This numerical guessology proves my point. In The Red Paper you will find mention of the"estimated" number of RTA fox deaths per year which has to be added to any over all population figure.
That is before trying to estimate how many are killed each year purely for 'fun' with men and women going out nightly to shoot wildlife and with foxes being the favourite (so dozens each week are killed that way).
We also have to consider that many cubs are dying each year from leptospirosis as well as other medical conditions and every mothering vixen killed equals 2-4 cubs dying from starvation.
"Total numbers are far more difficult to estimate than population density; hence few attempts have been made. The most recent published census (conducted between 1999 and 2000) estimated that Britain has a stable population of around 230,000 animals (before cubs are born); a further 150,000-or-so are estimated to be in Ireland. "The Mammal Society, in conjunction with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, are working on revised population estimates and distribution maps of Britain’s mammal species. Published in 2017, provisional results of the Red fox by National Wildlife Management Centre (which is APHA and DEFRA -TH) biologist Graham Smith and his colleagues provide an estimate of the British fox population based on data from the NBN Gateway project and average fox density per habitat type. Their analysis estimates that there are some 430,515 Red foxes in the UK, although the authors do note “there is also uncertainty surrounding the estimate”.
"In 2011, the ‘official’ UK urban population guestimate stood at about 33,000 animals, although this this figure comes from a study published in 1995. I have heard figures of between 10,000 and 30,000 foxes in the London area alone, but know of no supporting data for these 'estimates'. More recently very preliminary analysis of a survey of just over 11,000 respondents from across the country, completed as part of the Foxes Live series shown on Channel 4 during May 2012, led Dawn Scott and Phil Baker (at Reading University) to tentatively estimate 35,000 to 45,000 foxes living in urban Britain. A more rigorous analysis using computer models to interpret almost twice as many survey responses, tracking data and habitat mapping suggested a much higher figure.
At the Ecology Society’s conference in 2016, Scott presented an estimate of 150,000 urban foxes in Britain. Perhaps most interestingly, Scott and her colleagues observed that there was no significant correlation between the average fox density and the number of sightings. In other words, seeing more foxes around isn't necessarily an indication that there are more (or even a lot of) foxes in your neighbourhood.
The latest (2015) data from the Peoples' Trust for Endangered Species Mammals on the Roads and Living with Mammals surveys suggest that we're seeing about the same number of foxes killed on the roads and visiting our gardens now as we were back in the early 2000s, while the results of the 2015 British Trust for Ornithology Breeding Bird Survey (which also counts mammals) suggests that fox abundance in the UK as a whole has actually declined by about one-third since 1996. In an article to the New Scientist in January 2017, Philip Stephens of Durham University noted that there is anecdotal evidence to suggest:
“… since the hunting with dogs ban came into force, gamekeepers have felt a particular obligation to hammer foxes as hard as they can.”
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In fact, in the 1980s I was noting and reporting that fox numbers were declining steadily and by the 1990s I stated that Wales would see a massive decline within the decade. In fact the despicable and now criminal (in Wales) snaring of foxes plus local village hunts out "for fun before a pint" were reporting that they only got the occasional "measly ragged fox" while other areas reported not having seen a fox or signs of fox activity for "two to three years".
Photographers often travel from Wales over to Bristol to photograph foxes and when asked why travel all that way the simple response has always been "We can't find any foxes in Wales".
Hunts as well as countryside "pursuit" groups have always over estimated the number of foxes to keep their 'fun' going. However, as I noted in The Red Paper, when a naturalist who was a pro hunt man did a survey of hunts and yearly totals he soon discovered that his pals at hunts were very secretive and were actually falsifying how many foxes were about.
Despite the claims that without 'control' during the 1914-1918 war, the fox population exploded it had not. People still killed foxes and there was a steep decline post war. There was also The Great Scarcity of 1923 detailed here:
and here:
We also know that in the 1950s a great many foxes died. It has been suggested that their top food item -rabbits- had been killed off by myxomatosis. According to the National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19069081/:
"In 1953 myxomatosis, a viral disease of rabbits, broke out in Britain for the first time. It rapidly killed tens of millions of the animals from Kent to the Shetlands. Many farmers and foresters welcomed a disease that virtually eliminated a longstanding and serious agricultural pest. Others were horrified by the sight of thousands of dead and dying animals. "
There would still be rats, voles, mice as well as wild fowl and as foxes will also eat vegetation/fruit the idea that rabbit loss killed so many foxes is questionable/ Officially, myxomatosis got the the UK "accidentally" from France where it was introduced but many experts, because of incidents after 1953. believe that it was introduced. That aside, the fox population declined further and into the 1960s hunts were still having to hunt bagged foxes (foxes released by a hunt to chase and if caught before hounds reached them they could be used several times before death).
Far from "an abundance" of foxes. If one fox in a hunting area got mange then it was practice to kill every fox, even cubs, to stop a possible spread -new foxes were caught by hunt supporters and released in hunt areas.
The Second World War did not stop foxes being killed and the lie of a war time population boom was easily proven a lie. More and more of the public being outspoken on the 'sport' meant hunts felt they had to justify continuation.
We saw the extinction of British Old Foxes in the 1860s and more than one dip in the imported populations up until 1914 and since that time, apart from closed down fur farms dumping their foxes, there has been no new blood to the UK red fox population.
For 2025 up to 30th April we have recorded 100 fox deaths on Bristol roads and three were heavily pregnant vixens. Other lactating vixens killed resulted in an untold number of dead fox cubs. While some people with little knowledge are stating that babesia is a "ticking time bomb" amongst foxes we have proven (via the officially suppressed Fox Deaths Study) that, in fact, leptospirosis is killing foxes and cubs annually in large numbers. That put into a national scale would probably give a figure in the low thousands (1000-1500) which is, like all the official figures a "guestimate" but one based on daily study.
The number of foxes killed on roads national would hardly be the standard figure given since the 1990s of 100,000+ because we simply do not have that many foxes to spare over 100,000. There is a similar figure given for road kill badgers and, again, we do not have 100,000 RTA badgers each year because so far the unscientific cull has killed around 300,000 which is over half the badger population and in some areas they no longer exist.
It is always good for official bodies to make it appear that we have healthy wildlife numbers and as long as you have no idea of the number of species facing extinction in the UK at the amount it all sounds jolly nice. Remember the current government wants wildlife areas, badger setts and fox dens destroyed if they get in the way of developments.
It is very depressing but a fact that, by the 2030s, there may be only urban foxes and badgers left and they will be prey to government policies and developers because they do not care for wildlife or green spaces just the greed for money (legal and bribes).
"Another mammal suffering from large scale declines is the Red Fox, with populations in central-southern England and eastern Wales declining by between 20% and 50% over the study period."
The BTO's statement suggests they are aware of potential conservation issues related to fox populations, such as habitat loss, roadkill, and human conflict.
"So, if this trend is real then in 24 years the Red Fox has declined by 50% in numbers – halved! If this were a bird, and it clearly isn’t, it would be on the UK red list." He goes on (I add an red X on each point that is correct):
"Let’s just think of reasons why Red Foxes might be declining in numbers. Here’s a list off the top of my head:
- increased road kill X
- intensification of agriculture leading to loss of food X
- Rabbit decline X
- competition with Badgers
- Red Foxes benefitted from being chased around the countryside by fox hunts and are missing them
- some sort of disease X
- some sort of environmental pollution X
There is no competition with badgers and I have been studying the interactions between the two for many years -as have others who have compiled photographic and video archives. Foxes missing hunts.... I have only one (rude) response to that idea!
Lastly, yes, we know leptospirosis is taking a lot of foxes and if cubs die that is the next breeding generation gone. If the vixen dies that means no more cubs. Basically, death amongst any animal population is not good.
Even though everyone knows that rabbits have declined they are still being killed nightly to "control their numbers" because that is money in a lot of pockets (more importance than species extinction apparently).
A 50% decline in the fox population? If you check out wildlife rescues you will find they are doing their best to help orphaned cubs survive and to release them into the wild with no gu8arantee that some moron with a snare or gun will not kill them before they are a year old. Or car will claim them as it did their mothers.
If anything, and mind you I've only studied foxes for 49 years so if I say I believe the population has dropped by 60% it is likely more accurate. What happens now? As far as the Labour or any government is concerned "just foxes" or "just wildlife" and they have shown scant regard for it in the past. They will no doubt "tut-tut" away when they hear "The foxes and badges are falling over the extinction line" and form a ten year committee that will eventually decide that if there are any foxes or badgers left they need saving..."Oops -Too late!"
! Having been told that "Tank" is being regularly fed, this takes support feeding to a whole other level. On average, a healthy fox weighs 5kg. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; we have seen healthy 8kg foxes and even tiny, but healthy, 3kg foxes, but this guy is struggling! 
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