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. inbreeding
- 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.
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