Yes, I can bore for England when it comes to foxes (and wild canids in general) and wild cats. No one has studied history of the British fox even though there are many sources easily available that detail the original three Old British fox types and also the original British wild cat which lasted much longer than most think.
The extinction of Scottish wild cats in the 1860s was confirmed in 1897 by naturalists in Scotland.
We know that the Old fox types also became extinct in the 1860s and to foxes and wild cats you can add red squirrels who hit extinction and like other wildlife were replaced by imports from Europe -in fact deer and others all hit the extinction wall in the 1860s. We know that hunting and simply killing for bounties was to blame. Nothing else just humans. We know that Germany killed off its wolves in the 1850s and France ran a relentless war against wolves until they became extinct.
It also seems that to continue the fox hunts in England where "better sport" called for a larger and sturdier fox that we imported from Norway. I have found Norwegian wildlife people totally unaware of the fact that they had an Old fox type -it is documented in books as well as publications of the time. The British hunts and their need to kill something very likely resulted in so many Norwegian foxes being imported that they quickly became extinct.
I have found red fox "experts" totally unwilling to even consider looking into historical records even when given sources and basic information. One Swiss "expert" told me that he had "studied red foxes for thirty years" and dismissed the Old fox as unworthy of consideration or even looking into the collection he supervised at the museum. I politely did not point out that I had studied and researched foxes for almost 50 years.
One museum was cooperative and actually found a specimen killed in England in 1848 which ended up in their collection.
We now have photographs of a 19th century Old fox type -we believe at the moment this was surviving in Central Europe in wilder lands and no excessive hunting. If one taxidermy survives in Europe might there not be more?
The two updated books on wild Canids and Felids are heavily referenced so that they can be peer reviewed but also show that over 40 years of research results are fact not "some unproven theory" (imagine that in a Swiss accent). No UK publisher would touch the books although three were interested but out of the blue "they don't fit into our current publishing plan" (after glowing responses that seemed odd). There are two explanations:
1. We know that a good few involved in the publishing business are also part of the horsey/hunt set. They do not want to upset their chums by showing how relentless hunting wiped out species.
2. Many have, since the early 1900s, published dogma based on unresearched claims. All of the top naturalists in the UK up to and just after 1900, all noted how "wild cats" in museums were hybrids and I found that no UK museum has a wild cat specimen pre 1900 (including the rather hostile to research Natural History Museum, London if I take them at their word). If you read any book looking at UK foxes you will find one thing and that they all quite literally quote from each other and so dogma has never been challenged. Would a publisher really consider a book which showed how some of their best selling books have been wrong?
I therefore privately published. Copies have gone out but even David Attenborough Productions has shown no interest. Dogma is that deep in UK wildlife.
Consider this: I set up the Bristol Fox (and Badgers) Death Register in 2021 and there is nothing similar in the UK. These registers show us (reported) fox deaths and were, etc.
In 2021 I started the Bristol Fox Deaths Project -the first of its kind in the UK looking at unusual or suspicious fox deaths and we learnt a great deal from over 80 necropsies -things we never suspected before.
We are also pushing the treatment of sick or injured foxes (unless they are in a condition that requires veterinary intervention) in situ. Mange, bad legs and even facial injury cases have been treated successfully since treatment in the wild gets rid of the stress an animal feels when captured, transported and penned up for a week or two. Meds work better under no stress situations. In Bristol over 550 foxes that would, under a previous rescue, be euthanised have fully recovered and continued on to live and have cubs.
We are slowly but surely educating people on foxes and the amount of official support (but no funding) is encouraging as is the fact that many vets are now more than willing to treat foxes (there are notable anti wildlife vets sadly).
Publishers -no interest. Production companies -no interest. Museums and some "experts" -no interest. Is it really going to shake the world to its foundations to read two historically accurate and referenced books?
Dogmatists think so. Those cosy jobs and free lunches.
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