Acquisition Of Old Fox Specimens

 

(c)2022 The British Fox Study

Over the period 1800-1930 many thousands of foxes were killed by hunts or country shooters and today those that survive as masks (heads) or full body specimens can provide a lot of scientific data for our study of British foxes.

How can they help us? Firstly, there are features on Old types that are not the same as the New imported foxes. Also the head can tell us a great deal about where the fox may have come from (North American Red fox -NARF- or European).

Secondly, a full specimen can tell us more; is it an Old bred with a New type fox? The colouration is also important and is one thing we have been looking at for a while now. Something we have noticed (first spotted by FoxForum Louise) and confirmed by myself are certain morphological difference in the skull of Old foxes.

There are other traits that we, as a team, have picked up on and are gathering evidence for. However, the problem is that we need to acquire more specimen donations.

The Fox Project was kind enough to supply me with hairs from rescued foxes which will provide a good guide in any future DNA study of hairs. We have a number of specimens believed to be Old fox types or Old intermixed with New. These will provide further hair samples. But what we really need, and according to the many museums I have been in contact with including the Natural History Museum and Royal Museum of Scotland they have no specimens or masks from the pre 1900 period that we are concentrating on.. In fact any masks they have are late 1930s on.

We hope that someone reading this may have, or knows someone who has, pre 1900 fox masks or even full body taxidermy specimens. This is a study run out of our own pockets which have run pretty low and there is no funding for this work so we are hoping that in the interest of preserving our wild canid heritage and trying to establish whether Old British foxes were their own sub-species unique to the UK that such people might consider donating said specimens.

It is a long shot I know but we can only try. I should point out that this request/work is looking at foxes from Ireland (N. Ireland/Eire) where it is likely there was also an Old fox type since even Western Europe had its own Old types until the Red Fox gradually spread to the West.

If you might have such a specimen and are willing to donate then please contact me at blacktowercg@hotmail.com or British Canid Historical Society on Face Book at this link: https://www.facebook.com/britishcanids.co.uk

initially please send photographs if you can help and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank You