Foxes and Badgers -A Few Facts and History

 

It is often claimed that foxes only became urbanised around 1936 -which is a very precise date and cited without source which is what those of a scientific bent are meant to do.

It is also claimed that fox feeders are a modern thing when we know that there is anecdotal evidence of them being around in the 19th century (sadly in a few cases this lead to fox deaths).

We still read in books "We wonder how foxes and badgers might interact if they cross paths during the night". If you are laughing -stop it. These are proper paid naturalists and zoologists and, well, they depend on field naturalists for their information.

We know that badgers and foxes generally do nothing. They pass each other as well as feed in the same garden or field and we also know that in certain very large and old badger setts foxes also live. The only possible conflict -generally a grunt, growl or nudge- is when a fox gets too close to badger cubs or badgers get too close to fox cubs. Natural protection of its young. I can find no account of actual badger-fox fights and that is probably because the fox is not stupid enough to think it can take on a house cat let alone anything as tough as the badger.

Wild living foxes will take food where ever it is and if people do not know how to protect their chickens then they are fair game. It has to be said that there are many accounts where foxes ignore "freely available" chickens to go out to hunt rabbits and the importance of rabbits in a fox diet cannot be over stressed. After a myxomatosis outbreak in the 1950s that killed off rabbits in the SE of England foxes starved. They were that dependent.

Read this from The Eastbourne Gazette - Wednesday 19th February 1947

In point of fact even 'great sportsmen-naturalists' like John Colquhoun forbade hunting of badgers on his lands (he did let both of his sons kill one a piece "because") and others agreed that badgers were completely harmless and never caused a problem -they were still hunted for 'fun' however and one has to remember that in certain parts of the country they were killed -cubs and adults- for fun as well as for bounties. The original British fox types did not survive this type of human action and became extinct as did hares, deer and other hunted wildlife -don't worry; more were imported! So how did badgers ever survive? I found out quite by accident and am still backing up the data collected before reporting on this.

But, surely, badgers and foxes in towns and cities -how?? I found this in The Belfast Telegraph - Wednesday 22nd September, 1965:

We know wild rabbits come into Bristol and are found in the oddest places -thanks mainly to railway lines and disused tracks/cycle paths. Even muntjac deer are sighted in central Bristol.

When it comes to badger locations I never ever publish those. In fact I have been a bit of a pain and even been on the receiving end of some nasty comments (not from the original posters) when I comment to someone to please remove a location or comment to the effect that badgers live close by and give a time schedule for where and when they are seen each night! Snaring goes on even in the city. It goes on everywhere for 'fun' and as I was surprised to find out -some badgers killed are sold to taxidermists as "road-kill".

I was kicked off of one Face Book taxidermy group when I asked how a certain person found up to six badgers a week dead on the same short length of quiet country road? I explained that given the location I could contact badger groups, etc so that they could monitor and see how to trey to prevent that many 'accidental' deaths. The fella was making a nice earning from these 'road-kill' badgers and my question was apparently offensive -I was removed from the group and blocked!

What I do is list areas where we know there are badgers/setts so that if a sow is killed during cub season we can look for orphaned cubs. That's it. Other than that we leave them to get on with their lives.

If you look at the City of Bristol you will see the Old or Central area. Look on a map and you will find Totterdown, Filton, Knowle, Whitchurch, Fishponds -a large number of what were villages now making up the City and County of Bristol and, apart from construction the City has been kept fairly green and open despite council attempts to try to build on green spaces and areas of special interest. That badgers survive in some areas is down mainly to this historical enveloping of so many villages into one city -much as London as done over the decades.

Use of things such as rodenticides is not good for the environment and definitely not good for badgers, foxes, feral and domestic cats as well as hedgehogs and even birds such as owls and buzzards and hawks -even non predator birds nibbling at bait die. Where you have a good environment you will have prey -rats, mice and rabbits. Sadly, due to roads and cars as well as illness you will have dead animals. These all attract the predators as well as scavengers; foxes, badgers, hawks and buzzards; even the hedgehog (which was being killed for a bounty in the 19th and early 20th century -including in Bristol) "the gardener's friend" did its part in nibbling at carcasses in the wild and on roads.

That we have all of this on our door-step, even in central Bristol, is something we should cherish and preserve at all costs for future generations and prevent the selling off of green areas because with so many old industrial estates lying empty or semi empty there mis no excuse to destroy the environment. Learn about all aspects of wildlife and the environment because, despite what some might think, humans are not the most important thing.

Anger amongst the community as fox hunting still takes place across Somerset

 Story by James Evans, Somerset Live

 https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/anger-amongst-community-fox-hunting-7962457?fbclid=IwAR1Vs82DQ9fRMPsgRD5K_RtLbJr8x1Tue9ZuHloolVUQN1FKG9-K0ehc6tw

The League Against Cruel Sports have released figures that show Somerset being one of the worst counties for fox hunting in Britain

Recent figures have shown both the scale of fox hunting still taking place and the havoc that the hunts wreak on people and communities in Somerset.

The figures show Somerset is in the top five of the worst affected counties in Britain, according to the animal welfare charity League Against Cruel Sports.

According to the figures, there were 22 reports of either suspected illegal hunting or hunt havoc in Somerset between November 1 and December 7 this year.

The figures have been released to coincide with the Boxing Day fox hunt parades which has been dubbed the biggest day in the hunting calendar.

League Against Cruel Sports says the figures show the negative impact foxing has on wildlife, rural communities and people’s lives.

Head of campaigns and communications at League Against Cruel Sports, Emma Judd, said: “People will see the hunts out today in Somerset and not know that behind the finery is a so-called sport that sees public lives endangered on roads, livestock worried by out-of-control hounds, and in some cases, domestic pets killed.

“Our figures released today evidence the negative impact hunting has on rural communities and show clearly that it is time for change. Only by strengthening the law on hunting can communities, wildlife and rural values be protected.”

The worst offenders nationally were the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt based on the Somerset/Dorset border who featured in 12 incidents of suspected illegal hunting and 12 incidents of hunt havoc.

The counties with the highest combined totals of suspected illegal hunting and hunt havoc were Dorset (39), Yorkshire (30), Somerset (22), Warwickshire (21) and Gloucestershire (19). Emma added: “The bloodthirsty and shameful ‘sport’ of fox hunting is massively unpopular with the Somerset electorate who want to see hunting laws strengthened, and it’s time the Government came on board with public opinion.”

The Mirror Newspaper Glorifies Fox Killing and Dishes Out More Lies For A Royal Connection

 The Mirror glorifying someone who loves killing foxes as a big hunter and using Victorian terminology such as "the beast" for a fox and "vermin" -the fox is NOT classed as vermin in the UK. So many false statements in a hack article because there is a royal angle.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/royal-family-asked-foxhunter-kill-28775273?fbclid=IwAR0knfJh4b8IGyoPQnEreFXCWLxSGuZYf_PI2RammXn-hp1RvJUQCjcPCgw

What YOU Can Do

https://www.reuters.com/.../extinction-crisis-puts-1.../

1) vote only for politicians with a clear biodiversity plan -seriously in the UK even local council officials you ask them for their stance in print and you make them guarantee to keep their promises or face non stop emails of complaint if they renege.

2) support conservation organisations and local wildlife rescues

3) Don't just join local wildlife groups to sit on your backside and "Like" the pretty photos. See how you can help wildlife locally.

4) Try to educate your children and even friends on UK wildlife and why conserving wildlife is good for them and their friends and families.

5) if you have an allotment space or grow your own fruit and veg DO NOT use pesticides and PLEASE NEVER use rodenticides or slug pellets -there are natural deterrents.

Take responsibility and understand that you live in this country and humans have helped wipe out species here, shoot, trap, snare and poison daily. Species are gone and even if "re-introduced" will face the same perils.

Literally troll any politician who wants to build on green spaces and letter write, email or tweet at local and national politicians who are holding back preservation and conservation and who still permit or turn a blind eye to fox hunting and badger baiting -and that includes police forces.

EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS A BETTER COUNTRY TO LIVE IN.

Don't feck it up.

Extinction is FOREVER

A Few Words Before 2023

 

Just to show that nothing changers when it comes to dealing with sick and dead foxes I had another jaundiced looking dead fox reported yesterday.

Although jaundice is something that we are looking out for in foxes this one also seems to have had (untreated?) mange.  I made a commitment that no dead foxes with mange would be submitted for post mortem and that is only fair. I would not even like to calculate how many thousands the post mortems have cost to date after Fox no. 33 (I think -I get so many dead fox reports that it is lucky that Zoe Webber keeps track of the ones we handle!).

Mange causes eventual organ failure and other problems so either a fox with mange died from that or was killed by a car and died.

If we do come across a dead fox with no apparent external injuries so no visible cause of death (COD) then that does not mean there are no internal injuries caused by being hit by a car. We submit those as "No Apparent COD"   but we do try to be picky so things such as jaundice will almost automatically get us submitting it.

As the fox Deaths Project is the only one of its type in the UK we use Bristol, with the largest urban fox population outside of London, as a sort of national petri dish: what is happening to foxes in the City and County of Bristol is likely happening across the UK. Whether foxes in Ireland are affected by any of this we do not know since it is a separate island population and probably needs its own study.

We are all very aware that the budgets are being tightened and cut and some things the pathologist (an excellent one who digs until he gets answers) had access to before are now no longer available.  So we have to be picky.

There are some European countries where any dead wild animal -obvious road kill or not- undergo post mortems. This helps to show the current status of animals; is there a virus or illness running through lynx, wildcats, boar or foxes -post mortems can detect those and plotting where each animal was found can show whether it is a local population problem or more widespread. We have so far found and confirmed babesia and much more and it has certainly opened my eyes and slaps down the argument I was constantly hearing of "A dead fox? It was hit by a car!" Well, yes, in some cases, but pm examinations then reveal much more.

With proper funding I would, personally, like to see post mortems carried out on all dead foxes whether RTA (road traffic accident) or not. However, I have to be firmly in the real world where, despite all the claims and supposed environmental campaigns, wildlife is not a priority or consideration in most cases. In fact, butterflies, pretty birds and flowers tend to be of higher interest than large mammals such as foxes and the still much maligned, tormented and killed 'protected' badger. As the Bristol Badger Group falls under our work we have made arrangements that, should a suspicious badger death be reported, we can get it for post mortem under very strict conditions. Health and Safety Executive more or less bans badger post mortems under the "risk of bovine TB" clause even though badgers in Bristol have had anti TB treatment. Of course, that ban does not apply when it suits the present agenda.

One thing that has disappointed me is the fact that people are still reticent to report a dead badger or fox and during cub season that can be vital to helping cubs survive if the sow/vixen is killed on the roads.  We have plotted as many setts or territories as we can in preparation for 2023.  We may not take every dead fox or badger but I do register their deaths -dates and locations- so there is at least a record.

We do need far more education, not just in Bristol but nationally, on foxes and badgers and pointing out that if a fox is killing rats in your garden that is good for the fox and environment since rodenticides kill so many mammals and some birds and are a risk to house pets. No poisons then the fox can take care of your rodent problem for you and DO NOT believe the pest control (local authority or private company) lie that "Only rats and mice are affected by the poisons" and that there is no such thing as secondary rodenticide poisoning -I have the post mortem report and 50 years knowledge on that matter.

An Assessment of the Work So Far and What Is Needed In Future

 Update 24 12 2022

We are in an environmental and wildlife crisis in the UK and if wildlife groups decide "not for us" then they are not wildlife groups.

In response to this post the owner of Bristol and Surrounding Area Wildlife decided it needed to be deleted by him (despite a couple members thinking it a good idea), Please note that they say the group is about.  As fort this being a "campaign"? I assessed the fox and badger deaths -local wildlife discussed and NO campaign. I discussed why Bristol needed a wildlife rescue and the problems therein -NO campaign.

Surely if a group (whose members I have helped in the past few years ID wildlife) is set up to look at local wildlife, swop records and "talk about wildlife in our area" you cannot exclude "what can we do if we find a sick, injured or dead fox or badger"? "Wildlife" is not about swopping pictures of pretty butter5flies and birds and social club "Likes" and what I find a complete public slap down was the fact that the above message was on group for all to see and not in a private message as sent before discussing things. I am not in this for social likes and look at pretty pictures. As that is the group stance I have officially left the group.

"A forum for people in Bristol and the surrounding areas of BANES, South Gloucs, North Somerset, SE Wales (Monmouthshire, Newport, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan), Gloucs, Wilts and Somerset to swop wildlife records and talk about wildlife in our area only. We are not a campaigning group." 

**************************************************

During 2020 any fox found dead in Bristol resulted in the screams of "fox poisoner" and "fox killer at work" and many other comments levelled at the 'poisoner' that I could not publish here.  There was no trying to calm people down. A perfectly healthy fox was dead without a mark on it so "some ****** human ***** poisoned it!" It was hysteria pure and simple.

I also wondered about the number of dead foxes that appeared to, externally, look in great condition but had collapsed or were found dead in peoples gardens -in the gardens of fox feeders which, naturally, raised some concerns about a possible fox hater campaign.  The other alternative, that I have always been on the look out since 1976, is that some disease was killing foxes.

The symptoms seemed odd. Some were seen entering a garden, staggering then collapsing and had difficulty in breathing before expiring.

Initially I contacted Bristol City Council since they had declared themselves part of the war against environmental destruction and were all Green virtue signalling. Sure they would help. Then they decided not to help. In fact, very quickly after rodenticide was mentioned as a cause of death BCC blocked any communications from me and would simply not lift a finger in cooperation (at one point rather silly as it was, even declaring that they had no idea who the executive in the Mayor's office was) and gave myself and other false named officers to get in touch with. 

We also had the problem that veterinarians were giving cause of death of foxes taken to them as "Poisoning".  Nothing in writing since they were only dealing with a fox and "just a fox" is something I have come across too often in 50 years. It was the vet's opinion that poison killed the fox in question and that was it.

For me this was not good enough. If -if- someone was out poisoning foxes (and in doing that put other mammals as well as domestic pets at risk) then it required evidence. On one allotment in the BS3 area of Bristol three foxes were found dead and this was a nature friend allotment were pesticides and poisons were forbidden. I contacted Avon and Somerset Police Wildlife Crimes Officer but no response to messages. Someone at the allotment, at my suggestion, did contact him and he turned up and made a note and here is where it shows just how seriously he took his job and cared. The three dead foxes had been placed not 200 yards/metres away and were fresh: that is potential wildlife crime evidence but did he take photographs or bag the foxes to take them for post mortem to see whether poison was involved? No. He made notes which he termed "intelligence" and then went away.

What could I do? A few days later, not far from the allotments another fox was found dead. It was a case that absolutely no one wanted to take any interest in fox deaths. Private post mortem examinations would cost up to £260-300 a time and that was beyond my finances as wildlife work is more outlay and absolutely zero income. I bit the bullet and appealed to people on fox and wildlife groups to help by donating to post mortems and not one single person responded.

All the time, behind the scenes I was having sleepless nights after 18 hour days arguing with official bodies via email and phone (polite arguing as anger gets you nowhere) and I pushed and pushed and at the point when I seriously thought that the stress was going to do me in someone relented. Yes, if I took in a fox that had died under unusual circumstances they would post mortem it.  Then came the catch: they did not collect dead animals that would be down to me as a non-driver and knowing no one who did drive. After a few hits and misses along came Zoe Webber who assessed a dead fox on site and if it m,et our criteria collected and took it to the PM centre.

The biggest problem we had was that Friday until Monday morning the PM centre was closed and during winter storing a dead fox (it has to remain as fresh as possible) was no great problem but as warmer weather moved in decomposition was quick. I appealed to fox groups, local Bristol wildlife groups and asked whether any of the taxidermists who I knew were on some of the groups or any member could store a dead fox over the weekend? Nothing.  Did anyone have an old freezer or chiller to donate so that we could store a dead fox or two?  After a couple of years it was obvious that no one was that interested in helping out.  It was down to me to solve the problem and with no available cash a freezer was out. I announced that we could not check or collect dead foxes found from Friday to Monday and explained why (no storage facility) and the amount of grief I got back from people was ridiculous and that excludes the abuse from people who assumed that if  the council could not collect a decomposing fox on their property over the weekend then I should.

Let's not go into the hoaxes by persons in the Bristol 'fox community' to try to waste our time. 

In many cases I was told "There is a dead fox in my neighbours garden in Bedminster" -I asked where? No responses.  "There is a dead fox in ----- woods" again: where? and a response of "I don't know the exact spot I just passed it while walking the dogs" meant that dead fox, I assume that there was a dead fox, was lost to us. Ditto dead foxes in a field -when you are referring to many acres of field/hedgerows or woodland and cannot even tell us roughly the spot where the dead fox is...it's another lost to us.

To those people who have helped and reported dead foxes and badgers (Bristol Badger Group is part of our work, too) or have helped out Thank you.

These days we more or less insist on a photo of any dead fox or badger as it not only rules out a hoax but a photo can tell us a lot about the dead and also if it was moved from one location and placed where it was found. I have roughly 100 dead foxes and 10 dead badgers listed and out of the foxes only 31 have made it to post mortem for reasons already stated. It is a sad thing to say but  10 dead badgers is a ridiculously small number because we know badgers are found dead or seen by people on walks or driving by but they do not report them and we do need to know how many are dying and where (in cubbing season a dead sow may mean starving cubs nearby that need rescuing).  And 100 foxes is also a low number. People do note that they "saw a dead fox recently in the City" and that's it and that information is useless to us. Even foxes obviously killed by car strike are still recorded in the Fox Deaths Register.

We have a new volunteer dead fox collector just in case but all of this is done without a budget and there are real concerns that the post mortems may be stopped due to cut backs in budgets at which point the PM work stops.

After all of that it is odd to say that dead foxes and badgers are easy to deal with. The even bigger problem are the living ones. The ones injured that need to be trapped and treated and cared for until fit enough for release. A City and County the size of Bristol has no wildlife rescue. The only alternative has been Secret World down in Somerset which is a long back and forth journey and there are problems.

Secret World really does not want to cover Bristol. That is not a widely known fact as it has donators from Bristol and no one wants to lose donators. My brother contacted Secret World  about three years ago as a visiting fox had an obviously badly broken front leg. He was told "If it's a leg injury the policy is to put the animal down as soon as it is admitted" -the fox in question still lives, has a deformed front leg but jumps over fences and puts younger foxes in their place but if it was taken in for the leg to be treated it would have been put down.

"Oh just a one off or misunderstanding!" No. I have spoken to three other people who contacted me after reporting foxes with injured legs to Secret World and being told "We put leg injuries to sleep" that's four people with the same words. Well, in 2020 I contacted Secret World myself as a lady had a fox with a bad leg and it looked twisted so I asked the centre whether they could trap and treat the fox's leg?  Guess what I was told? I was told similar at the end of 2021 -I am happy to say that, although some of the foxes just use three legs now they move around, eat and drink normally and two have had cubs. 

Yes, I know that I am wasting my time with all of this but if I explain the situation then everyone knows the situation. First vet response is going to see injured or unwell foxes put down. A vet will not treat a fox or wildlife unless he/she knows that the animal will go to a wildlife rescue where it can be looked after and treatment paid for. Based on just 2022 stats that would mean that around 10 foxes that could recover and go back to living in the wild will be put down in 2023 -if the number is that low.

Bristol needs a wildlife rescue centre, however small at the start. Hedgehogs and even pigeons and grey squirrels are covered. Foxes and badgers are not (most vets note that they will not allow a badger on their premises due to the Bovine TB "risk").  We need a large shed or garage (a start up large shed will set us back £2000) and some secure land to establish a centre. Buying land is a fantasy but donation of land...well, that may also be a fantasy! We need traps for obvious reasons and holding cages and there is simply no funding for that type of thing since these are "Just foxes and badgers"

The above is a  16ft x 8ft shed which would be perfect as a set up triage wildlife rescue but cost is £2,300

Now Zoe Webber had at one time, if I remember correctly, four traps on the go for sick foxes in Bristol and that was not enough. Traps have to be humane and not cause an animal stress but each one costs around £127 and at minimum I would guess that seven would be needed as badger cages are different to those for foxes. The cage below is shown for demonstration purposes and is not the exact type we would use.

Remember that these are costs before having to get bandages and other first aid gear and equipment -bedding, water and food dishes, etc etc etc.  This cannot be done by individuals and no grants seem available.

Really it requires a plan and cooperation from local authorities and others.

The question is would the animal lovers of Bristol donate to finance such a wildlife rescue centre considering the number of wildlife casualties here each year? It would only be possible with public support and without it...well, the future for sick and injured wildlife does not look good.  I will have more to write on this subject next year but any thoughts or ideas please let me know.

A Few Words And I Am Pretty Annoyed

 

  Friends of the Self Isolating Bird Club had another "damned cat killing our birds -keep them indoors" rant.

So, to educate stupid and ill informed people as usual I responded:

"Humans kill millions of animals daily for food (most to be wasted) or 'fun' and the statistics over how many mammals/birds domestic cats kill are at best flawed.

So let's knock that one out of the way. The actual idea of indoor cats is one I followed as all of mine were rescued cats and lived very long lives -21-25 whereas there are too many dangers for cats outside."

Now, before anyone could read that comments were suspended. These wildlife social clubs on FB do not like it if you are not just there to applaud, "Like" or write "Wonderful shot" of a bird (butterfly, fox or whatever).

It's for this reason I am leaving most of the FB groups in the New Year because no matter how polite you are, how you lay out the facts and educate you get the nasty feedback (some times quite nasty) of: "No one asked for your opinion!"/ "You are anti fox/badger"/ "What do you know about it!" and the ever popular "I feed the foxes the way I always feed them and I shall keep doing so to stop them starving!" and the last one is usually accompanied by a photo of an overweight fox being hand fed or at the kitchen door and other members chiming in with "Well done you!" and "Looks lovely and healthy!" etc etc etc etc.

This is animal cruelty. Foxes are meant to be slim looking and they catch natural prey that has everything they need nutritionally and also get rid of rats, mice and all manner of other things for us -no need to use poison.

In the long term the over feeding is going to lead to far more ill health and death in foxes -just look at how when Western culture and fast food break into under developed countries obesity, heart, liver and other diseases increase -including diabetes.

This constant luring foxes to take food by hand or coaxing them into homes will see Avian Influenza or even covid jump species and then....bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang as the government begins a cull for "human safety" and there will be nothing any of the "fur baby" lovers can do about it. you. Overweight and unhealthy foxes are more susceptible to disease and it is only a matter of time. Running the only UK study on fox deaths (aptly named The Fox Deaths Project) I get to read the post mortem reports and those reveal a great deal about urban fox health.

I want to see foxes in this country live their wild lives -whether as country or urban foxes where they add to the overall environmental health and not be victims of hunts for 'sport' or culls for any reason as there is with (again based on bad science) badgers.

People in this country wiped out our three native fox types as well as other species. This time around we are seeing diseases (not just mange) killing foxes, cars and much more. We lose, at minimum, a suspected 65,000 foxes a year due to cars. "Fox lovers" (you know the ones I mean) are helping to shorten fox lives.

Extinction is forever.

One thing that I constantly see are the fox feeders who spend huge amounts of money each month to feed wild canids with plenty of natural food around wanting free treatment for 'their' fox(es)

Ivermectin its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm (aka "the silent killer") and acariasis (the closely related term, mange, is commonly used with domestic animals and also livestock and wild mammals, whenever hair-loss is involved. Sarcoptes and Demodex species are involved in mange, but both of these genera are also involved in human skin diseases (by convention only, not called mange). Sarcoptes in humans is especially severe symptomatically, and causes the condition scabies.

Ivermectin works through many mechanisms to kill the targeted parasites and can be taken orally or applied to the skin for external infestations. It belongs to the avermectin family of medication. You can find this in "spot on" drops and other forms from pet stores. It is important to assess the weight of the animal so that you get the correct does but more important that the fox you want to treat gets the meds and that you give it the full course.

There are "natural oil" and other "anti mange" treatments on Ebay but unless you know of their effectiveness avoid them. Natural is not "always best". If you are buying chicken wings and legs plus other foods for the fox coming to your garden DO NOT baulk at having to pay £20 or less for a med that will work.

The free (which is what attracts people) homeopathic drops from the National Fox Welfare Service or The Fox Rescuers can be effective in the early stages and I have used them and seen the results. However, I have seen their misuse through sheer stupidity.

I was once sent photos of a fox with open sores, fur loss (and if it survived...I doubt it) and the person who contacted me reported other fox deaths due to a “Super mange” that no one else seemed to have discovered “The drops just are not working and the mange gets so bad they die”. If ever I deserved an award for not finding out where a person lived and strangling them it was in this case. I asked whether he had contacted a wildlife rescue and I was told they would not be much good or they would kill the foxes. I told him what to do but this utter ------- told me that if the drops did not work nothing would (in his opinion). I even offered to contact a local rescue but that was rejected and he simply did not respond to messages. This person had personally been killing foxes through utter stupidity for a couple years. There was and is no “super mange” -the drops were not working and the foxes needed help and better meds. Anyone ever want to see the photos I was sent let me know but I won’t publish them here for obvious reasons.

I have seen mange kill foxes slowly and for me being within 10 feet (3m) of a few months old fox cub that I could not catch but was hit by very bad mange was the last straw. That gutted me. So I looked into treatments, effectiveness and at what stage a fox needs to be trapped and rescued and treated professionally.

I have seen a situation where two neighbours were treating the same fox with mange and it was not working. One was using the drops and another tablets purchased from a private individual who bought in bulk (illegal for someone who is not registered and there is no guarantee what the tablets were since no legitimate pharmaceutical company would sell in bulk to a member of the public). The fox had to be trapped and treated at a rescue then released afterwards because it took me a lot of cross-chatting between the two people involved to make them realise the fox HAD to be treated properly or it would be dead in a couple of weeks.

Ivermectin purchased legitimately would have worked. Also, if the two people who knew the fox in question went into both their gardens had talked to each other the risk of overdosing treating incorrectly would have been sorted.

I have heard and experienced fox feeders in an area refuse to cooperate with a wildlife rescue to trap and treat fox cubs with severe mange. WHY? I am well known enough for people to know I am pro fox yet when I asked on a local group (Face Book of course) whether anyone was treating a fox with mange in 2020...no response. The same in 2022. There ARE fox feeders in the area and I saw the evidence in the chicken bones, apricot stone and egg shells found while checking a garden. Why would feeders not (privately) just tell me “Yes. I am treating it”? That way overdosing with meds can be avoided and it is known the fox is being treated.

There are good and sensible feeders (I am not going to go into all of that again -just check past posts) but there are those who seem to think absolutely no one else is allowed to know about their “furry fox babies” and that this protects them; when it comes to a sick or injured animal they should be contacting a wildlife rescue for advice and those, like myself, never give out locations because we protect foxes. These are the people who really need to have it explained to them in the harshest way that THEY are responsible if a fox dies due to their mistreating them with meds and declaring “I did everything I could to help the poor thing” is false and does not excuse their refusing to help or contact a wildlife rescue to treat an injured or sick fox.

There are enough things a fox faces on a daily basis without the added danger of stupid feeders. You want a garden pet but have absolutely no idea about the wild canid you are interacting with. Read books on foxes and not just one with “pretty fox photos” and you can watch as many TV wildlife shows as you want but they will not teach you what you need to know.

Respect the wild canid in your garden. Learn that it needs and how it lives. Learn that when it is sick or injured you are NOT the only one that can save it.

To the sensible ones out there -thank you.

Before I Get Called "A Cranky Old Man"

 I think that, after honestly considering all things, I do not really want to be bothered correcting every wildlife trust or other institution and its dogma.  I have a life to live and these bodies always get the final say (usually that the person involved is a crank).

Once both books are published in the new year all the necessary material will be available for those interested including the rather obstructive and time wasting Natural History Museum (London).

Again, when both books are available then I will attempt to at least educate those who want to know factual wildlife history as opposed to fictional.

And Dogma Continues: Somerset Wetlands trust

 Somerset Wetlands post (and image):

Another spectacular former resident of the Somerset Levels today - the wild cat (Felis sylvestris). European wildcats once lived all over Britain, including the Levels. Nowadays they are confined to a handful of individuals in the Scottish Highlands, and will not recover without help, and space to thrive. www.somersetwildlands.org/support

Wild cats are superficially similar to domestic cats (which are descended from an African wildcat) and the two can interbreed. Their numbers have also been greatly reduced by persecution. Once widespread they were gone from Southern England by 1800.

Breeding with domestic cats has long been seen as the main threat to wild cats. There is increasing evidence though that the animals avoid each other if they can, so while hybridisation may occur, healthy populations of wild cats can continue to exist. https://www.theguardian.com/.../how-wildcats-will-be...

Like the pine marten, eagle and many others, the loss of wildcats from much of Britain is an example of how a once widespread mid-sized predator has been removed from the ecosystem. Their return might increase competition for other mid-sized predators like foxes and badgers.

Currently plans are underway to breed pure populations of wildcats with the ultimate aim of reintroducing them to England and Wales. Preliminary studies have suggested that the South West of England could be a good candidate. https://www.vwt.org.uk/.../WildcatFeasibilityReportFeb202...

Our friend and sometimes collaborator Peter Cooper has very much been involved in some of this planning and research. https://twitter.com/PeteMRC.../status/1023834768029503488...

My response:

NO. Totally incorrect. Firstly the image is NOT of a wildcat. A feral cat maybe. Felicide for money (bounties paid for adult and kitten heads) took place from the middle ages until the actual extinction of the wild cat from England, Scotland and Wales. 

Many books and articles from the 17th -19th centuries point out that the only reason wild cats had survived so long was BECAUSE of the breeding with feral domestics. The cats called wild cats today are feral tabby cats and there is taxidermy of what the wild cat looked like in the early 1800s. In 1897 the Scottish Naturalists and Zoologists declared that the "true" wild cat had become extinct by 1860. This is all fully documented. 

"Re-introducing" means importing cats from Europe so that they would NOT be British wild cats but an introduced species. In many parts of England hares, deer as well as foxes were made extinct to over hunting ('sport') with the result that these species had to be imported from Europe. This is all fully documented. 

"Even introducing a species such as European wild cats would still mean they would be shot, snared, poisoned as the current feral cats are -red squirrels and badgers are "protected" by law and are still killed with relative impunity. 

"I set up the Wild Cats and Ferals Study in 1980s and accepted the dogma that still persists. There is no such thing as a still existing Scottish wild cat."

 I ought to have pointed out that wild cats in England had not "died out" by 1800. That is a false date rather like 1600 often quoted.  I should have also pointed out that a group has been releasing pairs of wild cats (European) around England (possibly Wales) since the early 1990s and this is a quite open 'secret' so introducing European wild cats to areas with European wild cats might present problems.

Okay, I have around 50 years more knowledge on this than most and I am still learning more from archives but it seems that accepting dogma as fact means spending far less time straining the brain.