British Foxes and the Need for Hair and DNA Analysis

                                                                                                                                  

In Jose R. Castello's Canids of the World one phrase is repeated on many of the fox taxonomy notes when the statement that it (fox type) is believed to be a sub-species of Vulpes vulpes: "The validity of this and other subspecies has not been confirmed by genetic analysis".

The Russian fox is noted as an old type and description/history seems fairly clear. However, the most information available on "Russian foxes" are pages of links to taming and domestication of foxes as pets. Considering the past of the former USSR that foxes were not studied in the wild is not surprising.

The Cyprus red fox has the same advisory and certain authors have claimed the importation of foxes at least twice from various sources.

It is always when a canid has been driven to extinction (like other species) that science then shifts its lardy ass and asks "Didn't anyone study them? Shameful" and too late.

We have two main urban fox populations in the UK (that we know of) -Bristol and London. Bristol having once been a major trade port it is possible that there were markets for selling foxes there rather than have foxes land at London, be transported to a seller and then transported around the UK. Commercially, it makes more sense in 18th and 19th century infrastructures (if they can be called that) to import into major ports then be sold on by sellers in those towns.

However, we have foxes in Bristol and London and these should (again our knowledge is very limited) represent a cross section of imported foxes. Both cities also have a lot of fox feeders/watchers and it might be possible to recruit them to gather at least hair samples from "their" foxes for analysis. As fgar as I am aware this would be the first such attempted large study and could lead on to other associated studies.

When it comes to the importance such a study would have on British natural history it would be major. Results could be used and built on by researchers in other countries or even islands where foxes exist and there is a question mark as to their origins.

Persuading the fox feeders and watchers to help out will need a lot of diplomacy and persuasion but can be achieved.

The difficulty comes in finding a university or lab that is willing to donate spare time to the study of the hair samples because there is no funding for such projects however ground breaking they may be.

THAT is what I see as being needed in this field.