Building or Landscaping? Active Fox Den -BACK OFF

 

image used for illustration purposes

 Here is a problem we get all the time. Based on the response from the group it seems that studying the law regarding wildlife you deal with is a bore. Just as four badger cubs were transported without any documentation or license from the Isle of Wight to Somerset it seems that wildlife groups bend the law when it suits them.

On Greenwich Wildlife Network:

"We’ve found a fox and initially five (but now maybe three) cubs in a building site in kings X (between the British library and the Francis Crick Institute). We feel they may need to be moved before the building gets more intense?"

Adice: "Hi David, Unfortunately it isn't as simple as just moving foxes. Foxes are highly territorial animals, so if you remove them from their territory and place them somewhere else, they can be attacked by resident foxes and may struggle to find food, shelter and safe den sites.

There is also no guarantee that an entire family group could be trapped. You could easily end up leaving cubs or adults behind, separating the family and creating an even bigger welfare problem.

The good news is that foxes will often move cubs between several backup dens if they feel disturbed or unsafe, so they may relocate themselves as activity on the site increases.

We'd recommend contacting https://fox-a-gon.co.uk/ for advice on encouraging the family to move on naturally and humanely.

We would also strongly advise against using pest control companies that offer "humane relocation". In reality there is no genuinely humane way to relocate wild foxes long distances. Many foxes removed from their territory do not survive, and some companies may euthanise foxes despite using more reassuring language in their advertising.

If the site is due to be developed, it may also be worth speaking to the site manager so they are aware of the foxes' presence and can avoid any active den areas where possible"

I made it clear:

"Also it is illegal to tamper with an active den with cubs in: it is illegal and highly unethical to move, block, or destroy an active fox den while cubs are present. Under the UK's Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1995, intentionally causing suffering, crushing, or trapping animals inside a den is an offense. Everyone has now been notified publicly that there is a den and cubs so until dispersal season (around July) you cannot move. British Fox and Wild Canid Study f 1976"

See? I Was NOT Talking Out of My Kazoo

 

 The New Hunting Ban

Do you want these men to have more of a say on hunting than you?

A Freedom of Information request by The New Hunting Ban has exposed the pro-hunting lobbyists invited to a government “round table” meeting on hunting law, while the consultation on trail hunting continues.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has refused to disclose what was discussed, claiming that releasing the contents of the meeting “would not be in the public interest”.

So here’s the question: whose interests are being protected?

It is our duty to make sure the voices of those who promote the suffering and death of our wildlife are drowned out by those who love animals and want hunting with dogs ended for good.

Take part in the consultation. Tell the government a ban on trail hunting alone will not be enough. The Hunting Act must be strengthened to end hunting properly.

There's less than two weeks left before the consultation closes - the most comprehensive guidance on completing it can be found here: https://thenewhuntingban.com/trail-hunting-consultation

#TheNewHuntingBan

Can YOU See It?

 Another discovery by my colleague LM. A painting rediscovered is part of an exhibition and it mentions the eagles and how they were treated (200 years on it is still happening)  and that foxes would not go near the trapped bird. Look at the image....

Information:

Yes, wonderful eagle illustration. But here is the thing: NO mention of the unusual appearance of the fox. It is "the elephant in the painting" so to speak. No comment about it not looking like a modern fox or anything.  It is an image of an extinct British species and very clearly a mountain fox.

But, of course, "it's just a fox". To us it is even more pictorial evidence of the Mountain fox and matches taxidermy specimens but you would think that only the eagles are visible when the image is looked at.

My thanks to LM for forwarding.

The Wolf Bit...well, scratched but that is not very dramatic

  NDR (Germany) https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/wolf-der-in-altona-eine-frau-attackierte-ist-vermutlich-tot,wolf-628.html

Wolf, who attacked a woman in Altona, is presumed dead.

As of June 5, 2026, 9:18 PM

The Hamburg environmental authority believes it is likely that the wolf that ran through Altona at the end of March and injured a woman is now dead. Experts assume that the young wolf was shot and its tracking device destroyed.

The young wolf, after biting a woman in Hamburg in April, was initially taken to a wildlife rescue center in Lower Saxony. On Easter Sunday, it was fitted with a transmitter and released south of Hamburg, near the border with Lower Saxony. The environmental authorities had assured the public at the time that the wolf could be located at any time.

Both the wolf and the tracking device have disappeared.

The transmitter's data is available until the end of May – then contact is abruptly lost, the authority writes in response to an inquiry from NDR Hamburg. At the time of the last signal, the wolf was far away from Hamburg – in Damme, 160 kilometers away.

A defect is unlikely – as is the possibility that the wolf lost its collar. The transmitters are technically extremely reliable and well-tested, according to the authorities. A search operation failed to locate either the wolf or the collar. Therefore, the animal's death is considered probable.

Was the wolf shot?

Experts assume that the young wolf was shot and the transmitter destroyed. Since wolves are generally protected, a permit would have been required for the cull. However, authorities in Hamburg and Lower Saxony are still investigating whether this scenario is accurate.

The wolf sighted in Tötensen was a different animal.

According to the environmental authority, the wolf sightings in Tötensen and Neu Wulmsdorf involved a completely different wolf and not the one that attacked a woman in Altona in March. This could be ruled out based on the fur color and markings.

And here is the kicker: the wolf did NOT bite the woman which is why it was released. The following says it all.