IFAW: Stop the cruel poisoning of wolves in Canada

 IFAW

View in browser A wild grey wolf pup howling in a small meadow. © John E. Marriott Dear Terry,   When it comes to the cruel and indiscriminate poisons being used to kill wolves and coyotes in Alberta, Canada—Compound 1080—there is sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that this poison is inhumane and should not be used.    The widespread and poorly regulated use of these poisons not only results in the horrific deaths of these animals but also pet dogs, endangered species, and other non-target animals can fall victim too. Please tell the Canadian government today: These poisons have no place in modern wildlife policy.   Yes, I want to sign the petition >>   While we congratulate their recent decision to cancel all predacide uses of strychnine—which IFAW and our dedicated supporters have been campaigning for since 2017—the government of Canada has recommended that the continued use of Compound 1080 be approved. Compound 1080 is also a deadly poison that causes extreme suffering to wildlife and is condemned by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.   There's still more work to be done to take this cruel Compound 1080 poison off the table. Will you join us and sign our petition, today?   Thanks in no small part to our passionate supporters, our worldwide petition and your letters helped ensure that both cyanide and now strychnine are banned. This is an important step. However, Canada wants to be seen as a leader in biodiversity conservation, while at the same time allowing a controversial and ineffective programme to poison wolves with Compound 1080 to continue under the pretext of protecting caribou.   We must keep the pressure on to help put an end to this horrific wolf extermination campaign. It is vital to show the Canadian government that we continue to watch them closely and advocate for banning all poisons!   There is no question about it: a prolonged and painful death by poison is inhumane and barbaric. Please send a message to the governments of Canada and Alberta now, asking them to stop the cruel poisoning of wild animals once and for all.    Gratefully, Sheryl Fink Director of Canadian Wildlife Campaigns, IFAW   Follow Us   International Fund for Animal Welfare Second Floor 209-215 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NL, United Kingdom   Want to get in touch? Contact us at info-uk@ifaw.org Don't miss a thing! Add info@ifawnews.org to your address book.

A Few Words On Sunday

 

 If there is one thing I have learnt it is that people with a love of foxes are either the "get hands dirty" types who run rescues and try to help foxes (let's call them Type 1's) or the "I learnt everything from You Tube" and these can often cause more grief with bad feeding of foxes and habituation and if they set up a kitchen sink 'rescue' foxes are more at risk of harm than getting real help (these we'll call Type 2's).

The same applies to people who love badgers. There are the type 1's who are hindered by certain stupid regulations. For one; if a sow badger is dead next to a sett and there are starving pups in the sett they must be left there. You know the mother is dead and that means a slow death for the cubs but you must not under punishment of huge fines or prison sentence get the cubs out of the sett to save them. However much they squeal you have to wait for two things: the cubs to die or for them to leave the sett. Yes, once they leave the sett you can help them. Now here is where we have to remember that 300,000+ badgers, an alleged protected species, can be legally killed based on bad science and political corruption to a point where the population is on a speedy descent to extinction but you try to save cubs whose mother has been killed (usually by a car) and you are a criminal.

I was asked what I would do in that situation? I would break the law.

We can help fox cubs that are dying at an alarming rate while their parents are killed by 'sports shooters', farmers, killed by cars etc, etc., etc.. Even the British Trust for Ornithology after its mammal survey suggested now was the time to red list foxes (just as we did hedgehogs) because the population is on a very steep decline and like the badgers, that we must not, help are heading for extinction by the 2030s.

Humans are the greatest threat to the environment and wildlife and even with warning after warning about current species from mammals to birds heading for "The Big E" no one is listening. Back in the late 1700s and into the early 1800s 'sportsmen' and 'sportsmen-naturalists' were all reporting on the decline of the native British fox types and even stating that extinction seemed inevitable so what did they do? They carried on killing the foxes for the 'fun' of their 'sport' until...Old foxes gone. Not to worry as they did what they had done since at least the early 1700s and that was to import more so that the 'sport' might continue.

People are still badger baiting as well as shooting them on the quiet (often through the local "badger man") but snares and poison are still a staple of "getting rid of them" for no reason other than not liking wild animals on "my land".  This is often organised and a crime but on the whole the police shrug and say "no proof" so perhaps they ought to do some policing?

Foxes are shot with no controls in place and although a land owner is supposedly only allowed to "deal with" a fox that threatens live stock foxes have proven to be no threat to sheep or lambs and even the 'great sportsmen' of the past who went out and studied this rejected the claim and their large reward for anyone bringing in evidence to prove this was not claimed by the early 1900s. 

A fox walking along near a village or housing estate hunting rats or rabbits is not a threat under any description. In fact it is controlling the rodent population and reducing the need for all poisoning rodenticides. Even when it is cub season these people will kill a fox whether vixen lactating or not. It's their 'fun' and so what if foxes become extinct they can move on to other wildlife or even 'fun' shooting the odd wandering pet cat (which happens more frequently than you might want to think).

A wildlife looks very green and pleasant and so developers obviously want to build on that and local authorities (such as in Bristol) will twist and turn to try top push through developments and a blind eye is often turned towards fox dens and badger setts ("Oh, we had no ideas they were there"), In cities and towns the green spaces are vitally important not just for wildlife but also people -"little oases away from the concrete".

I was once offered an office at a college in the UK for my ongoing work on exotic species in the UK that attracted a lot of press and media attention. Then it was discovered that I was not a university graduate so "perhaps not a good idea" 😂

With foxes and diseases a great deal is being found out through the Bristol Fox Deaths Project and when any research on UK wildlife is published by researchers then the chances of getting a copy of the paper is never available to people who are not part of the "club" -I have a big folder full of papers on fox health, possible diseases, etc., and they are all from EU or American research which is distributed free online as part of "free to educate" policies which the UK sadly does not bother with.  Anything our project discovers will be publicly as well as professionally available.

The Type 1 fox people need to be as informed as they can be because wildlife groups in general are not keen on foxes or badgers unless it is a photo opp or way to promote themselves. Large mammals such as foxes and badgers and even deer are seen as the "nasty types" that get in the way of the "pretty" butterflies, moths, birds and wild flowers. Type 1's in both fox and badger work often get threats, abuse and a whole lot more just because they are helping species no one cares about -300,000 badgers killed and heading for extinction and the "nation of animal lovers" is not up in arms (but a "lonely looking sheep" gets thousands of demands for it to be rescued?).

The UK is The Blood Red Island for a very obvious reason. Our wildlife protection laws and prosecutions against those breaking the 'laws' are a mess.  When it comes to a land owner whether some rich business man or royal there should be no protection from prosecution over wildlife crimes. 

We need a genuine wildlife crimes force that does not consist of local men who give a nod and wink to locals involved in crimes. A wildlife crimes force that is given full authorisation to enter private land when a wildlife crime is reported and suspected and whoever is involved should be prosecuted under new laws. Will this ever happen? Doubtful since most politicians tend to look at what is good for themselves rather than the environment and wildlife.

We are watching species vanishing and quite literally shrugging it off or just ignoring it as someone else's problem.

?Is It Possible To Educate People on Wildlife>

 

Local wildlife groups in the UK tend to have no interest in foxes or badgers unless there are photo opportunities.  They will not come out and say it but badgers and foxes are seen as "not very pretty" mammals.   Take a few fun facts by the Badger Trust put out on its Face Book page:

 "Here are today's facts: Badgers are excellent ecosystem engineers.  Badgers contribute to habitat heterogeneity*. Their setts create homes for other wildlife, such as foxes, mice, and rabbits."

The only comments after this -why were these people on a badger group??- were wholly negative with this being typical:

"I'm sure the local hedgehogs and ground nesting birds are pleased about that ."

Not one, not two but four similar comments and one can only assume these people are very uneducated of deliberately trolling wildlife pages. Both are highly likely.  I did, however, as the Badger Trust is far too polite, respond:

"Just to the posters above: over 300,000 badgers have been 'legally' killed based on nonsense science. We lose up to 100,000 a year on roads (I keep the local badger death register) and if the cull and traffic losses continue by the 2030s badgers will be rare or gone altogether. 

"The fox population is in steep decline (I keep the fox deaths register also and run the Fox Deaths Project) and so far in Bristol a;lone (and REPORTED) we have gone over 109 foxes and cubs. And this year's cub losses are concerning."

" When it comes to hedgehog, fox, badger or any other species decline stop scapegoating other animals.  

"I have observed foxes and hedgehogs eating together and well fed badgers rarely chase around hedgehogs (after 50 years a field naturalist I've studied wildlife interactions as well as wildlife-pet interactions).  

The biggest threat to any wildlife is simply humans. 

I am guessing by the above comments that we have a contingent of fox and badger haters?  Research the subject and understand what is going on -unless you prefer even more UK wildlife extinctions?"

I ought to point out that bounties were paid for killing hedgehogs into the 20th century and after that cars, slug pellets, rodenticides and all manner of other human created problems are the factors that drove the hedgehog to be listed as endangered. They survived larger populations of foxes and badgers for many thousands of years and survived until humans.

You can try to educate but sheer ignorance as well as a very strange and illogical hatred -similar to that from anti pet cat, anti dog, anti fox and anti badgers and even anti muntjac deer- exists. More than once I was told by bird watchers that they would prefer any threat to birds to become extinct as that was far more preferable to losing some birds each year; it is one reason why red squirrels are still killed in areas; as a threat to nesting birds.

I sometimes think people in the UK cannot be educated on wildlife.

Hedgehogs: Remember....

 

Wildlife Work -You WANT to get into it? Read this

  

1.  There is the need to listen and learn. You may have read books or watched TV shows but this is reality.

2.   You will NOT make any money out of wildlife work and in fact you will find it can suck every last penny out of you.

3.   Always keep hard copy files. PCs and Laptops crash and lose all your data.

4.   There are some good moments when you get to help wildlife but.....

5.   It can be gut-wrenching, heart breaking and make you want to give up more often than you think possible.

Took me 50 years to learn those lessons.

Yes, Even Wildlife Rescues MUST Take Action

 

Excluding the jaundice/seizure deaths the number of cubs being reported dead this year is beyond what I would expect. This may be down to better reporting but the thing that has staggered me is that rescues tell me that they get dead cubs reported every year but don't submit them for post mortems.  

Fox Angels have submitted two Scottish cubs but a third was turned away today so was disposed of.

We have a fox population that is already in sharp decline and even the British Trust for Ornithology declared that it may be time to Red List foxes. What I am seeing nationally is far more losses of cubs than expected and some may be dying because their mothers were shot by 'fun' shooters who do not care so long as they kill something. Others may be dying from over burden of worms, verminous pneumonia (lung worm) or other causes.  What we are seeing in Bristol is far from normal. 

If a death is suspicious then the Animal Plant Health Advisory can carry out a post mortem at one of its centres. When I am being told that a cub looks healthy but it died and when I see photos showing the same then those cubs should  be submitted because it is far better to find a cause of death and possible disease early and be prepared.   

We know so little about foxes and where studies do take place it is for a specific reason. What we are doing in Bristol is looking at the dead foxes and from various angles such as disease, infection, etc., etc.  That should be standard across the country.

There is one rescue that goes out and collects dead foxes reported and...bury them on their property.  Others simply will not submit a dead fox "to be chopped up" and I try to explain but...  One recently had a jaundiced, seizure cub that they put into an incubator. I politely asked that if the cub did not make it to submit it for PM. They just are not talking.

What can we do? 

Rescues need to understand that unusual deaths of foxes in particular need to be investigated and I have seen one unusual case after another around the country and in every single case the fox was "put to rest" in a garden or on the grounds.  We are dealing with a crisis across the board with wildlife and foxes are a good indicator of environmental health and so far the indicator is pointing to the Red for Danger.

We all need to take responsibility and act responsibly.

The Story of One Wolf: V076

From the Voyageurs Wolf Project and the story of one she-wolf  that we know something about.  However there are many others and the one thing we learn is that it is a hard and often dangerous life without the human interference.

above Wolf V076 last winter. Her age was starting to show. (c)2024 Voyageurs Wolf Project

The breeding female of the Wiyapka Lake Pack was forcibly removed from her own pack last fall and has since wandered around as a lone wolf. What her future entails is unknown.

In late 2018, a pair of wolves ousted the Moose River Pack and took over the Moose River Pack territory. That pack was the Wiyapka Lake Pack.

In Spring 2019, the breeding female of this new pack, Wolf V076, had her first litter of pups. She remained the breeding female until late last year and gave birth to at least 21 pups (and likely more) in 5 different litters (a litter of pups each year since 2019) during her tenure.

Of those pups, 8 survived to adulthood.

But she was getting older and times they were a changing. During late summer of 2023, a new pair of wolves, one of which was a collared female originally from the Bluebird Lake Pack to the south, started trespassing into the Wiyapka Lake territory.

We thought this pair was taking over, or at least trying to take over the territory at that time (and was going to boot the Wiyapka wolves). But as fall turned into winter, it seemed evident that Wiyapka had staved off the invasion and this new pair settled down in a territory just south of the Wiyapka Lake Pack. 

above Wolf V076 and a pup in 2020. (c) 2024Voyageurs Wold Project

However, during that same period, another female wolf trespassed. And somehow, this new female ousted Wolf V076 and joined the pack. 

How that all played out is unknown but we have several videos from late fall and early winter of V076 by herself a good distance outside the pack’s territory, and then several videos of the Wiyapka Pack with the same breeding male and a different leading female.

This new female now leads the pack with V076’s former mate. Although this new female appeared to have usurped V076, she did continue to rear V076’s adolescent pups—2 of which were were alive as of late fall (we need to get through camera footage from winter to see if either or both survived). 

What will come of V076 now is unknown. She is likely 8 or so years old currently. She might yet find another pack to join, or she might remain a lone wolf for the rest of her life. 

However, the fact that she remained the breeding female of a pack for 5 years is better than most breeding animals—heck, most wolves don’t even make it to 5 years old.

Either way, the story of V076 is a good illustration of wolf pack dynamics and how packs can change quickly.

Bristol Green Party Almost As Uninterested As The Old Labour Council? The answer is YES! UPDATED

 Today, 28th June the 'Green Party' finally decided to fob me off with a 'response':

Is there an election this year?

I finally got a reply from the Deputy Leader of the Green City Council and it is just insulting. They have literally run through my email and picked out points I made and pretended that there are plans to deal with them:

"Hello Terry,

"My apologies for the delay in responding. It’s been a very busy month!

"Thank you for raising these concerns, as a Green and an animal lover I share your concerns.

"I’ve been chasing a response from officers for a few weeks – and this is what they’ve provided so far.

“The Nature Conservation Officer is looking in to the feasibility of an otter crossing at Hartcliffe Way.

"Highway Team are considering putting "wildlife crossing" signs in the area. Although, currently there is no budget for these signs.”

"I will keep these issues in my mind,"

Kind regards,

Heather

Heather Mack

Councillor for Lockleaze and Deputy Leader of Bristol City Council
cllr.heather.mack@bristol.gov.uk
07584 202666

I know for a fact that Highways are not looking at an otter wildlife path on Hartcliffe Way and I also know for a fact that they are not looking at "Wildlife Crossing" signs...because Highways told me they were nice ideas but not being looked at as there was no budget and any under/overpass for wildlife would disrupt traffic.

Then, the big "piss off"is adding to "its being looked at" that "there is no budget for this"

Take a look at this from The Bristol Budget Report 2024-2025:

In addressing these challenges, the MTFP sets out our guiding financial principles and good practice arrangements for; delivering sustainable services, to be resilient to future uncertainty, deliver best value and a balanced budget in the medium term. Overall, this report recommends a 2024/25 general fund net expenditure budget of £530.1 million, (a net increase of £46.5 million from the 2023/24 budget) and incorporates targeted revenue investment in priority areas of £55.8 million in 2024/25 to mitigate ongoing and unavoidable pressures.

You can see that they are literally scraping pennies together 

It is just a Green Party "Who cares?" response and shows they are just as bad as Labour were.

Motorists and development are THE top priorities. Wildlife can be scraped up or left where it was killed.  "I will keep these issues in my mind"...until the tea and biscuits are dished out.

I do not give any leeway to these people any more. After decades of wildlife work the one thing that I have learnt is that politicians ('animal lovers' or not) will never give a damn about wildlife because there are not that many votes in it but there is a lot of money in development on green space sites and wildlife tends to hold up those projects (and money).

That the Green Party is taking Labours old stance is not surprising. They are as damned by their lack of action as Labour were and contributing to habitat destruction as well as sitting idly by as endangered species are literally run over by cars on a daily basis.

My response:

 Hello.

I am quite honestly shocked the the Green Party has adopted Labours "no budget for it" response. A pity the UK Greens are not as wildlife and environmentally aware as the German Greens. This issue would have been one of importance.

Do you know how many deer are killed on roads in and around Bristol? How manty are badly injured so that they have to be shot in or at the side of roads in front of motorists?

The Bristol Fox Deaths Register currently lists 128 (reported) adult as well as cubs so far for 2024 and that number will likely increase to 300 this year.

The Bristol Badgers Death Register currently lists (reported) 43 adults/cubs.

The badger population is currently (after 300,000 killed in the cull) heading for extinction and the fox is likewise declining to such an extent that even the British Trust for Ornithology believes they should be Red Listed. And otters are not fairing much better and Bristol's otter death rate is not good.

Who in your Green Party is actually actively looking at wildlife issues?  

Another fox was added to the list this morning. I will keep adding to the lists and as far as I am concerned Green Bristol City Council is acting the same as Labour City Council did.

Terry Hooper

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

Well, it seems that I was right. Following the council election win by the Green Party at the start of May all of its councillors have gone back to being invisible and uncontactable.

Having given up I sent this email to the Green Party Head and Deputy Head of Bristol City Council:

"I have now tried getting in touch with your Green Party over local wildlife and environment issues since the 8^th May. Absolutely no responses.

A large group of people concerned with these issues changed from a Labour vote to help elect a Green run council under the foolish assumption you actually cared about these issues. After much discussion I can inform you that we have collectively decided to not vote Green Party in any future or national elections.

I cannot express just how disappointed I am in the Green Bristol City Council.

Terry Hooper"

I find that with wildlife death mounting up all over the area leaves me far less happy with very slow or no responses from those in authority.

The following was sent to Councillor Carla Denyer head of the Green party which is now in cntrol of Bristol City Council. Attached were copies of the 2023 and 2024 Fox and VBadger Death Registers:

Hello.

I submitted this to the former Mayor on three occasions but only just before the council elections did he respond to say "nothing we can do". My family going back to my grandparents voted Labour all of their lives as have I but along with a lot of other voters who were concerned about Labour's relentless disregard for the environment and wildlife issues decided that a Green vote would be the only choice. We are all hoping, whether people campaigning to save the Western Slopes or other green areas, or involved in wildlife work that the Green Party will step up and meet the challenges and stand with the people of Bristol to make the City a true example of environment and habitat protection.

For your convenience please find attached the Bristol Fox Deaths Register for 2023 as well as the Badger Deaths Register for 2023 maintained by the British Fox and Canid Study (f 1976) and the Bristol Badger Group (f 1994). In summary, for 2023 (and only animals given a location that could be found) some -I should point out that the total number of fox deaths listed herein are not all that died in 2023.

The total number of foxes killed on Bristol roads in 2023 was 257 and these include cubs, pregnant vixens and dog foxes.

The total known number of badgers killed in Bristol for 2023 was 53.

Our work now includes recording deaths of otters which totalled around 6 for 2023.

We do not keep a record of deer and other mammals/birds killed on Bristol roads but the number is high.

We know that for 2024 the total fox deaths up to 7th May stand at 83 and one of these was a heavily pregnant vixen. We have also just recorded the first otter death of 2024 at Lawrence Weston. Badger deaths up to 7th May stands at 36 and these include lactating sows meaning that cubs likely also died. Again, I will attach copies for your convenience.

One black spot for wild life deaths is the Hick's Gate stretch of road -deer, badgers, foxes etc. Saturday 27th January saw four fox deaths on this stretch of road.

For otter deaths we know that the major black spot is the Hartcliffe Way which sees the highest death rate. Looking through the registers you will note that certain areas always crop up and Downend is a particular black spot for foxes and badgers.

I am aware that it will cost, financially, but I would like Bristol City Council to consider the possibility of wildlife underpasses being installed in the main hot spots -Hick's Gate and Hartcliffe Way as the rate of wildlife death on these stretches is so high and otters and badgers are protected species. Perhaps "Wildlife Crossing" signs to alert drivers might also help.

We are currently looking at environmental crises and concentrating on wildlife areas but we are not looking at the animals themselves and how the impact of their deaths are affecting the environment -foxes as hunters are not wholly carnivorous but will catch and eat large numbers of rats and mice and in some cities around the world they are seen as far more effective than rodenticides(as are feral cats). If the numbers of foxes and badgers continue to drop then we will be seeing them, in the City, as rare and they took a long time to recover after 94% died off in the 1994/1995 mange outbreak.

So, please, give the idea of some type of underpass or overpass for wildlife serious consideration as in many parts of the world they have been adopted as essential.

I look forward to your responses when convenient.

Regards

Terry Hooper-Scharf

I have made a couple of attempts of contacting someone at the Green Party but that seems almost impossible by phone. It's far better to give all of the facts in writing and documents for a decision to be made.

Sadly, many of us who decided the mess of a Labour council had to go and so we switched our vote to the Greens. People have tried to raise several issues with the Greens but all note a very obvious absence of any representatives. I will not post the pithy comments made. As a second email seemed in order I again emailed Cllr Denyer attaching the first message:

"Hello. As I have not had a preliminary response to the email of 8th May I wondered whether there was someone appointed at the council who can handle the matters raised? Since writing the number of fox deaths in Bristol has risen to 100 and badger deaths stand at 37. This excludes deer and other animals (such as deer) killed in and around Bristol roads. At6 the very minimum some consideration should be given to "Warning Wildlife Crossing" notices on the main wildlife death spots. Some serious consideration needs to be given wildlife crossings whether over or under roads as at the current rate we are losing wildlife at an alarming rate and I would consider a new Green controlled council far better suited to handling this issue than the previous Labour controlled council."

Having at one time been a big supporter of the Green Party in Germany, perhaps I am expecting too much from a British Green Party? People are not even reporting deer they hit with their cars and we seriously need to take some action because wildlife killed by cars is getting out of hand.