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From The Reminiscences Of A First Whipper-in(1904)
(note: a "brace" =a pair)
"On October 27th, 1882, when the meet was at Thorpe we had another clinking good day after a stormy blustering
"The largest number of cubs killed in one morning at Bradbury Wood is ten, viz : — four and a half brace accounted for at the time, and one picked up next morning, making five brace. It may be added that at the same time six brace went away before a kill was recorded ! Possibly the North Durham hounds have eclipsed this, as I hear on the authority of their Master, that they once killed in one day the following mixed bag, viz. : — a brace of foxes, two cats, one hare, one cock pheasant, one weasel, and one hedgehog ! "
You will note that there was then, as there is now, no control of the hounds which were raised to chase and kill a small animal and pets as well as tenants fowls etc were killed regularly.
You discover a good few horses were "wasted"/fell (died when pushed to extremes) and everything is joyfully recorded yet when you read the pages it is disturbing on a scale I had not thought about before. Yes, we know the extent of fox killing (vulpicide –killing any and every fox whether newborn, cub or adult- was a good money earner for most people and bounties continued on into the early 20thcentury in some areas. It was “a job well done”) but this book is typical of its kind at that time: these were the landed gents or people with money and they took great pleasure at what they were killing and the numbers killed whether hares (causing a bit of an argument because hares were the preserve of the hare hunters!), dogs, cats -jolly fun.
I had never actually considered the psychological make-up of these people -other than the fact that they were most definitely "disturbed" because of the enjoyment they got from killing vixens "in cub", cubs and really, just about anything else that got in the way. Re-reading Russell's book I wondered what a psychologist might make of it all? Certainly I would not want to live next door to these people.
The modern myth is that "all" country folk supported the fox hunts and this is actually a proven lie -especially if you research the periodicals of the 18th and 19th centuries it is only when some small holders pets or live stock are killed and the impudent wretch takes legal action that we hear the "but this is pest control!" excuse. The hunts had wiped out the British Old foxes by the 1880s and had been importing thousands of European foxes each year (since the 1600s)…for hunting. Why? Had they not wiped out their “vermin”?
Looking at the numbers killed by just a few hunts you can see why the true British fox became near extinct, in fact there may not be many with any of the Old fox DNA in them from hybridisation now because many thousands of foxes were imported yearly "for the sport of fox-hunting" and every manual on fox-hunting, every magazine article as well as interviews with, ahem, as the press called them, "great hunters" made that very clear: it was a rousing sport for gentlemen and ladies. But these hunts, and those who supplied them, brought the UK a ‘gift’ still causing suffering and death to this day –mange. Pre-importation mange was unknown but as one “good fellow” sent some gift foxes to another “good fellow” so they spread the mange around the country until it reached even isolated Scotland.
Then we have the "damn sad" state where earths are opened and searches made but no foxes to kill -"Where are they all -we killed at least thirty last season!" It is almost like the sociopath killer who looks around a body strewn bar because he can't find anyone else to kill. He shrugs and asks "Where have they all gone -none left?"
It took between 1977-2010 to compile the data in Red Paper: Canids and until it was all put together I never really truly realised what had gone on. This is how the British fox was on the very brink and then fell over into the abyss of extinction. Today it is just a memory to those who even know about them -like the lynx, the wolf, the bear and other British mammals hunted to extinction.
The British Canid Historical Society wants to educate and discover more about our lost canids and continue the work I started in 1976 so that it can continue when I am no longer here.
The Fox Deaths Project is helping us learn more about fox health and how foxes are dying. It was a long hard struggle but I got it rolling with the help of my colleague Zoe Webber.
I warn and shout regularly about the threat –even in cities- of people using snares to trap and kill foxes –with other wildlife and pets victims. I warn about the use of rodenticide by untrained members of the public and local authorities. I warn about the use of slug pellets that kill hedgehogs and other wildlife; if it eats slugs then it is being poisoned by slug pellets.
Badgers also suffer from all of the above and badger baiting is still taking place in England.
If you know of someone killing wildlife deliberately then you HAVE to report them or you are complicit in every animal’s death. Your neighbour wants to put out slug pellets or rodenticides then talk to them and explain what they are doing.
Hammer away at local authorities to stop rodenticide use and let cats, owls, foxes and badgers deal with rats and mice the natural way.
Everyone has to play a part in protecting our wildlife and not rely on false promises by local authorities. It is Our wildlife. We are killing it.
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