it was chaos. The "wolves have been offered a place at a wildlife sanctuary"/"They are going to euthanise the wolves over the weekend!" and even "A wolf dog rescue has told authorities they will take the animals" and so on and so forth.

Both myself and WildSide Exotic Rescue contacted the Preston Mayor as well as police and I contacted the Chief Constable.  Today we both received the news that the animals situation was sorted.

From the Chief Constable of Lancashire Police Tuesday 4th November 2025

"Hi Terry

 

"Thank you for your email.

 

"I can confirm the dogs have been returned to their owner.

 

Thanks"

My hope is that a check was made and that this is a one off incident. A one off incident blown out of all proportion by social media wanting to sensationalise "wolves on the loose in the UK" (it was an area of Preston not the country!) and sharing and using video clips for their own sensationalist claims and, of course, social media "Likes".  Naturally, the press/media was going to pick up on this as they were no doubt salivating at the prospect of a story involving "wild wolves" roaming "the UK"(Preston).

For now the "Three Little Wolves" are safe at home and I hope this was a one off adventure for them. They looked lost in the video clips but there was absolutely no threat from  and those who claim otherwise need to learn more about animals.

WildSide Exotic Rescue have been excellent from the get-go.

Was Mange Introduced To Bristol Foxes?

 That is a question I have heard a great deal since 1995 and in recent years people have pointed fingers.

Photo (c)2025 Sarah Mills

For 15 years Bristol University has denied access to the fox work carried out under Prof Stephen Harris -the published material did not contain much to surprise anyone who knew about foxes but it was, all said, a study of foxes. Prof Harris never responded to letters I sent him or the data included in those letters. I found it odd that the University and those involved in animal projects would not answer questions nor cooperate.

The findings of the Bristol Fox Deaths Study were supressed on the receipt of the draft and the harassment and threats I received are recorded online and very public) and I was also "banned" from submitting any further foxes or being allowed to know about future necropsies. The fact that Bristol University was aware of the threats and actions taken taken against me and felt there was no problem with this says a great deal.

A few years back I was contacted by someone who told me that there was a persistent rumour that the University mammal study group may have been paid to release mange foxes into Bristol to see how fast it, or any over disease/virus could spread amongst foxes. I asked Bristol Uni about this to set the record straight. They refused to respond.

Up until 1994 mange in foxes was hardly known in Bristol and there were people who treated minor ailments in foxes (at that time no vet would even consider allowing a fox in his/her surgery. Bristol Uni radio collared foxes and so they knew that "for some unknown reason" one of the study foxes left the City and went out into the countryside. After a few weeks it returned but with mange. The result was that Bristol lost approx 94% of the fox population to mange and that was soul destroying for all the fox carers in the City who just could not cope or treat a population.

The effects of what that one fox brought to Bristol is still felt today.

The questions I asked was WHY did a City born and bred fox with a good living and food sources suddenly decide to leave and go out into the countryside?

Study after study (however minor) have shown that a Town Fox is a Town Fox and a Country Fox is a Country fox. Pure and simple. In the years since I started the British Fox Study 1976 (later changed to British Fox and Wild Canids Study) I have never known a fox do this before although some country foxes through human expansion or constant threat will move into the outskirts of cities and towns (that is an historical fact).

In the decades since 1976 I have never heard of any town or city having 94% of its fox population die off due to a sudden start-stop mange outbreak. Bristol appears unique in that.

It was claimed that the fox was one of the study's radio monitored subjects so the question is where did it go "suddenly" and why did it "suddenly" re-appear in the City?

As it was explained it does not make sense. Suddenly it was back with mange. Bristol Uni would not answer the question of was the group able to follow the fox with its radio collar and had it mapped out where it had been. It should be noted that although the mange was noted the Mammal Group was not interested in treating the condition as it probably found it more interesting to look at how it affected the population.

The other odd thing is that it wasn't "Southville foxes have mange" followed by "foxes in Clifton have mange" and so on as it spread. This was, by all reports a major outbreak across the City and that was odd. Attempts to find out whether a spread had been noted -nothing.

I was first contacted and told that there was a persistent rumour (including amongst staff) when mange in foxes was mentioned that Bristol Uni received a grant to see how far and how fast a disease/virus could spread through the wild fox population because that would also show how fast an animal to human contagion could spread. These were "just" wild foxes after all -who cared? I didn't take the accusation seriously as the person (working at the Uni would not allow themselves to be named). That was 2020.

In 2021 I was discussing foxes and mange with someone who was a Bristol Uni graduate and studied biology. I was told by this person if I had heard about Bristol Uni releasing mange into the Bristol fox population? I was told "The Mammal Group" were the ones studying the spread. Again, I do not like rumour but in 2023 that changed.

An ex Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) officer was discussing my work on 'exotic' animals in the UK and I knew this person from my time as a UK police Forces advisor on exotic wildlife (1977-(semi retirement)2018) and he noted how exotics had avoided things such as mange in the UK countryside. We discussed the rumour that to get rid of country foxes (apparently shooting them was not fast enough) some farmers had a person who travelled by car ferry to Eire and would there pick up poisonous substances that once back in England would be distributed to farmers, etc who wanted to get rid of foxes and making it cost effective and not taking up too much of their time.

We also discussed the fact that there appeared to be a deliberate release of rabbits with myxomatosis in areas of England -something I had reported to me by a forester as well as estate warden. I asked whether that was likely and after debating typical farming attitudes to anything eating crops worth money I had examples given to me of similar reports to one I had received (including one from a farmer -I won't go into details here- who had family members come across rabbits "in a miserable state and I had to finish them. If I ever get my hands on whoever is behind this they'll get both barrels!" (I never mentioned that to the local police wildlife officer in our next conversation!).

The ex DEFRA man then said "No one cares about rabbits so who is going to kick up a fuss -they never did with the mange in Bristol." I asked him what he meant and he explained that a former colleague had once shown him photocopies of data sheets with "Bristol Uni" written on them and it all pertained to mange release in Bristol and studying how fast it spread,.

Le me put this in the way that I treat the matter. I have had, in total, since 2019, five people tell me that Bristol Uni released an infected fox in Bristol to study how fast disease/virus can spread (one though it was to see how fast rabies could spread if it ever reached the UK -it hasn't since 1926). That is a lot of finger pointing but no actual factual evidence.

Bristol Uni could quite simply respond with "That is totally untrue and we would never have done that" and the matter is ended. So why will they not do that? Would it be unethical at a time when it was believed that no one cared about foxes and the old hunt propaganda was still believed?

Well, Bristol Uni does use animals in research and this is from their own web page where you can learn more: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/animal-research/areas-we-study/

Animals used in research

In 2024, the University carried out scientific procedures on 22,660 animals in research regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The vast majority of these involved fish (51.6%) and rodents (47.3%).

Number of animals used by species and purpose

Species	Number of animals
	Sub-threshold	Mild	Moderate	Severe	Non-recovery
Mouse	6,107	1,598	1,589	14	819

Unless such bodies as Bristol Uni are open about past work and are willing to release material to the public -upon whose good faith, etc- it relies then the "Bristol Uni wiped out 94% of the City's fox population" will just continue to circulate.

DEFRA and Natural England regarding this subject "Have no knowledge and cannot comment" which does not give me much faith.