I have completed The Red Paper I: Canids and it has come out at over 360pp and has colour images, maps and far more information than the original 2010 version.
One thing I have learnt in contacting National, regional as well as local museums is that their knowledge on foxes is non existent. After searches not one can claim to have a fox dating back to pre 1900 and not one has any knowledge of the Old fox types. It may be that foxes being “just foxes” were not of much interest to museums as their patrons would probably have objected to “vermin” they hunted being put on display -that was for the study, club or hunt base.
It is almost shocking that I have not come across one Museum, including the very uncooperative Natural History Museum (with whom I have been regularly in touch since the 1970s), that is aware of the mass importing of foxes from Europe from the 17th century to early 1900s to keep hunts supplied for their ‘sport’. I was always told that museums were “places of learning” but it seems that was a very long time ago and then only on what they thought the Public ought to see or that might draw the punters in. That attitude is very prevalent today where “natural history” means “push the trendy agenda” of “We must save the (insert species name)!” and climate and the environment.
If the knowledge on foxes is non existent then any clues on wild cats is...well; not there. All the museums I have contacted only have post 1900 “Scottish wild cats” -the “Museum Standard” type that is probably a hybrid anyway since genuine wild cats were gone by the 19th century. Not one museum in Wales has an example of a taxidermy WELSH wild cat. In England I can find one museum (again not being cooperative at all) that claims to have “The last English wild cat” on display and in Ireland absolutely no one appears to have carried out any real research or field work into the “Irish wild cat” to sort out once and for all what it was.
Lupicide, melecide, felicide, vulpicide were all accepted terms up to the early 20th century. Far from a nation of animal lovers the English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh were nations helping to wipe out species -even hares and deer had to be imported to “continue the sport” and everyone kept quiet in front of their betters while there is evidence of some early fox feeders.
My colleague, LM, has the biggest collection of Old foxes -including a very important French one – and even wild cats than any museum in the UK including the Natural History Museum. What does that say about our education of youngsters and adults on subjects like foxes as good indicators of the ecosystem, better and safer rodent control than any traps or poisons or what we have lost and why we need to learn to fight to protect foxes and other species because, despite the childrens’s TV view of wildlife spouted in popular sources the mammals from otters (a supposed protected species), the badger (a supposed protected species), foxes (supposedly protected under law like all British wildlife) reintroduced and established birds of prey (supposedly protected species) -they are all still being poisoned, snared, trapped and shot and while the law seems to make the odd prosecution stick out of every 10 wildlife crimes 1 report will get anything done about it.
Ebay lists “Scottish wild cat taxidermy new” (illegal unless you have an APHA certificate showing it was not killed illegally) as well as many badgers (as I was told on taxidermy groups “All road-
kill” nod! Wink!) and when I see the protected species for sale I report them. Taxidermists appear to turn a blind eye so long as they are told “road-kill. I have the photo of the badger dead by the side of the road in case”.
The number of dead foxes reported to me this year alone (and I know that many are not reported) in Bristol is utterly depressing. Cars, illnesses just how foxes are surviving is almost beyond belief and I seriously do believe that the UK population is facing a crisis. I get people message me from around the UK asking how they can get a fox post mortem carried out or reporting RTA kills and that is without the ‘sporting shooters’ who kill so many each week (look at the n umber of “new” fox skulls for sale on Ebay and not just one trader but up to 5-6 at a time. Some 25 skulls for sale. 30 skulls for sale. 50 skulls for sale. No one seems to care and judging by the lack of responses on fox groups and even this forum I am guessing the “Can’t be bothered -someone else will sort it out” attitude is the one thing that guarantees this will continue.
Stand up.
Say Something.
DO Something.
Extinction is forever.
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