Mysterious Corsican 'cat-fox' revealed as unique species -Who Would Have Guessed?

 Back in 2000 I published my paper on Wild Cats, Ferals and Hybrids which was only 20_pp as opposed to the recent Red Paper 2022 vol. 2 Felids which is 226pp with colour photos, etc..

During the late 1990s I had been corresponding with zoologists specialising in felids and particularly island cats. Looking at the scant reports over the years -many did not believe that there was a wild cat there and that all the stories were merely fantasy- I speculated that the Corsican wild cat could be a unique species which did not go down to well (though I must make it clear that everyone was absolutely polite!).

In the UK we had tried, with a university, to DNA test alleged "big cat" evidence and I did offer to ask the university if it might be interested in DNA testing any samples that might be acquired. This, it seems, made me a nuisance (or it might be that everyone was very busy and DNA was a very new tool at the time).

To see, 23 years later, that my hypothesis was correct. I want to jump up and down shouting "Yah-boo! Sucks!" at certain people but I am far too old and laid back these days.

Here is the news item:https://phys.org/news/2023-03-mysterious-corsican-cat-fox-revealed-unique.html?fbclid=IwAR2Er9fhKH69bimU7iI-9OjFPsB697SC_b0gEdRZjKXSHTQdL1UjOydjV5c

Mysterious Corsican 'cat-fox' revealed as unique species

New genetic analysis has 'revealed a unique genetic strain to the wild cats' found in the remote forest undergrowth of northern Corsica.

The elusive striped "cat-fox" familiar mostly to Corsican shepherds and as a source of intrigue to scientists, is indeed its own species specific to the French Mediterranean island, the French office for Biodiversity (OFB) announced Thursday.

New genetic analysis has "revealed a unique genetic strain to the wild cats" found in the remote forest undergrowth of northern Corsica, it confirmed.

Genetic sampling clearly distinguishes the ring-tailed Corsican cat-foxes from mainland forest felines and domestic cats, said the OFB in a statement.

While resembling house cats in some ways, the cat-fox earned its name from its length—measuring 90 centimeters (35 inches) from head to tail—and its distinct black-tipped, ringed tail.

Other distinguishing features include the stripes on the front legs, "very dark" hind legs, and a russet stomach. The dense, silky coat is a natural repellent for fleas, ticks and lice.

The inconspicuous feline finally became part of a concerted research effort—after years of playing a game of cat and mouse—when one was unexpectedly captured in a local chicken coop in 2008.

But it has long been part of local folklore.

"The cat-fox is part of our shepherd mythology," Carlu-Antone Cecchini, head of the forest cat mission at the National Hunting and Wildlife Office, now part of the OFB, told AFP in 2019.

Genetic sampling clearly distinguishes the ring-tailed Corsican cat-foxes from mainland forest felines and domestic cats.

"From generation to generation, they told stories of how the forest cats would attack the udders of their ewes and goats."

The discovery of a unique genetic lineage is an essential step towards ensuring proper protection and conservation for the endangered species.

Extinct Fox and Wild Cat Museum

 I have previously (quite often) referred to The Fox Museum owned by my colleague LM. It is a private museum not open to the public but has the distinction of having taxidermy of Old British fox types as well as extinct Scottish wild cat and I spent five years asking museums around the country if they had similarly dated specimens -the Natural History Museum London does not and neither does the National Museum of Scotland.

The museum is unique. 

But the question arises as to what it is hoped to achieve with the fox masks (mounted heads) and full body taxidermies? Really the same as with the Old wild cats: to find some way of having DNA testing carried out to see how the species varied from those in Continental Europe and whether they were unique sub-species or not. The hope is to some day acquire DNA from the few remains of British wolves we know of and also ascertain their lineage.

 From there the work can continue to re-write natural history books though that is going to be a hard fight considering that many establishments and organisations are acquiring funds and donations for promoting dogma but it is hoped that true scientific (open) minds will seek to take part in the research.

Sadly, despite trying since 1976, the research projects have all been "out-of-pocket" as no funding has been available for such long term projects and that still applies despite our findings and it is why DNA testing has been beyond our reach.

So, now you know what the museum is for and any questions please ask.

Foxes and Badgers Killing Hedgehogs or.... Do We Know the REAL Killers?

 Mammal Society page ("Saving Britain's Wildlife") carried a post about hedgehogs, foxes and badgers and here are some quotes.

Hedgehogs: predators and the truths behind their decline

26th June 2023

The interactions between hedgehogs, badgers and foxes are essential processes in sustainable functioning Earth systems, wrongly portrayed as victims and demons, explains Elspeth Stirling.

 https://www.mammal.org.uk/2023/06/hedgehogs-predators-and-the-truths-behind-their-decline/?fbclid=IwAR3C9HrusTzsRbFDmJsznxAp-2caARsu_NKYnRYZm3rJmgHlQ4LZOSBKnrc

If you look at farming websites you find that foxes and badgers are the most frequently mentioned factor in opinions about lamb losses, despite field and forensic studies spanning the last 40 years consistently demonstrating that in under 2% of lamb deaths a wild predator may be a contributing factor (although not necessarily the significant factor)

Response: Some official figures state 1% and in these cases no lambs were seen killed by foxes but the biggest cause of lamb death was bad animal husbandry which, naturally, farmers are not going to accept. Naturalists in the 19th and 20th century observing foxes in a filed of sheep noted the foxes were eating the rich afterbirth as well as nutrient rich sheep droppings. Even dead lambs were not necessarily touch by foxes though a free meal is a free meal.

Roads and traffic – estimates indicate that over 167,000 hedgehogs are killed annually in Great Britain, and it is ‘unlikely that this level of mortality is sustainable’

Response: I once kept records of dead hedgehogs I saw on roads around the area where I live.  I eventually gave up as there were so many and absolutely nothing I could do about it or get done about it.  Drivers are drivers and basically most do not give a crap if they hit a pet cat so what is a hedgehog to them?  And I suspect that road deaths may be far higher in towns and cities.

(c)2023 Vale Wildlife Group

The conditions hedgehogs rely on for life are vanishing and it’s down to human practices.

It’s a tragedy when a hedgehog dies – but they’re the victims of land management practices that push wildlife aside. People have killed foxes, badgers and small wild mammals for centuries, although this has failed to achieve any lasting improvements in the perceived harms. If the problem is that the remnant hedgehog population is at a tipping point, then the approach is to focus on reviving the natural conditions that will support their revival and maintain the population naturally without requiring artificial inputs.

Response: Humans have always been the biggest contributing factor to species decline or extinction.  What do we do if we find orphaned hoglets?  Well, during the 1990s and early to mid 2000s the Bristol RSPCA centre refused to take them in when found. My neighbour quite clearly explained to the RSPCA that the sow was dead on the road so was not "going to return" as they suggested to her -and to me when I followed up for her. I was told quite clearly: "We do not have the space, staff or time to look after them. If they are brought in we would put them to sleep. Put them back and let nature take its course".

Thankfully more and more hedgehog rescues have emerged as well as wildlife rescues that deserve far more financial support. Now, of course, with the hedgehog in such massive decline people take some notice. 

(c)2023 British Fox Study

Here is something people do not know: for centuries right up into the 20th century bounties were paid for each hedgehog killed (rather as bounties were paid to exterminate British foxes -which they did by the 1860s- wild cats and badgers -the wild cats were exterminated and the reason badgers survived would shock quite a few people). Yes, "the gardeners friend" was deliberately killed mainly in the country to preserve the eggs of ground nesting game birds and in town...probably just because they were there.  At the same time poisons of all sorts were put on gardens from slug pellets to worse. 

Humans have killed hedgehogs in the millions over the centuries and, yes, people are still doing it now and snaring and illegal traps are taking their toll "out of sight" and game keepers are still killing them.  Then again, the badger is a "protected species" and survived centuries of decimation to now be driven to the verge of extinction legally,

Rather like foxes and badgers that are declining at a scary rate in the UK countryside it is very likely that in 20 years time the only badgers, foxes and hedgehogs to be seen will be urban ones,  Foxes kill hedgehogs? I have plenty of first hand observations as well as photographs and video footage of foxes and hedgehogs totally ignoring each other as the eat with inches of each other and the only aggression noted came from the hedgehogs!  I have seen similar with badgers and hedgehogs and in urban areas the reason there is no badger predation of hedgehogs may well be down to the fact that there are feeders. Why chase after something when you can get a full feed just by turning up -even then looking for worms and other insects seems more important than the spiky little thing.

(c)2023 Time Out With Nature

In the countryside a really hungry badger or fox may well kill a hedgehog in desperation. However, even here there are other resources. At one badger sett a badger was seen on several occasions carrying back a dead rabbit. The initial thought was that the rabbits were shot and left for wildlife to dispose of, however, it turned out that there was a road close by and the rabbits were killed by cars racing along it.

In the 1860s we lost the Old British foxes, the wild cat, the Old red squirrel and many more species (the 19th century is seen as the "Golden Age of Hunting" when every and anything (not kidding) was perfect to snare, shoot, poison and hunt with dog packs. Of course, these losses were "replaced" by imports from Europe to "continue the sport".

It is important that we understand what is killing off wildlife and habitats. We saw the badger blamed for hedgehog decline.. Then we judged to foxes killing off hedgehogs. Both blamed for the hunting agenda or by people or organisations not wanting to accept that humans were the greatest (in many places only) culprits.  It is why dogma regarding wildlife continues because the truth is too harsh for "a nation of animal lovers" -a myth in itself.

Please read the article by Stirling but always bear in mind that humans always love to find a scapegoat.

a huge wall of dogma and non cooperation

 

All of the fox work, whether looking at Old British foxes (extinct), Irish foxes or trying to identify what the extinct Hong Kong looked like and which species it is related to. It is all bound together. The problem is that zoologists only look at certain things in a very narrow way and for something specific.

Looking at the evidence for there having been an Old fox type in western Europe that was eventually replaced by the red fox (there is enough anecdotal evidence) can cross over with other things. For instance, though separated for 10,000 years after the Doggerbank connection to Europe flooded, were the Old Western European foxes related to the Old British foxes? This brings us to the Sarrazin foxes. 

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2023/06/sarrazin-and-first-two-foxes-shipped.html

Cooperation from the Natural History Museum Paris has been...."absent" so at the moment we are assuming that these were the foxes sent from Canada to France and here we have two possibilities. The first is that the taxidermies show foxes as they looked before anything that could be was shot, trapped, poisoned or clubbed to death to sell. There is not, as far as I am aware, any earlier taxidermy foxes from North America and particularly none before red foxes were imported into the Americas for 'sport' so that the red fox you see today in Canada and the United states are not really the Old native type. You will notice the absence of black markings in the Sarrazin fox which is something that indicates an Old fox type in the UK so is this also true for North America? No such fox exists in modern records from what I can find. 

This would all indicate, as I have theorised before, that red foxes filled the void left by Old foxes that were hunted to extinction. 

There is another possibility that opens up another avenue for study. What if the Sarrazin foxes we have are not from Canada? What if they are from Europe because if they were then the lack of black markings would shout out Old Western European fox. Older than any other foxes we have in our possession. 

Would I cry if they were not the foxes sent from Canada to France but Old European foxes? No. Absolutely not because that gives us far more to go on and, after all, they would be the first Old European foxes we have and older than the ones already held in the collection.

You will see that dogma tells us "the red fox is the British and European fox -their DNA matches" but that is because thousands of European foxes were imported each year to the UK. Dogma is not fact. I suspect that some of the reticence from museums to cooperate may be because they do not want to rock the boat or declare that for a century or more they have been teaching... nonsense. 

Interesting that the Natural History Museum London have always cooperated with me since the 1970s but on foxes and wild cats they have been obstructive and very uncooperative and yet asked me to outline what was in my book (Red Paper: Canids) -in fact they responded to my requests twice with the question "What is in your paper and what is its scope?" Basically that is none of the NHM business and were I to ask one of its specialists what was in the paper they were currently working on I would be told where to go!

You will see none of this is easy and it is why it is up to naturalists in Europe to dig away and try to find out what the Old fox looked like in France, Germany, Netherlands etc etc.

Once you start looking into the history of foxes be warned: it is a can of worms that will set you up against a huge wall of dogma and non cooperation.

Cubbing Season

 

As all of the old 'sport' books will tell you; cubbing season is when fox cubs are removed from their den so that they can be 'chased' and killed by young hounds. This used to be a private 'show' with invitations sent out to selected guests to watch.

These days young foxes are thrown to hounds in kennels.

The whole purpose of this 'event' in which vixens and dog foxes were also killed (strange that in many cases foxes were not around for 'sport' later in the year?) was to give young hounds "a taste of their future function'.

The Arctic Fox

 To many the arctic fox is a quaint and cute little fluffy animal that they see occasionally on TV.  That is the extent of public interest -oh, and fluffy cuddly toy arctic foxes. But like most wild canids it is facing its own drastic population decrease and some fear that it faces extinction.

Although the main threat to arctic foxes (and most wildlife) are humans it is always good to divert attention to another animals (in the UK foxes are blamed for hedgehog numbers falling while the real culprits are...humans via cars, bonfires, poisons and snares and also downright human cruelty).

Pups of Arctic fox with summer morph (c)2023 Boylan Mike, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

From the Nature Travels web page: https://www.naturetravels.co.uk/blog/the-arctic-fox-beautiful-elusive-mysterious-and-critically-endangered/

"The arctic fox, Alopex lagopus, otherwise known as the polar fox, is one of Sweden’s most threatened mammals and in danger of extinction everywhere in the European Union.

"In recent years, thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, populations of the arctic fox in Sweden have started to increase. However, numbers are still very small and the future for the arctic fox remains fragile.

"In summer 2006, just three litters of foxes were born in Sweden, five in Norway and none at all in Finland. For this reason, Nature Travels chose in 2007 to support SEFALO, a joint project between Sweden, Finland and Norway, as its conservation project of choice.

"Ten years later, in 2017, 31 litters of arctic foxes were born in Sweden alone, a very positive increase and a hopeful sign of the possible long-term recovery of this species. The SEFALO project is no longer in operation, but you can see information and statistics for Swedish arctic fox populations and find out more about current conservation efforts from the Swedish Arctic Fox Project on the Stockholm University Department of Zoology website.

"Arctic foxes are currently most common on Svalbard, 500 miles off the coast of mainland Norway."

The site continues:

"What problems does the arctic fox face?

"Such a small population makes the species extremely vulnerable to changes in demographic factors, or “accidents” such as an outbreak of disease.

"Large areas previously populated by arctic foxes are now empty, and remaining animals find it difficult to find a non-related partner with which to breed.

" Arctic foxes are highly dependent on the natural population fluctuations of small mammals, such as lemmings, on which they feed. These cycles of peaks and troughs tend to repeat every four years, and a “bad” year for rodents can be disastrous for arctic fox populations.

"The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a strong, successful competitor, and is currently expanding its range into territories inhabited by arctic foxes. Climate change, which is affecting arctic regions in particular with alarming rapidity and severity beyond initial projections, is exacerbating the spread of competing species into arctic fox territory.

"Itself a top predator, the arctic fox is also a victim of predation, ironically from many species which are themselves endangered, including the wolf, wolverine and golden eagle. Traditionally, arctic foxes have been used by indigenous peoples as a source of meat and fur.

The Arctic Fox. Photo: Asgeir Helgestad/Artic Light AS/visitnorway.com

"What can be done to conserve and enhance current arctic fox populations?

"A number of conservation activities are underway to attempt to increase populations arctic foxes in Sweden, Norway and Finland and mitigate the factors which threaten their survival:

"With the assistance of volunteers, population and behavioural data for arctic foxes is collected. Some animals have been tagged with radio collars to allow their movements to be monitored and to increase understanding of their behavioural patterns.

"A programme of supplementary feeding is being trialled in an attempt to increase the rates of productivity and decrease mortality among juveniles. Birth and survival rates are then compared with years when no feeding took place to assess the effectiveness of the strategy.

"In some cases control of the red fox population is necessary to safeguard the most valuable arctic fox territories.

"In areas around arctic fox dens in Sweden, it is hoped that a ban on ptarmigan hunting will reduce disturbance in some of the important arctic fox breeding grounds.

"Populations are monitored for disease and there is ongoing research into the cause of diseases likely to affect the fox populations.

"A programme of public education aims to highlight the plight of the arctic fox and raise the profile of the species as a priority for conservation.

"With careful conservation measures, sufficient financial and public support, and a generous amount of good fortune, we hope that the future for the arctic fox both in Sweden and elsewhere will continue to brighten.

"Nature Travels has a number of experiences in Sweden which take place in and around one of the country’s most important remaining arctic fox strongholds – Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve – and some of our partners in the area have been actively involved arctic fox feeding projects, delivering supplementary food to the local fox populations when it is most needed.

"Arctic foxes are also comparatively common on Svalbard in Norway,.

For further information on work to conserve the arctic fox," see http://internt.zoologi.su.se/en/research/alopex/

I think the following line is important: "The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a strong, successful competitor, and is currently expanding its range into territories inhabited by arctic foxes."  Equally important to note is:  "In some cases control of the red fox population is necessary to safeguard the most valuable arctic fox territories."

We can see that the environment and manmade problems are a problem and cause for population decline. We can see that humans are also affecting the arctic fox population by still hunting them and in all honesty I would put attempts to save a species well above the need of indigenous peoples to hunt and kill it.  Ptarmigan hunting for 'fun' results in arctic foxes being killed by humans (again) because, as we found in the UK, better to wipe out species to preserve the 'fun' of hunting than lose that 'fun'.

Guess what? The biggest threat to arctic foxes comes, clearly, from humans and so attention is slightly diverted from that to those bloody red foxes! Unfortunately, it is quite clear that red foxes have followed human development and habitation (it is how they probably spread from the East into Western Europe and eventually took over territories that had been those of Old fox types) -it is what Vulpes vulpes has historically always done.

This is human created evolution at work.  But the answer has always been "let's blame the fox" and then the killing spree starts (oops. Sorry I mean 'harvesting' -the latest safe word for eradication, killing, of a species). Kill red foxes but unless you have laws that strongly protect the arctic fox from the biggest killer -human predation for "tradition" and 'fun'- you have already lost the fight.

It is also a situation where "A programme of supplementary feeding is being trialled in an attempt to increase the rates of productivity and decrease mortality among juveniles." This in itself is interfering with the species in a way that is frowned upon normally. We constantly argue that red foxes should not be fed daily by fox feeders because it habituates them but makes them reliant on humans for food -exceptions are usually during hard winters but even then this is subject to debate in the UK. When do you stop "supplementary feeding"?  If it seems successful does someone argue that its success warrants continuation of this programme because in that case you are turning arctic foxes into free range zoo animals -and they are already being used as a tourist attraction.

Let's get rid of this "Big Bad Red Fox" labelling and concentrate on the real problems: human created ones.

"Management" of wild canids from wolves, coyotes and jackals as well as red foxes is still, in the allegedly more environmentally aware 21st century, a case of  "Let's 'harvest' them!" and then showing no real control as the breeding population is wiped out or reduced to a point where the population might not survive.  

We need to step back and stop human interference which is the greatest threat to the planet.

Or we can just go on wiping out wildlife.

EXTINCTION IS FOREVER

Sarrazin and The First Two Foxes Shipped From Canada to France

 Michel Sarrazin (5th September 1659 – 8th September 1734), was an early Canadian surgeon, physician, scientist and naturalist. Born in Nuits-sous-Beaune in the province of Burgundy, he immigrated at age 25 to the colony of New France as a surgeon. He remained in the colony for the rest of his life, returning to France only during two brief periods. While in New France, his medical skills were constantly in demand, and he quickly rose in the ranks, becoming one of the colonial elite.

 

Note that this painting is usually thought to be of Michel Sarrazin, however there is some debate as to whether or not this is true.

Sarrazin was both a seigneur and a member of the Conseil Superieur, and held considerable influence in the colony. He had a great interest in botany, and kept up a frequent correspondence with the Académie Royale des Sciences in France, sending fellow scientists numerous specimens of North American plants, as well as detailed descriptions of dissections of animals.

Sarrazin developed a vast knowledge of both the cultural and natural world of New France, and is credited being one of the first scientists to systematically catalogue ecosystems and samples found in New France, resulting in many important botanical discoveries. 

Sarrazin received some medical training in France before he was appointed as surgeon to the King’s troops in the colony of New France in 1685.[1] This position required him to minister to both soldiers and town inhabitants. He was quickly noticed for his medical skill, and within a year was promoted to Surgeon Major, becoming the first person to hold this position in the colony.

As Surgeon Major, Sarrazin travelled extensively with troops on expeditions to provide them with medical care. When he wasn't with the troops, Sarrazin was kept busy travelling between the Hotels-dieu of Québec and Montreal, essentially treating the "civilian population of the entire colony".

By 1694, however, he decided to return to France to continue his studies in medicine. He was encouraged to return quickly by colonial authorities including Indendant Bochart de Champigny, who recognized the value and necessity of having a skilled doctor in the colony.

Back in France, Sarrazin spent three years studying in both Paris and Reims, where he received his doctorate of medicine. During his time in Paris, he spent time at the Jardin des Plantes, where he met and studied under Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, who introduced him to botany and "stimulated a lifelong interest in collecting and classifying".  Sarrazin would later become a "correspondant" to Tournefort, and their relationship provided Sarrazin with an important link to the Académie Royale des Sciences.

Work with the Académie Royale des Sciences

As a correspondent of the Académie Royale des Sciences, Sarrazin consistently sent samples back to Paris, with no expectation of recognition. New France's uncharted lands proved challenging to botanists, as Sarrazin stated in his correspondence, "I could cross all of Europe more easily, and with less danger, than I could cross 100 leagues in Canada". :   One of Sarrazin's Paris correspondents, Sebastien Vaillant, compiled the documents and specimens sent to New France from Sarrazin into a book published in 1708 titled "Histoires des plantes de Canada". This was the first French botanical text of this nature studying North American flora and fauna.

However, Sarrazin's work remained largely unpublished. His only publication by the Académie Royale des Sciences discussed the syrup extraction process of Canadian maple trees, which can be found in "Observations botaniques." Moreover, Sarrazin printed his observations on the fauna of New France as well, notably describing the beaver, the muskrat, the porcupine, the harbour seal, and the wolverine. Therefore, Sarrazin allowed the people of France to acquire more extensive and diverse knowledge on the flora and fauna of New France.

Sarrazin was also a surgeon, and although he was not permitted to diagnose illnesses or prescribe medication, he was adept at healing fractures, bandaging wounds, draining abscesses and bleeding patients. Sarrazin was the only certified surgeon present during a smallpox epidemic aboard a ship anchored in Québec, the Diligente, and thus was in charge of medical procedure surrounding the ordeal. While there was no treatment for smallpox, Sarrazin was successful in preventing the spread of disease and in alleviating the pain of his patients by administering cold baths for the fever and powder for the sores.

Sarrazin's specimens can now be found in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, in Paris; including a specimen of Sarracenia purpurea.

Maison Michel-Sarrazin

The Maison Michel-Sarrazin is a private palliative care, non-profit hospital. The House opened its doors in 1985 and since then has treated over 7,000 patients.[7] In 2010, the House celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Le Prix Michel Sarrazin

The Michel Sarrazin Award recognizes the scientific career and outstanding contribution of an experienced Québécois scientist. It is awarded annually to a scientist who, through innovation and productivity, has contributed in vital ways to the advancement of biomedical research.

 Sarrazin was a notable historical personality with many achievements to his name including the first mastectomy in North America (on 29th May, 1700, at the Hotel-Dieu of Québec). Amongst specimens sent back to France, as noted, were New World animals and these included two foxes -the first from the Americas to Europe.

My colleague, LM, has made a number of observations as well as taxidermy finds of historical value from the UK. LM contacted me one day about a name printed on the botton of a taxidermy piece.

Inscription "Sarrazin", "Naturaliste" and "Fontenay-le-Comte" where there was a small private museum at one time owned by  Mathurin Jacques Brisson  30th April 1723 – 23rd June 1806) a noted French zoologist and natural philosopher resided at Fontenay in 1783 so the connection seems solid.

Mathurin Jacques Brisson

On checking the only conclusion that could be drawn was that this was one of the Sarrazin foxes. That made it an important piece in french natural history. The specimen is shown below.

Never before photographed and certainly hidden away from public gaze for a century or more. To say that we were excited to have one more historical taxidermy is an understatement.  A bigger shock came when another purchase was checked and would seem to be for all intents and purposes the second Sarrazin fox.

Again, these finds are solely down to LM and that is where the credit should go. 

What does the French Natural History Museum Paris think of these finds? No idea as they have not bothered to respond to emails on the matter. One would assume that with Sarrazin's name (if they know who he was) and the fact that these were the first two foxes transported from Canada to France that there might be some interest.

How did they get into the UK?  Well, considering conflicts such as the Napoleonic War, World Wars I and II it is possible that they just came into someones possession. However, it is more likely that in financial hard times the foxes and other specimens were sold off and there is still a trade in French fox taxidermy today.

.French establishments may have no interest in the two foxes or their history ('surprise') but LM now has guardianship of them and they are saved for posterity not some "man cave" or "living room bar".

Notes on Sarrazin

 Rousseau, Jacques. "Sarrazin, Michel". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved Feb 2, 2013.

Young, Kathryn A. (Autumn 1993). "Crown agent-Canadian correspondent: Michel Sarrazin and the Académie Royale des Sciences, 1697–1734". French Historical Studies. 18 (2): 416–433 [423]. doi:10.2307/286874. JSTOR 286874

Tondreau, R. L. (October 1963). "Michel Sarrazin (1659-1734): The Father Of French Canadian Science". Transactions and Studies of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. 31: 124–127. PMID 14072248.

Tésio, Stephanie. "Daily Life: Health and Medicine". Virtual Museum of New France. Retrieved Feb 2, 2013.

"Sarracenia Linnaeus". www.labunix.uqam.ca. Retrieved 27 November 2018.

Vallée, Arthur (1927). Un biologiste canadien: Michel Sarrazin 1659–1735, Sa vie, ses travaux et son temps. Quebec: Proulx.

 "Maison Michel Sarrazin".

    Eccles, W. J. Canada Under Louis XIV 1663–1701. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1964

 Tard, Louis-Martin. Michel Sarrazin: le premier scientific du Canada. Montreal: XYZ, 1996.

 Gauthier, Jean-Richard. Michel Sarrazin : un médecin du roi en Nouvelle-France. Sillery, Quebec: Septentrion, 2007.

 Caron, Wilfred-M. "History of Canadian Surgery: The Early Surgeons of Quebec." Canadian Journal of Surgery. 8. (July 1965): 239–53.

 Parsons, Christopher. "Plants and Peoples: French and Indigenous Botanical Knowledges in Colonial North America, 1600–1760." PhD diss., University of Toronto, 2011.

Swedish and Norwegian Foxes Were Imported Into The UK:What We Know

 There is talk about the Norwegian foxes said to have been imported for hunting that were larger and faster than our mountain foxes. It has to be remembered that the Old British Mountain/Greyhound fox (of which we have a taxidermy example) stood next to a coyote (which we have a taxidermy example of) stands well above it. So a fox larger than a mountain fox seems unlikely though until we can find examples we will put this statement with a question mark next to it.

There are three main canids in Norway -the arctic fox, the wolf and the Scandinavian red fox. The red fox is currently seen invasive in alpine land due to human activity and has put the arctic fox "under threat".

The Scandinavian red fox is not much larger than the European Red Fox we have as New foxes in the UK. So how were they bigger than our foxes. Faster and more resilient than our foxes?

Is it possible that like the UK and Western Europe that Norway had its own Old fox types? According to Wildlife online

"there are various records of foxes having been introduced from the European continent during the 19th century, presumably as numbers ran low for hunting. Scandinavian foxes were introduced to Scotland several times during the 1800s and there is a report of Spanish foxes being released into Epping Forest in 1884."

Also

"Early hunting literature suggests that foxes became more numerous and widely distributed between about 1750 and 1850, with a further population and range expansion between 1950 and 1965"

These people are in for a shock. What hunting literature since in the 1670s foxes were reported as "hard to find"??

I contacted Marc at Wildlife online:

"Hi.

I wondered whether you could answer a question about a comment on your wildlife website? You mention the importation of Swedish and Norwegian foxes into the UK in the 19th century and wondered whether you could tell me the source of the information?

Can't seem to find any references to this importation so any info welcome!

Regards Terry"

And Marc was kind enough to respond:

"Hi Terry.

Thanks very much for bringing this to my attention, and apologies for the delayed response - I had to trawl back through my notes. I presume this is in reference to:

"_Scandinavian foxes were introduced to Scotland several times during the 1800s... _"

"I have now removed that statement because it appears to be incorrect; or at least unsupported. Looking back at my notes it was based on a comment by Southern (1964) noting how:

"_ ... in Scotland Scandinavian V. v. vulpes also present owing to introductions_"

"Given we know from a number of sources that imported foxes were from Scandinavia, France, Spain and Holland and occurred at Leadenhall during the nineteenth century, it seemed reasonable that the "introductions" of which Southern spoke originated from Scandinavia during this period. It looks, however, like I did not follow up Southern's references when I originally wrote this in 2015. (Sloppy. Sorry.)

"Having revisited Southern (1964) today, I note that his references are Tetley (1941) and Hattingh (1956). I re-read my Tetley's paper this afternoon and see it does not support Southern's suggestion. Quite the contrary, in fact, as Tetley wrote, with reference to Wales, the Lake District and the Highlands:

"It is highly improbable that any foxes will have been introduced in such areas and, even if they have, they will not have been sufficient in numbers to affect the native stock."

"Sorry I couldn't be more help and thanks again for alerting me to the error.

Cheers,

Marc."

https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/

In fact there were so many "little deals going on that even after 45 years I am still discovering things.

If we look at Norway we find in Field Sports of the North of Europe: Comprised in a Personal Narrative of a Residence in Sweden and Norway in the years 1827-28 (1831) by Llewelyn Lloyd we have the following:

"The crossed fox, which is larger and stronger, and is said to be more courageous than the common fox, appears also, to be only a variety. At any rate, some Norwegian naturalists say so, while others assert that it is a distinct species."

This is interesting in that it echoes the arguments in the UK regarding the Old foxes. Naturalists and hunters were clear that the Mountain, Hill and Cur foxes were three distinct types of Vulpes vulpes but others immediately argued back that they were not distinct species!

In The Red Paper 2022 Vol. I: Canids I explain that following Britain's separation from Europe the foxes here (like wolves) developed to live in various habitats. The Mountain or Greyhound fox filled the niche of the Jackal or coyote and the Hill fox was shorter, stouter and lived on hills and the Cur fox was living close to human habitation and was much smaller. These were environmental adaptions which would probably make the unique sub-species (we need DNA work carried out).

Foxes, of a large variety were also said to have been imported from Sweden.

Below some Swedish fox types from old literature.

I contacted experts in Sweden and Norway and Kjell Danell Professor emeritus in Wildlife Ecology at the Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå:

"Three varieties of red fox from Meves & Holmgren 1873. There are more varieties and the proportion varies over time and latitude. The most valuable was the black one. In general, the foxes in the north were darker brown and with more black, like 9815.

"Fur export (lynx, marten, arctic fox, beaver, wolverine, squirrel … ) from Sweden to countries in Europe including England was large and good for the economy. All skins were bought by the men of the kings and some were taken as skin. Therefore we have statistics from about 1550 to 1610 (Steckzen 1964). The main export of fox skins from Stockholm was annually 1 000 –3 600, also from other cities. These records do not involve living foxes only skins. "

Above: (c)2023 respective copyright owner. When I saw this I sat up. A Norwegian Mountain fox as it bore a strong resemblance to an illustration of a British mountain fox by Col. J. S. Talbot in his book Foxes At Home, (1906 )

Kjell also noted:

"I am not aware of any organized export of Swish foxes to UK during the last 300 years. However, there have most likely been exchange of predators between zoological gardens and interested zoologists, but not for planned releases.

"In the old Icelandic law from about 930 to 1264/64, when Iceland lost independence to Norway, there is a statement “owners of wolves and foxes should be responsible for their damages.” Most likely because single tame wolves and foxes were coming with the Wiking ships and caused damages to domestic animals on land. If no reason no law! There were no native foxes and wolves on Iceland. If we speculate such foxes may have now and then come to the North Atlantic islands including UK."

The Swedish Natural History Museum had no record of the large foxes but we can say the same about British museums:

"Hello!

"I have asked around at the museum, but we don’t have information about that here. Maybe you could try with the hunters association Jägareförbundet, e.g., Daniel Ligné

(daniel.ligne@jagareforbundet.se). They might know. Or with the mammal researchers Anders Angerbjörn (anders.angerbjorn@zoologi.su.se) or Kjell Danell (Kjell.Danell@slu.se).

Best regards / Didrik

Didrik Vanhoenacker, Biologist for public enquires, Natural History Museum"

While Anders Angerbjorn in Sweden responded:

"Hello,

"There is a newly published paper on the genetic relationship of the European red foxes.

"Next‐generation phylogeography resolves post‐glacial colonization patterns in a widespread carnivore, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), in Europe - McDevitt - - Molecular Ecology - Wiley Online Library

"But red foxes are known to vary in fur. There is also clear size trends within Sweden for example. So I think that the variation in the art can be explained by seasonal differences, winter fur, summer fur, and geographic differences. But there is no doubt that they are all red foxes.

Best regards"

By this time I had realised that a great deal of history needed to be uncovered as furs and their exporting would give no answers as the the size of the foxes and we had eye-witness accounts by 'sportsmen' who had seen British Mountain foxes as well as the Swedish and Norwegian foxes and could compare. Rather like 99% of British naturalists and zoologists being unaware of the Old British foxes because they never learnt about them and were simply taught dogma it seems that many in Europe are also unaware of Old type foxes.

All I can write about Swedish and Norwegian large foxes is that They existed. They were exported. They were hunted.

Everything from Norway gives the Red fox as invasive and threatening arctic foxes. There appears to be a very blinded look at foxes in Norway where only the arctic fox is seen to matter or be native.

Outside of its threat to arctic foxes this is the best mention of Red foxes to date:

"An epizootic of sarcoptic mange among red foxes Vulpes vulpes reached central Norway in 1976, and by 1986 it had spread to the whole country, resulting in a severe decline in the red fox population. We analyse the change in the hunting bags of the predator species red fox and pine marten Martes martes, and the prey species capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, black grouse Tetrao tetrix, mountain hare Lepus timidus and willow grouse Lagopus l. lagopus from the period prior to and during the mange epizootic.

"The data are gathered from publications by Statistics Norway and are based on answers from more than 5,000 hunters yearly. On the national level, the hunting bags of capercaillie, black grouse, mountain hare and pine marten were significantly negatively correlated with that of the red fox. When the time series at the national level were detrended, there were positive correlations between the hunting bags of all species without time lag, except that of pine marten, which lagged one year behind the other species.

"At the local level there were negative correlations between the hunting bag of red fox and those of the small game species except for willow grouse. The study confirms that the red fox is a keystone predator in Scandinavia."

Declining survival rates of red foxes Vulpes vulpes during the first outbreak of sarcoptic mange in Sweden, Tomas Willebrand, Gustaf Samelius, Zea Walton, Morten Odden and Jan Englund (2021)

Nature Travels only reference to the Red fox is https://naturetravels.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/the-arctic-fox-in-sweden-and-norway/:

"In the past the main threat to Arctic foxes was hunting for their fur. Whilst the demand for fox fur has decreased and with it to the amount of foxes being hunted Arctic foxes are still hunted today by indigenous people as a game species.

"The encroachment of the red fox on the territories of the Arctic fox is another factor affecting the numbers of Arctic fox as the red fox is larger and more aggressive.

There are several projects operating in Sweden and Norway which are working to help increase the numbers of Arctic foxes through the supplementation of food and control of red fox populations."

Unless you stop the hunting how can you preserve arctic foxes? Killing red foxes is pointless but Sweden and Norway has a tendency to kill canids such as wolves pointlessly. There is very little online about the red fox in Norway so knowledge of past fox types is very likely poor.

What we need is a look at old (pre 19th century but up to, say, 1840s) illustrations and drawings of foxes from Norway and Sweden, however, that really is for researchers in those countries to look into just as it is important for researchers in Western Europe to do so. 

We have the news items and book references to foxes imported from Sweden and Norway we just need to find illustrations or even taxidermy.