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." 

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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.