January-14th July 2023 half year Fox and Badger Death Toll

 We have now reached the 14th July 2023. The first year of better reporting of fox and badger deaths in the City of Bristol. I do not accept "I heard there was a dead fox Bedminster" or "Looked like a dead fox but cannot recall the street name I drove through.

A problem I have are people on wildlife groups stating they see dead foxes and badgers while out and about but cannot see the point in reporting them. That is on -worth noting again- wildlife groups

I can only go by the foxes and badgers reported directly to me with a date and location and hopefully a photo of the animal which can tell us a lot but also proves it's not a hoax (again, certain factions think hoaxing will achieve something).

The total so far and only halfway through the year is:

158 Foxes (adults and cubs) and 38 badgers (adults and cubs).

It is worth pointing out that my colleagues try to find out whether a vixen or sow badger that died is lactating as young could be nearby. Most people reporting dead animals will not get close enough to check.  Based on the vixens/sows this year, but particularly vixens, that have been reported the number of orphaned cubs left to starve somewhere is pretty high. The number of fox cubs killed or simply found dead under various circumstances is high.

We are coming up to Dispersal when the offspring of foxes move out to find their own territory. We expect more losses at that time.

We know otters, as recorded by the Greater Bristol Otter Group, have been killed by cars and deer and other wildlife are also killed in large numbers (domestic cats are also killed on roads).  We can see some of the hot spots for badger, fox and otter deaths so what is the solution?

The kind of losses noted for foxes and badgers with otters added in is something a city or town in Europe would take very seriously. In fact Europe leads the way in  building wildlife under and overpasses on roads that are ancient wildlife corridors. The UK is in a rather "wildlife does not matter" mindset. Underpasses or overpasses on roads "will disrupt commercial traffic" or "Will be unpopular with drivers due to hold ups". Local and governmental bodies are quite happy to see wildlife killed off in the thousands each year because they adopt the mindset of many drivers -"Why bother?"

If local authorities look at the death toll (and this is not complete and only half the year has passed so far) and were not shocked or determined to try to cut the number of deaths (road bumps may be unpopular with some motorists but they prevent speeds that result in wildlife deaths) then really a new set of politicians is needed and I certainly only intend to vote in future for MPs and councillors with strong wildlife and environmental views and who are willing to take action.

Personally, I am dreading to see the final death toll for 2023