Just a note for the public record.
Sarah Mills, the Bristol wildlife rescuer, was called by a lady she has helped with foxes before. The woman wanted a fox trapped as "it has a broken leg". The video clip which I have watched several times shows no broken leg -in fact when the fox was getting under a car it used all four legs. The fox does have mange which Mills has started treating.
The woman refused to accept anything other than trapping the fox and stated she would get a trap herself. She couldn't find one (presumably cheap enough).
The law regarding interfering with wildlife rescuers treating wild animals was explained to her and the regulations on this sent to her. Again, her attitude was that none of that matterede and that the fox needed trapping.
It does not.
Today the woman informed us that she has contacted a certain 'rescue' who say they will travel to Bristol and set up a trap. It is a big area, not in a garden. Regarding setting traps:
"Wildlife rescuers must check traps at least once every 24 hours, with some sources recommending checks every few hours to prevent stress and injury to the trapped animal. The specific frequency can vary by location, but a daily check is a common legal and ethical requirement to provide humane care for the animal. Some regulations also specify even more frequent checks for traps submerged in water. "
Travelling back and forth twice a day? Unlikely. Every day? Unlikely. The woman will not be monitoring the trap as she appears to not be that interested in being active on the matter. So a trap will be set in an open space where any cat or other animal can enter it and be trapped. If the fox in question is trapped that rescue has a policy of killing foxes with mange and they would also breaching professional ethics by trapping and removing a fox already being treated in conjunction with veterinary advice.
The woman herself will be black listed from receiving any future help and the other rescue had better be right on the ball as the area is monitored.
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