UK National Carnivore Advisory

https://www.facebook.com/groups/245424620670933 

Dead Fox Cubs -Do not Contact DEFRA, APHA or the RSPCA

 

As absolutely no one is interested in cooperating and since vets ('hindered' ) by the lack of cash from rescues have decided to say that any weak fox cub that has been found collapsed or weak is "possible RTA" -a great "get out of things quickly" diagnosis- I have decided to put in my more considered opinion.

There have been some fox cubs born with enlarged heads nd are prone to fits and dying. What we normally look at when it comes to deformities in young animals are:

1. 1. inbreeding
2. 2. environmental problem

Firstly, we know that in some areas fox numbers are low compared to urban areas. This could lead to a local population under stress and inbreeding to take place. However, most of the foxes found collapsed or those deformed are from urban areas where there are more than enough foxes to sustain a population without inbreeding.

So nbreeding does not seem likely though I shall come back to this.

The fox is a vital point in an ecological system and can be good indicators when something is going wrong. Unauthorised use of pesticides in an area or even chemical waste dumped illegally can have an effect on foxes as can rat and mouse poisons that are freely available in UK shops and used absolutely moronically by many people -placed out in the open on food that foxes, hedgehogs, domestic cats and even dogs can get at as well as birds. There are no national figures on the number of pets or wild mammals poisoned each year by rodent poisons. I once talked to a pest controller who told me that his business would suffer iof people ever caught on to using a cat to control their rodent problem.

No one has any real information in the UK so we have to look at a site in the United States -the National Pesticides Information Center (NPIC) for facts http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/rodenticides.html

"Rodenticides are pesticides that kill rodents. Rodents include not only rats and mice, but also squirrels, woodchucks, chipmunks, porcupines, nutria, and beavers. Although rodents play important roles in nature, they may sometimes require control. They can damage crops, violate housing codes, transmit disease, and in some cases cause ecological damage.

"Rodents, humans, dogs and cats are all mammals, so our bodies work in very similar ways. Rodenticides h.ave the same effect when eaten by any mammal. They can also affect birds. Rodenticides are usually formulated as baits, which are designed to attract animals. Flavorings may include fish oil, molasses or peanut butter. Baits used in agriculture and natural areas may contain ground meat, vegetables, grains, or fruits. These may be attractive to children and pets, so they should never be used or stored within their reach. Tamper-resistant bait stations make it even more difficult for accidents to happen. "

We know pesticides killed many foxes in the 1960s when used on crops (seeThe Red Paper: Canids). Long term effects of pesticides and rodenticides when ingested in low doses I can find no information on but it is worth considering as a possibility.

We are currently in a position that so many young cubs have never been observed or recorded on video before. This is due mainly to feeders and in some cases the feeders act totally irresponsibly when it comes to what they are feeding foxes -not just the wrong food but way too much.  Someone asked on a fox page if it was okay to feed something with chillies in to a fox!  As a guide, please read this:

It is too early to suggest that some feeders may be causing health issues in foxes -many feed carefully and some to treat injuries or mange (treatments being in the food).

We do know that many rescued cubs are rescued and then released into the wild in reasonably safe areas.  However, there is no history to these cubs; they have been treated and returned to 'full' health but nothing is known about the pack each came from, past problems, etc and to make it worse efforts to try to keep track of releases in the future met with either deliberate antagonism, strong reluctance and even obstruction amongst those rescuers involved.

Therefore monitoring for health and other reasons is impossible. A cub could appear healthy while having an underlying health problem that only manifests itself a year or so later or after a new litter is born.

As with humans, however, we know that there are defects in new born babies as well as stillbirths. In both England and Wales, the stillbirth rate decreased from 4.0 stillbirths per 1,000 total births in 2019 to 3.9 in the first three quarters (January to September) of 2020, in line with the long-term trend. We know nothing about fox cub deaths just that they are high and that many do not reach their first year -road traffic accidents, snares, shooting, mange etc..

I believe that any birth defects such as enlarged heads and fitting and death are probably part of the "norm" for foxes or at least fairly isolated and low.

The sudden collapse of a fox cub, or one found wandering and in a bad state is possibly normal for a city or town. The big factor here are cars. This year I have heard of two vixens (cubs) killed together on a road as well as a number of other  such incidents. If adult vixens have cubs that have not yet "learnt the ropes" on where to go to get food and the vixen is killed then the cubs will suffer -we have seen it with pumas, leopards, cheetahs, wolves -the young depend on the parents to teach them. In many cases we have reports of the vixen suddenly vanishing and the Dog fox or an "Auntie" fox will take over caring for cubs.

Cubs not getting food or liquid will become weak and dehydrated and by themselves wander out and at this point someone may see the cubs very weak or one collapsing.  With long term care and feeding up the cubs recover and this should be seen as a huge success in assisting wildlife recovery.

Really, fox cubs that have suddenly died or been found dead in a garden away from traffic should be a cause for concern and investigation. The Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) as well as Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have proven to be a waste of time as their (APHA) Post Mortem service relies on whoever found a dead cub/fox to handle and transport the animal to their nearest scheme partner and if they cannot do that then....no interest.

Firstly, DEFRA and APHA are interested only if pesticides may be involved. Secondly, the one thing any naturalist, zoologist, mammalogist -whatever title they use- will always stress to the public is to never touch or handle a sick or dead wild animal. Even the RSPCA forget this little basic rule. As for contacting the RSPCA here are two examples amongst many why not to contact them.

In the last week there was a situation in Bristol where a dead fox cub was found in a garden in one area and that same morning another was found in the next area -two dead cubs on the same day and both lain out in a prominent place where they could not be missed (unlike how vixens hide dead cubs). DEFRA, RSPCA and APHA -no interest: bury them or call the council to pick up the bodies for incineration. BECAUSE DEFRA had no interest and the RSPCA seemed to have the same attitude and the APHA could not find transport to pick up the carcasses from one part of the city to take it to another part for PM.

We then had four dead fox cubs found in conditions that were very suspicious. APHA -same story. YET the city council road clearance team (that also picks up dead animals) could pick the carcasses up but the APHA were so disinterested it could npot ask the local authority to take the carcasses to their Langford Veterinary school partner. My suspicions on these deaths I have made very clear. I ought to point out that the fox feeding community then went quiet on me and even those who contacted me initially blocked messages after.

Oh, and another young fox found dead in central Bristol had its head neatly cut off and the body placed outside a house. The RSPCA sent someone to collect the carcasse who told the finder, even after the very neat cut was pointed out that....another fox probably did this as they feed on the nutrients in the brain and eyes. Yes. I did swear on hearing that.

This means that anyone rescuing a fox cub has to take it to a vet. A veterinary practice is a business and if the rescuer does not have the funds a quick check over or antibiotics is all they are going to get along with "might be a collision with a car".  X-rays and blood tests are expensive -I know. I have been there and seriously bankrupted- so a rescue will just feed and monitor because it probably has a very large number of orphaned cubs to take care of. And that means....we do not know.

DEFRA should have a scheme in place to pay for unusual cases to be looked into and that compensates vets for the work.  A virus or disease starting amongst foxes could be nipped in the bud by early detection. Pollutents in an area (and there is still a great deal of dumping going on in the UK), overuse of pesticides and much more could be detected from examining sick or dead cubs.

All we can say is that a vixen -or even both parents together- being killed will lead to young becoming dehydrated, hungry and weak and seemingly disorientated and collapsing or dying. Rescues do a great deal -and, please, if you can support your local wild animal rescue centre because many of them work incredibly hard and donations is what keeps them going- but they are not wildlife medical centres.  Considering the training veterinary students might get from helping out I am surprised none volunteer (but then there is the question of costs).

We should not press any panic buttons because, as I wrote, this may be the norm but still needs monitoring -after all, you can report suspected killing of badgers and sett destruction as well as any dead badger found to the UK Badger Watch -why not foxes?

This is why I set up the National Carnivore Advisory to gather data while the DEFRA, APHA and RSPCA do nothing. It is a start.

DO NOT OVERFEED and Definitely DO NOT Encourage Foxes Into The Home

 There are people out there who keep an eye on foxes and also medicated them for injuries and mange. I have no problem with those people.

The problem comes with over feeding and habituation. If a fox is given food and you see it take it away and bury it then that is excess food.

Not wanted.

Last month it hit home how over fed foxes are when people on various Bristol groups noted that they found chicken eggs buried in planters, shrubberies and so on. They could not identify the bones but I am suspecting chicken bones -I have found them in my garden and I never fed chicken eggs or chicken drum sticks to foxes. I have even found larger bones from roasts near my garden (I'm a vegetarian since 1983 so no meat in my house).

Foxes that are over fed create a problem. They would naturally kill rats and mice which is a far better form of pest control than the dangerous poisons used by local authorities. Rodents and beetles, moths, etc ARE natural fox food. They are meant to look slim and not chubby (that in itself can be an indicator of previously unheard of diseases in foxes starting to occur).

When I was treating the local foxes, and when they had two cubs, I put out two cut up LIGHTLY jammed sandwiches and they helped themselves to the cat food put out for hedgehogs as well as dry cat food. Even two adults with two cubs did not clear up the food. The dry cat food was rarely touched. Often, the wet cat food put out for the hogs was still left over after it had eaten. These are now hungry foxes and they used to be very good at keeping down rats.

Daily feeding with sugared jam doughnuts and other highly sugared products is not good. It should be an occasional treat because I cannot see feeders paying for the diabetic medication, running twice daily blood checks and injecting a wild fox with insulin when it gets diabetes. I've had to do that with cats and it is not easy so a wild fox...?

Cut back on food and it will save you money, it will allow the fox to suppliment the wild food it gets and being a wild canid it MUST keep all of its hunting instincts active.

I have read what people have posted on fox groups; they have fed a fox twice daily for a year but now are moving -will the fox be okay?

Or "I'm going away for a year and worry about who will feed my foxes".

Firstly, they are NO ONE'S foxes:they are wild canids. If you want a pet canid go to an animal rescue and buy a dog.

Secondly, it shows irresponsibility beyond belief. Oh, you are moving house and going to another part of the country -and you hope your pet dog youleft at the old place will be fed?

I noted several such posts got comments that neighbours should be asked to feed the foxes -that is as outrageous a suggestion as are the negative comments towards neighbours who have apparently said "no". I will buy a dog BUT you people are going to have to feed it, okay? No.

We have had incidents where people have turned around in their kitchens to find a fox (or two foxes) looking up at them. They panic and if they report this to the RSPCA or local authority you have two "pest foxes" and the pest controller will be smiling all the way to the bank -habituated foxes are "easy to shoot" and these people love the work as it pays highly.

A person who moved into a house asked a feeder to stop as the foxes were urinating and defecating on his doorstep. Theresponbse to this on one fox group was to "Tell him to **** off you've been there longer than him!" No. A person spends many thousands on a new home and does not expect fox urine and fecal matter to be deposited each night at their doorways. They will report it to the council and..."pest foxes" help pay for the pest controllers next holiday.

Do what other people do if you insiste on feedin a fox -do it away from your garden because unless you have pro fox neighbours there is going to be trouble.

Feed foxes sensibly. Think about what you are feeding them and WHERE you are feeding them.

Habituation is where you get a wild animal used to humans and this is never a good thing because humans just have no idea how to react to wild animals and do not understand their behaviour -swishing a tail does not necessarily mean they are say "Hello!" There is example after example of how bad this is for the wild animal -"All humans are nice" is NOT something you want them to think.

If people moving away after encouraging foxes to come to the house for food is not bad enough there is one act that should really be made a criminal offence against wildlife: deliberatly enticing foxes into your homes.

There is video after video of people enticing foxes to get closer to them. But then they HAVE to get them to take food from their hand. Then that is not good enough. Food is used to lure foxes to kitchen or patio doors and then just inside the house and finally to encourage them into the living room. Then people asked how they could get fox cubs nearer to them so they can pick them up "for a cuddle"!

1. I have tried to explain repeatedly that hand feeding is NOT a good idea.
2. I have repeatedly explained that foxes must NOT be encouraged into the home.
3. I have stated that under no circumstances should anyone attempt to grab and try to "cuddle" a fox cub -the mother will likely bite to defend its cub or even reject the cub.

This is all a total disrespect of the wild animal. 

Again: BUY A DOMESTIC DOG.

Someone doesn't like foxes and calls in pest control. 

"Here you are, boy, lovely jam doughnut. Come to daddy" 

BANG! 

Dead fox. 

Dead vixen and cubs. 

Paid by the dead fox the pest controller doesn't give a damn and if they have a mate who knows someone who'll pay a few quid for fox cubs for, uh, 'sport' purposes do you think they care?

Scream and shout as much as you want but the council decides and pays the pest controller and habituating has made the job so much easier for them.

DO NOT EVER encourage foxes into the home. 

I've spent over 40 years specialising in foxes and I have never seen them being put in so much danger by people who claim to "love" them. A step-by-step guide on how to encourage foxes into the house can be found on most fox groups and the worst part of it is these people seem to be doing this for social media likes -one person bomarded every fox and local wildlife group with his fox photos (no reason just wanted everyone to see his photos) and was outraged that Face Book blocked him for a while as a spammer. He was.

Feed foxes very carefully and watch what you feed them -keep a note of what you feed every day and then look at the list after a couple weeks (one woman told me that she realised the wild fox was eating better than her kids....then neighbours started finding food caches in their gardens).

Just be sensible because we are fast approaching a point where foxes will be labelled "urban pests" and you will be unable to do a thing about their snaring, poisoning or shooting.

I. AM. NOT. JOKING.

Foxes are currently given very little regard as it is and once the wheel is set in motion we will see a couple vans full of dead foxes in most towns and cities each night until.....

No more foxes.

This Shows Why I set up the UK Carnivore Advisory

In the space of a week in Bristol we had six fox cub deaths. 

1. On Monday 14th June in BS9 an unmarked and otherwise healthy looking fox cub was found dead, out in the open in the middle of a garden. 

2. On that same day, in neighbouring BS10, another seemingly unmarked fox cub was found dead in front of a front room window.

3. On Thursday 17th June four fox cubs were found dead in BS32 (see map) which is separated from BS9 and BS10 by BS34. 

Although we had to put the four cubs deaths down to "drowning" there was a big question mark over this as some things were not "quite right". No one was willing to take the first two cubs for PM (Post mortem) and the people involved buried the carcasses 3.5 to 4 feet down.

The person who found the four cubs took some very clear photographs of the scene and bodies which is why my suspicions were aroused. The Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) advise any dead animals are reported to local councils who remove carcasses whether domestic or wild) .

The Animal & Plant Health Agency stated that it had centres around England to carry out PMs and eventually the Langford Veterinary School was in contact with the finder and would do a PM but only if he picked up then transported the carcasses across the city to them. 

By Monday afternoon, after the APHA via Langford told me that they were in touch with the finder about collecting the carcasses I received this message from him:

 "The PM told me the following.

We do not have a pick up service for carcase collection.

There is a system running in Bristol with the Veterinary School site at Southwell St to collect pet animals from specified practices in the city.

The technical team associated with the Pathology service at Langford also collect specimens from designated suppliers for teaching – but they do not collect animals for postmortem examination.

They offered to do the PM on Friday or Tuesday if I could get the animals to them. Unfortunately the Council was unable to supply a team to do this as they had other commitments we couldn’t get out of. 

I too wouldn’t like the idea of handling the foxes without adequate training. Seems there may be an issue collecting animals for PM?"

This means that they are using the bodies of pets that have died for "whatever" but have no interest in foxes unless someone can get the carcasses to them if they can be bothered giving the time. 

Let me make something very clear here: any professional dealing with animals and particularly dead ones would -or should- NEVER ask a member of the public to handle carcasses of animals that have died from something not yet determined and then transport them in their car across the county. What if the animals had something that was transmissable to humans or other animals? Professionals would have the clothing etc necessary to safeguard them when handling dead animals.

Three incidents of fox cub deaths in a small geographic area might be "the norm" we just do not know enough about foxes or cubs. But to date those are the only incidents reported to me from Bristol and in such a small geographic area that it ought to raise questions.

It is pointless contacting the RSPCA. A headless fox was found outside someone's house in BS4. The head had been removed with a very clean and clear cut.  The RSPCA conclusion was that another fox had taken the head to feed on the nutrients in the brain and eyes. 

My apologies but that is pure horse shit.  

The person involved in finding the fox pointed out that the cut was very clean but "A fox dunnit".  

Then someone suggested that, perhaps a taxidermist was just casually strolling by and took advantage of the dead fox....a taxidermist does not remove animal heads and leave the body -a stuffed fox can fetch quite a lot of money while a mask (head) a lot less. And this wandering taxidermist left the headless body outside of a house?

Either someone has targetted and killed fox cubs or the cubs died from accidental poisoning from rat poison put out by neighbours. Rat and mouse poison is freely available in shops and should be illegal as it kills hedgehogs, cats and dogs. A PM would have given answers.

It seems that the only reason DEFRA or the APHA will be interested is if poisoning of some kind is suspected. So, unless it is a headless fox left by some taxidermist or a cub/adult clearly killed in an RTA (road traffic accident) if an adult/cub is found with no signs of injury but looks in a good condition let me know the details -please put the carcasse in a black bin liner or box and I will contact the APHA or Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme and reporting it as "suspicion of poisoning".

Foxes are a vital part of the UKs environmental system and can tell us when problems are emerging. To do nothing when fox cubs suddenly start dying for no clear reason is simply irresponsible but shows why I set up the UK Carnivore Advisory because while it cannot carry out the tests necessary it can record and report on these cases until some -say DEFRA- actually does something positive.

PLEASE Report Sick Fox Cubs and DEAD Fox Cubs

 A headless fox cub dumped in front of someones house in Bristol: the RSPCA told her that the head had probably been eaten....by a fox. As far as I understand it the RSPCA never sent anyone to get the body.

In Swindon, four fox cubs that looked as though "they had been mauled" were found in a woman's garden.

Foxes are NOT going to bite off a cubs head and take it away to eat while the rest of the meatier body is left in situ. I try to be respectful but the RSPCA uttering this type of garbage does not help foxes but strengthens the pro hunt promoting of foxes as killers.

I do wonder how many cubs are found dead in open parts of the garden and people think the vixen placed it there? Vixens usually put dead cubs out of sight. Please, if you know people who feed or watch foxes ask them to keep a look out and if they see any dead cubs or adults that are not RTA victims to report them.

ALWAYS feed any foxes in rear gardens that do not have easy access.

If you have trail cams always check them and if anyone appears on the images captured contact the police -such as "Rough Trader" above (ignore camera time this was in 2020)

This has all been a depressing distraction from other problems being looked at. Fox cubs that are found ill and physically weak, maybe having seizures firstly contact your local wildlife rescue! Secondly, let me know. If any cubs appear with what seem to be over large heads -let me know.

We need to find out far more about cub mortality and whether what we are seeing this year is the norm (most cubs do not make it to a full year) or something else is going on.

The four cubs found dead in Bristol. I have seen the photographs and they are graphic (I will not be showing them online). I have now been asked twice why I will not say any more on the subject or offer an opinion.

Firstly, I need to make sure the APHA gets to the bodies and can perform post mortems and in any case I NEVER divulge a location or name of the reportee without permission.

Secondly, I can make a guess based on what I see in the photographs, however, that is a guess and what we need are FACTS and those facts only come from post mortems because looks can be very deceptive and this is not a sensationaliost page. Once we know what is going on then everyone will be told.

I am not hiding anything from anyone but we have to have facts and can advise based on those.

For the rest of the day I hope to sit back and relax and try to get all of this out of my head for a few hours!

Fox Cub Deaths and Recent Illnesses A Cause For Concern?

 Based on the fact that Bristol has a large fox population we can expect hundreds of cubs to be born in 2021. A lot of cubs do not make it to one year old. Disease and so on take their toll. However we still know so little about foxes and less about the life of fox cubs.

The incidents we have seen in England (I have no reports from Wales or Scotland) would make up a tiny percentage of the fox cub numbers and may be "the norm" -we just dpo not know which is why we HAVE to find out to assess things.

With Bristol a fox cub was found in BS9. On the same day (Monday 15th) another cub was found dead in neighbouring BS10. Very probably coincidence but the fact that the areas border each other did play on my paranoid streak.

Both cubs were buried 3.5-4 feet deep as at that time no one could advise on what to do if a dead fox/fox cub was found and all quarters stated to contact the council services (who stated they did not collect dead wildlife -??) or bury the body. There was no Post Mortem carried out to determine cause of death.

Later I was told the Health and Safeyty Executive (HSE) shpould be contacted but they assure me that this is only in the event of suspected misuse of pesticides.

I knew of the Animal & Plant Health agency (APHA) from my old EAR work but was unaware that they would now be interested in foxes found dead (the scheme for this began after my time with UK Police forces).

Today (Sunday, 20th June) I received a message that four (4) cubs had been found dead in BS32 on Thursday, 17th; BS9 and BS10 are directly connected with BS34 acting as a buffer area with BS32. If I am informed of any deaths in BS34 it would be worrying but we have to remember that few people see fox cubs let alone find or report dead fox cubs.

Cubs may have been found dead in other areas but with no reports we cannot know.

There are two main, large urban fox populations in England -London and Bristol. How many dead cubs have been found in London and reported?

I am NOT going to press any panic button because the deaths and recent ill cubs -diagnosis without blood tests are always "possible RTA"- may all be naturally occurring each year.

However, this type of situation will need to be monitored in 2021, 2022 and further on to determine this.

But cubs or adults found dead MUST be reported asap so that post mortems can be undertaken and possible causes identified.

map: crosses denote where cubs were found

Feeding Wildlife in the UK -BE AWARE

 

Fox Cub Deaths -Please Report asap

 

As an update on my post regarding fox cub deaths...

I have now been informed of two fox cubs found dead in Bristol gardens on Monday 14th June.

That one was in BS9 and the other in neighbouring BS10 raises a few concerns as does the fact that there were no visible injuries. To put it into perspective BS9 and BS10 probably has a fair sized fox population and we know cub mortality can be high so two deaths out of dozens of cubs is not significant unless more are reported.

The Health and Safety Executive can collect bodies and have them examined for cause of death. The possibilities are disease or a virus which vets would need to be alerted to. The others include pollutants or pesticides or even poisons. Once a cause of death can be determined action, if necessary, can be taken.

So, please, if you find a dead cub photograph it as you found it in situ. Take a photo of the head/face and full body shot then please bag the body and then get in touch with me so that I can report it to the HSE to collect.

If the cause of death is a disease or virus then being alerted to this quickly could save other foxes.

Thank You

Badgers and Foxes -Friends or Foes?

 

Photo: http://www.moorhen.me.uk/iodsubject/mammals_-_fox_01.htm

Sarah Gnik posted on The Wildlife In Shirley , Solihull:

"I was just reading the solhull updates post about the fox dad looking after its cubs as the fox mom got injured by a badger and has not been since since, just curious we have one alone badger ( there was 5 last year I have no idea where the rest have gone) that feeds with the foxes and cats and I have never once since a scuffle... whats every one else thoughts? on wildlife interacting peacefully or not so.... and is usual for a badger to be alone?"

So my best response was (as always) long winded:

"A few points from someone who has run the Fox Study since 1976. Most of the books on foxes and badgers will tell you thayt "They must cross paths but how they interact is unknown" they write this because they have NOT studied foxes. Today we have many photos as well as many hours of video footage of badgers and foxes, foxes and hedgehogs, hedgehogs and badgers and even foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and domestic cats eating together in the same small area.

As fox cubs grow they do scuffle with eaxch other to show who is "top dog". Badgers get -or can- a bit pushy when they have cubs to feed -they want as much of the food for themselves as they can get, Same with foxes, however, no single fox is going to take on a badger, What they tend to do is work in a pair -one distracting the badger while the other grabs food. Even two adult dog foxes are not likely to get the better of a badger. One thing I learnt is that around April/May each year regular foxes will vanish. They can return weeks, months or as in two cases a year or two years later. Why they do this we can guess but do not know.

Sadly, many thousands of adult and cubs are killed every year by cars -a couple months ago a pair of vixens killed together on the road. Badgers fair just as badly and on top of continued badger baiting, snaring, shooting and even poisoning (of a supposed protected species) many thousands die on the road (a rough figure back in 2000 was approx. 55,000 killed by cars across the UK. A single badger may just be trying a new garden or could be the survivorfrom a sett (again, we still know so little about mortality just that it is high. In many cases, with foxes, if a vixen is killed the dog fox or an "aunt" fox will take over looking after cubs.

Many wounds in foxes -bits of ear missing, bites around the face etc are typical of canid fighting/attack -which happens.

Surprisingly, I know of two badger setts (which must be large) where foxes live in one part and badgers in another. The only way you will be able to tell if a fox has scuffled with a fox is if you have it on camera but badger jaws would take a sizeable piece out of a fox. Badgers warning foxes from food I have heard a lot about when there are young to feed.

Never in all my time seen evidence of a fox fighting with a badger. But who knows!"