Kent Police and RSPCA remove 100 animals from Kent Wildlife Rescue Service site in Sheerness UPDATE 07 08 25

 A few chats today and had it confirmed earlier that my main info was right that rescue gear was taken away and two partially sighted foxes on welfare grounds and these foxes were waiting for forever homes. A tame fox was left as was a fox awaiting release. Apparently a lot of birds were put down. Oddly, they never shut the centre down and the lady running it is appealing but we have no other details but a lot of KWRS supporters are VERY angry.

I do wonder whether one of the people they allow to visit was actually working for the RSPCA and gathering information as the raid and animal/bird killings were obviously planned in advance. Foxes do not rely entirely on eye sight and in safe homes blind foxes live full lives.

Lacking in real detail the story comes from Kent online

 https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/100-animals-removed-from-property-in-police-and-rspca-raid-327870/?fbclid=IwY2xjawL4cT9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETBHNkZrOEZSelI4SjlDQVBYAR6gN7x-LxRJ94TkXgvflMo3APCkpUQTw01qlGBF9K2sRBaqpY3m0E721-nUqw_aem_lTvXVI3EKQxD-2ctPK5qCQ

The worrying thing is that the RSPCA who have for a couple years now stressed that it is no longer involved with wildlife took part in a raid with police. KWR has been around for a while and the cost of the veterinary work on the fox cub (hydrocephalus?) shows it is serious so why now?

Here is a snippet which explains why I do not grade any UK wildlife rescue above 3 (low). There is a certain 'rescue' that has pointed the finger and made private complaints about other genuine rescues and that has caused problems and preventing wildlife aid in some cases. At the moment we do not know why this raid took place and my main concern is what happened to the animals.

If it turns out this was all down to malicious complaints then it may be time for people to get a backbone and actually state who the accusers were (they know).

Around 100 animals have been removed from a rescue site following a raid.

Police and RSPCA officers visited Kent Wildlife Rescue (KWR) in Victoria Street, Sheerness, on Wednesday last week (July 23).

The animals which were taken away included birds, hedgehogs and foxes.

The RSPCA wouldn’t comment on the reasons for the raid, and attempts to speak to the charity’s founder, Lorraine March, were unsuccessful.

KWR rescues, treats and rehabilitates all species of wildlife found injured, sick, or orphaned and returns them to the wild where possible.

It also helps to educate members of the public on wildlife.

In April 2023, it took in Hazel the fox, who was found lying in the road in Maidstone next to her mother, who had been hit by a car.

The cub, who was just a few weeks old at the time, was taken to the rescue centre where volunteers noticed her abnormally sized head. She later began to have seizures.

Last November, Hazel underwent head surgery – costing a total of around £15,000.

It is not known if she is among the animals taken from the property.

UPDATE 

I was alerted to a lot of messages stating that the RSPCA (which cleaned its hands of dealing with wildlife a few years ago) had actually killed a number of animals in situ at the rescue.  The claims were getting out of hand and so I therefore contacted the RSPCA on  5th August:

 "​Hello.

 My name is Terry Hooper and I am a naturalist and have run the British Fox and Wild Canids Study and several other long term studies. One of my main concerns is wildlife welfare and health (I headed the Bristol Fox Deaths Post Mortem Study) and work with wildlife rescues to improve treatments. 

I am contacting you regarding the "seizure" of 100 plus animals from Kent Wildlife Rescue Service. I quote news reports: " Police and RSPCA officers visited Kent Wildlife Rescue (KWR) in Victoria Street, Sheerness, on Wednesday last week (July 23)."

There has been much discussion about this online and I have been alerted to claims that the RSPCA oversaw the euthanasia of animals in situ at the rescue. I assume that the RSPCA is aware of these claims?

I prefer to operate on facts so wanted to ask whether animals were put down and what were the reasons for the raid considering KWRS has enjoyed a good reputation over the years?   I have had calls from the media and would prefer to give them some sensible facts so if the RSPCA can confirm or deny it would be appreciate.

Regards

Terry Hooper"

 

The considered response was sent on the same day:

 

"Thank you for sending your email to the RSPCA.

If you believe an animal needs urgent help then please call us directly on 0300 1234 999. Our phone lines are open every day between 08:00 and 18:00 from 1st October - 31st March and between 08:00 and 20:00 for the remainder of the year. Alternatively, we will deal with your email as soon as possible and may contact you to ask for more details if necessary.

If you are sending us attachments relating to an incident, please make sure you have included your full name, contact number and the incident number which would have been provided to you by a representative.

If you wish to follow up on your request, please reply to this email.

If you're emailing from an RSPCA Branch or a third party that we work closely with and you have an issue which needs to be dealt with quickly, then please call us on your dedicated number.

Kind regards"

RSPCA National Control Centre

Tel: 0300 1234 999

 

I responded back:

"I made a clear and straight forward request for information on the actions (not any investigation)  involving the Kent Wildlife Rescue Service by the RSPCA to quash a lot of rumours.

I will assume that those rumours are fact unless I can get an actual reply. I am trying to be neutral here but you are not helping.

Signed

T. Hooper"

On the 6th I received this response:

 

"Dear Terry,

Thank you for contacting the RSPCA.

Thanks for confirming your details. I can see from the original incident that the officer is still working on it, and the investigation is still under review. I'm afraid we can't provide you with updates.

Kind regards 

Kerry 

RSPCA National Control Centre 

0300 1234 999  "

Now this is where I have concerns. Were it a case that the RSPCA had “legitimate concerns” and had a vet euthanise animals on site then that is all the response required. The idea of the RSPCA inspectors bolt gunning animals on site before any veterinary examination/assessment is quite literally how they used to treat any wildlife injuries prior to their washing their hands of wildlife.

That the RSPCA “raided” the rescue with police support and making it a very obvious spectacle and with a local reporter tipped off seems to be a high publicity game on their part. They have absolutely no interest in helping wildlife and we know that because they have stated so and injured deer, foxes, badgers and various bird species have all had to be handled by local rescuers whom the RSPCA forward calls to and yet here is one rescue that has responded to calls in the past raided by them.

Not giving out case details is expected, however, to not just issue a press statement
(ie a case is underway but we can confirm no/some animals were put down”) has led to a great deal of wild speculation –or at least I hope it is wild speculation but the RSPCA while doing little for wildlife does seem to consider itself above being open to the public that it expects to help fund it via donations. This is why the organisation and its reputation has fallen so badly over the years and I worked alongside RSPCA inspectors from the 1970s on.

This leaves a very nasty taste in one’s mouth. I did send a final email to the RSPCA today (07 08 25):

"Hello.

Unfortunately that does not alter the fact that the RSPCA appears to once again distance itself from the public and supporters. The rumours continue and while I never expect any legal case details to be revealed a simple "due to their conditions some animals were euthanised" -at the moment the claims are that the RSPCA killed animals actually in the wildlife rescue itself which if true would put the organisation in a very bad light and face risking no further cooperation from wildlife rescuers who respond to calls forwarded by the RSPCA.

I have offered the RSPCA the opportunity to at least stop rumours but the offer has been turned down so the rumours continue and will put this case under a great deal of scrutiny if/when it goes to court.

T. Hooper"

"It's ALL Leptospirosis!!" and The Outdated Veterinary Attitude To Injuries

 

Oh I wish I could just talk to wildlife rescues and vets and explain things to them but none seem to want to communicate (and I know why).  

More and more of these people since I posted the fox deaths results are seeing jaundice or another symptom and citing "leptospirosis" without carrying out any post mortem or testing and unless you do that you cannot say for sure. I am reminded of the vet who stated categorically that the fox presented "has lepto -you can smell it on its breath!" Post mortem and testing and...no leptospirosis.  

Jaundice in foxes can have a number of causes  -as we found and as I reported. To take jaundice and say "lepto" is rather like the six recorded vets (I think it was actually more than six) who outright stated "This fox has been poisoned. It has all the tell-tale signs" which then whipped up scare stories and claims of a "Bristol Fox Poisoner" but post mortems revealed deaths due to being hit by cars.   

Leptospirosis is found in UK foxes but whether it is a regional thing is hard to say. Personally, I think it is a national problem since foxes are excellent rodent controllers and rats carry lepto -a senior vet with years of experience when told that the large number of foxes died due to lepto responded "lepto -as in rats?" yep.

Environmental issues that may be adding to the problem need to be studied but no one in the UK is going to invest money or time on looking into that "it's rats and foxes -who cares?!" It also need to be looked at from the perspective of young foxes and how quickly they build up an immunity to lepto or babesia -an immunity carried by most foxes. So why are so many not immune?  Again, foxes are dying out and we have already lost an estimated 65-70% so why bother?  

The UK, as I have stated many times, is not interested in long term study or conservation of species and one government after another has done its utmost to make wildlife decline its goal.  No wildlife then no obstacle to developing countryside and green spaces. Labour is doing its best to see to that.  

Wildlife rescues and vets are obstinate in that they do not want to give figures for how many foxes they euthanise each year and for what causes (although some rescues will point fingers at others that mention doing so). I have found that in reports where there appears to be lepto or some other disease involved that wildlife vets respond to suggestions that PMs and testing are carried with "I'm the vet and I'll do that when I feel it necessary" while rescues either will not respond or simply state "we don't do post mortems" or even "We wouldn't want to put it through a post mortem". Really? It is dead and what you find out might help others. Wildlife vets and wildlife rescues are part of the problem and after more than ten (10) years of trying I have not found one that is cooperative.  

Similarly the vastly out-of-date attitude amongst vets and rescues that a fox with a facial injury cannot live so is euthanised whereas we have mounting evidence that treated in situ they do survive and thrive -as found with coyotes in the United States.  Equally out of date is "Leg injury requires euthanasia as "the fox cannot live in the wild".  

There are three legged foxes around the UK and in the US that have continued top thrive and live their lives. "a front leg means there is no chance it can survive" -again, outdated. We even have on this very blog a post about foxes with three legs in the wild and one with a front leg missing who had bred successfully.

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2024/08/fox-leg-amputation-reason-to-kill.html

I hate saying it but it is fact: this is all dogma. A vixen who had a badly broken leg that was healing was reported to a rescue and the people reporting this were told that if it was caught it would be put down. Five other people claimed to have had the same response so when I tried reporting a fox with a limp as "a member of the public" I got the same response. So I said "But what if it's just a pulled muscle or sprain?" and was told "It's standing procedure; leg injury means it has to be put down".

Leg and facial injuries do NOT mean a fox needs killing. And jaundice does not mean a fox has lepto -it needs a post mortem and tests to be carried out.  We seem to make headway in field work and studies but then find everything going in an out-of-date circle of dogma.

And can I just add here a big THANK YOU to those vets who do help out and go beyond what they are required to do in helping sick and injured foxes in and around Bristol. Those are a credit to their profession.

More Photographic Evidence of Old Fox and Wild Cat Types

 It is always nice when you discover old books that back up your own research findings. My colleague, LM, recently found two sources noting the continued existence of wild cats in Wales and England after supposed extinction as well as noting the decline in fox numbers. One is Forrest, H.E. Catalogue of Peplow Hall Museum [formerly the Lord Hill collection at Hawkstone]. Shrewsbury 1907. Acks. Shropshire Archive.

The second source is The Fauna of Shropshire by (again) H. Edward Forrest, 1899. There are notes on continued wild cat existence and even more interesting are two photo plates showing and Old fox type and cubs as well as an Old wild cat with kittens.

(c)2025 British Wild Cats and Feral Study

These are old photographs but clearly show that these are not the current "wild tabby" being pushed as 'genuine' Scottish wild cats.  Even these, however, are likely to be hybridised as by the 1840s the genuine full blooded wild cat (if one had existed for hundreds of years -see The Red Paper 2022 Felids for details)was gone although some were still encountered that were quite large.

(c)2025 British Fox and Wild canid Study

Again, old photo but easily noticed is the absence of the "tear stain" muzzle marking and also lack of black which indicated new, imported foxes.  There is also something quite distinctive about the faces of the Old foxes that make them stand out.

Slowly but surely we have gathered taxidermy examples as well as photographic evidence of Old British foxes and Wild cats and those continuing the pushing of dogma through ignorance or for financial reasons can keep stamping their feet and name calling as much as they want.  Dogma is dogma which =lies.

Maybe some day a lab will volunteer to carry out DNA testing.

Stealing original Research

 As a response to people who pointed this out to me.

A great deal of the historical information, quotes from archives, images etc that are being used on The Fox Forum are MY research. Often not accurately quoted.

Let it be a lesson in who to trust in ytour research work.

Vets and Rescues Need To THINK and Authorities Stop Covering Up

 

Bristol is seeing far more cooperation from vets regarding foxes and wildlife now than two years ago. It has been a slow progress with Sarah Mills by and large educating vets on foxes. 

We have on record six vets who, when presented with dying foxes all declared "It's been poisoned" -in each case post mortem examination revealed the actual cause of death and not one poison related.  

Friday 06 06 2025  cub wandering around cul de sac staggering. bs34   Finder took to Rowe Vets who said cub had ingested poison (no evidence) cub died with no intervention needed. The vets then allowed finder to take home to bury. Even as a suspected poisoning –the fox should have been submitted as a potential wildlife crime as well as be reported to police.  This will now become yet another ‘poisoning’ rumour.

Thursday 03 07 2025  Filton Avenue. Older vixen with side of face half gone, infection.  Locum Rowe                  vet said “poisoning”(!!). PTS body disposed of.

Thursday 03 07 2025  Worral Rd, Clifton Down. Member of public takes  collapsed fox to  Zetalnd Vet                but it dies before getting there. Vet (AGAIN) says “toxins” but the number of flies seems to                     indicate infection. If poison was suspected then the vet(s) have a duty to report to police as                        possible wildlife crime.

When asked why he felt it was poisoning (despite the obvious cause of the fox dying) the vet responded "People poison them".   This means that he was simply throwing poison in as a nonsense. You CANNOT and MUST NOT state a cause of death unless you carry out a proper post mortem examination or signs (as from RTA) are obvious.The number of times vets out of sheer stupidity state "poison" causes a lot of public concern and hysteria.

If a vet suspects poisoning then it is his/her duty to report the matter to the police as a potential wildlife crime. To not do so is with holding evidence of a possible crime -to let a member of the pub take a suspected poisoned animal home to bury is so crassly stupid that the vet in question should be reprimanded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The problem is that it is not just vets doing this. Wildlife rescues regularly report a dead or dying fox going to a vet and they are told "its poisoning". I have asked time and again what poison was involved -that is a simple public safety question and one that might give other rescues information needed later. "the vet said it was poison" or "We are not putting the fox through a post mortem examination"(?!) are the usual two responses or simply a refusal to respond. 

Vets and wildlife rescues have the same duty to make accurate statements based on solid provable facts but it seems that rumour mongering is top priority.  If there is evidence of poisoning then it is the duty of vets and rescues to clearly state what the evidence is and the poison involved and that will generally involve a post mortem examination.  A fox that has massive infection, and smells of infection and has had half its face smashed off by a car is not poisoning and I wonder whether that person's veterinary certificate came off the back of a cereal box.

In a six year period not one rescue claiming they have had a fox poisoned has submitted said carcass for examination to substantiate the claim and identify the poison. Not one vet I have contacted directly has ever submitted a fox for PME -most have the attitude that if they say something was poisoned then you have no right to even query that claim.

Over 80 foxes underwent PME in Bristol and only two were found to have secondary rodenticide poisoning having eaten a poisoned rat. We know that the rodenticide is used by the local authority but the Wildlife Incident Investigation Service treats its investigation and findings as secret -only they know WHO the poison was used by and the local authority. That attitude also needs to change as any death -wildlife or domestic pet- due to rodenticide used by a local authority is not a "huh up" project since those authorities are voted in by and paid by the voters.

Of course, now that a veil of secrecy has been pulled over fox death reports -unquestionably backed by the organisations involved- we will be lied to and misled. But vets and rescues need to think and get evidence before screaming "poison!" (although rescues get good press publicity following the claims).

ADDENDA

08 07 2025

Today a collapsed and dehydrated fox was taken to the vets and put on a drip.  When Sarah Mills phoned to see how it was doing a rather indifferent sounding vet told her that the fox had ingested toxins (poison). Mills pointed out that there were no signs of poisoning and asked two specific questions and the negative response showed that there was no poisoning -as Mills pointed out: "We are the vets" was the response she got.

The vet promised to phone back at 2000 hrs which they did not.  We are therefore unaware of whether the fox was put down or still alive.  Vet euthanised fox and disposed of body. This same vet practice has now stated four times that foxes taken in were poisoned: one was allowed to be taken away and buried by a member of the public and the others disposed of.

I would draw vets attention to this:  

"If a veterinarian suspects wildlife poisoning and doesn't report it, they could be violating legal and ethical obligations. While specific reporting requirements vary by jurisdiction, failure to report can hinder investigations, potentially allowing further harm to wildlife and the environment. Additionally, it could be considered a breach of professional conduct and potentially lead to disciplinary actions."

and

"Veterinarians should report suspected wildlife poisoning incidents to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS). This is crucial for investigating potential pesticide misuse and protecting wildlife and the environment."

Which means that one vet practice has now failed to inform the WIIS three times (potentially four times) of what they believe to be, and have clearly with no doubt, wildlife poisonings  and disposed of the bodies including allowing a member of the public to take one animal away.

If the current fox under their care has been euthanised and disposed of then the practice will be reported to the WIIS as well as the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.