My attention was drawn to a news item about a grammar school (Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham) bringing in pest controllers to kill foxes. At a time when the BNritish Trust for Ornithology, after a mammal survey, suggested foxes need to be Red Listed, a so called educational establishment is teaching kids that "If you do not like wildlife you can kill it".
Shame on Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham.
In the UK there is a badger watch but; is there a fox watch in the UK?
Nope.
I set up the British Fox Study in 1976 and even back then it was the same response of "just foxes" and quoting all the usual rubbish about foxes. There were some wildlife groups (the sort that had people go out on field work and study foxes -the way it was done pre internet and they found out a lot about urban foxes.
I have tried every year since then for UK and EU grants for fox work. All turned down.
I had to discover the truth about British foxes and my colleague who joined me a few years ago, LM, was an incredible help with that. I read hundreds of books going back to the 18th century, trawled internet archives and after 50 years I realised the dogma that had set into zoology and publishing and, yes, I faced backlash. Truth is often never liked.
Who had a necropsy study of foxes before 2021 in the UK? No one but I fought for three years before I got the okay -and I am very grateful to the APHA, WNDS and the pathologist for the necropsy study (results in a book form now).
All the stuff we are learning about foxes has come from Bristol -I would argue, based on facts and what I have seen (not ego) far more than the old Bristol Uni study. We are still learning more.
Five years ago I had people from all over the country wanting me to sort out problems affecting foxes and I cannot be the UK Fox Police.
In Bristol far more is being done with fox health and treatment (successful) in the wild since Sarah Mills became the Bristol Fox Lady and treated well over 500 foxes and all on a voluntary basis).
Why is none of this going on in other cities and towns?
Oh. Youi have to get off of your ass and have some dedication. How stupid of me to forget.
I have tried getting other people involved but I get more feedback and cooperation from outside the UK (which is why it became the British Fox and Wild Canid Study a few years back).
I probably will email the school because the pest controllers are just using them to get money -did they tell them that more foxes will move in?
Did they say that various councils have had their health and safety people declare foxes no risk to kids or adults?
People need to stand up for wildlife but it gets in the way of fast food and alcohol.
The UK fox population decline I noted in the early 1990s as definitely happening and I told everyone I could but "just foxes". Now we are at a point where foxes could become very rare or extinct by the 2030s (like badgers) and who cares?
This is how your children and your grand children will be seeing foxes by the mid 2030s....
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