Fox Deaths Project Map

This is only a small glimpse at the superb map created by Zoe Webber for the Fox Deaths Project. Each colour denotes a cause of death of each of the foxes that have been submitted for post mortems.

There are a good few surprises and these include (black humour) the "Zombie fox". Hopefully a complete copy of the map will be presented in the over view planned for release this summer.

The Project may just be based in Bristol but the ramifications and what it has told us about foxes will be far reaching for UK foxes in general and, we hope, alert vets and rescues on what to look out for.

map (c)2023 Zoe Webber/Fox Deaths Project

An eye opener for fox lovers also as all of those who thought poisons were the only thing killing foxes. Also a surprise for those who stated from the outset "They are all car kills".

A Quick Over View and Why We Must Take Our Larger Mammals More Seriously

I took a look at the All Time stats for this blog just for a break from dead animals and to see who might be viewing this blog. It's not a major blog and I'm a not very well known 50+ years naturalist/mammalogist specialising in canids, felids and a few mustelids on the side but figures are decent (more than book sale figures!)

United Kingdom 2.4K

United States   1.65K

Germany   849

Belgium    402

Russia       165

France       147

Ireland       132

Sweden      132

Canada       95

Indonesia   39

Netherlands  38

India           33

United Arab Emirates 18

Japan     18

Finland   16

Singapore  14

Austria  13

Ukraine   11

Brazil    7

"Others"    164

 

Looks prettier on the map.

What were the top posts?

Sadly, no idea why the 'scientific' hunting post came top though if it shames the university that took part in this and shows that 'conservation' (hunt) groups are up to; fair enough.

Apart from the post appealing for any pre-1900s fox and wild cat taxidermy -which we really still need for the next stage of research which is DNA testing- the rest concern fox welfare and disease. Incidentally any museums wanting to get rid of fox and wild cat taxidermy as it becomes less popular -please get in touch.

The views are not staggering but then, I did not set up this blog to get views or friends! The purpose is to educate and get more people aware of real fox and wild cat history as well as conservation and welfare. In the last week I have had to deal with recording (not part of the Fox Deaths Project) seven dead foxes due to car strike (we say "RTA" -road traffic accident). I have also, today, received reports of three badger RTAs and a note on yet another otter RTA in the City of Bristol.

It has to be remembered that no one has bothered keeping a Fox Deaths Register before so in that Bristol is unique. We have also been able to arrange for any badgers found dead under suspicious circumstances to be submitted for post mortem examination and we are recording badger deaths in and around the City. 

I did appreciate the comment that I had focussed international attention on foxes in Bristol (its why I checked the stats to see what he was talking about).

The biggest breakthrough is the Fox Deaths Project, the only one of its kind in the UK and far from finding every dead fox to be a victim of the "mass fox poisoner" we have only found one with secondary rodenticide poisoning but two (one outside of the Project)  victims of snaring. Nor have all the foxes been RTA victims and even though that were have thrown up a few surprises.  There are two important people involved in this; one is the pathologist who has carried out work beyond anything we actually expected. The second is Zoe Webber without whom the Fox Deaths Project would have faltered long ago.  I'm just the fella sat in front of the computer and phone having a nervous breakdown! 

There is one memorable fox that was recovered for the Project. This was what we called "Zombie Fox" and when its story is told I expect many people will be as staggered as Zoe and myself. It is an unforgettable case and....well, wait for my over view report.

Although many people have understood that foxes should not be fed daily and once or twice a day because they are wild and hunt there are still the foolish people who try to coax foxes (and badgers)  into their homes with food. Some foxes have paid the price for this with their lives and, yes, I point the finger at those excessive feeders.  Putting food out daily to film or photographic foxes is another problem but so long as people make money or get their social media "Likes" they do not care. It is an ongoing fight but re-education is important.

Education is also important for children. To hear that one teacher at a school informed her class that badgers were "filthy and disease ridden and needed to be killed" (a country school -big surprise) then it is important to get accurate facts out there. Even the old 'sportsmen' of the "Golden Age of Hunting" (19th century) described badgers as clean and beneficial in many ways but docile and harmless (they were killed for "a bit of fun" between fox hunting of course).

I am not going to write that I am shocked that zoologists and naturalists (or people who like to call themselves naturalists) today have such a bad education on wildlife. Most have no idea that the genuine British red squirrel was wiped out by hunting around the 1840s.  The three types of British Old fox were wiped out around the same time. Wild cats in England, Wales and Scotland were also wiped out around the same period. Hares and certain deer became extinct in areas due to hunting.  So WHY do we still have them -the fact that the DNA of European species match those of UK species answers that question: before the 19th century there was large scale importing of these animals from Europe to "continue the sport" -it introduced mange to the UK as well. In the 19th century the big importers were bringing in up to 2000 foxes per year to go to various hunts.  Some were sent over as gifts to Irish hunts. 

I would like to see museums and public libraries put on well informed wildlife exhibits where the facts are presented so that they learn not just about the past but also about why we must conserve for the future. 

Local authorities also need to adopt the European and Canadian policy of building wildlife under and over passes. What hunts do not kill cars and other vehicles take care of in droves and I believe that even an estimate of 80,000 foxes killed on the roads per year is low. There are signs of the fox population struggling and it is only because rescues take care of and release cubs and adult foxes that we are still seeing them. There will come a point beyond which the only destination is extinction.

If I can get that message across to just a few people it makes the last 50 years of work worthwhile.

Remember, as I often get asked this by people, the work I do, the work Zoe Webber does, there is absolutely no funding for and even my research colleague, LM, has to pay for everything out of her own pocket. "Just foxes" is not glamorous or "sexy" enough to warrant funding or grants in the UK. Even the badger work is all out of pocket and to be honest those pockets became thread-bare a long time ago.

Anyone out there rich and pro wildlife want to throw a few grand this way? 

If A Fox, like most animals, can live with three legs why kill it?

 Although I am writing this about the City and County of Bristol -home to the BBC Wildlife Unit and other noted wildlife (documentary/photographic) bodies- it applies across the UK. Until we learn to respect wildlife and treat sick and injured animals we have no right to keep shouting that big lie "We are a nation of animal lovers!"

I have not mentioned the person who reported this particular fox for privacy's sake but the situation shows why we need a wildlife care centre.

On Wednesday, 11th January the person involved asked about any recent foxes found dead in the area as two regulars to her garden had not shown up for some time. I pointed out that as it was breeding season foxes do vanish as they look for mates. I was then told of a newcomer to the garden that seemed to be missing its paw and fur along the leg. I asked whether a photograph could be obtained to shown the extent of any injury and was promised there would be an attempt to photograph it.

In the meantime the RSPCA told me that it was standard practice that any fox with a leg injury would be trapped and put down. It is also the policy of Secret World wildlife rescue to put a fox with a leg injury down. Private vets? Guess?

Yesterday, Saturday 14th January, the original poster sent me the best photo that they could obtain and I include it here:

The leg does not look bloodied (which might be a concern since the fox was reported to be in the garden for over a week) but it is clear the paw may be missing. We are waiting to see if a better photo is possible.

The fox, appears to be a vixen, seems alert and in good condition but its posture shows it is only using three legs to move about which is no problem since there are plenty of domestic dogs and foxes getting about fine with three legs. The person wrote: ""here is a picture of the injured fox not sure you can really see from the picture. He’s been sleeping in my garden & eating all the food I give him. He’ll then wander off once fed. I’ll try and get a better picture in a bit.""here is a picture of the injured fox not sure you can really see from the picture. He’s been sleeping in my garden & eating all the food I give him. He’ll then wander off once fed. I’ll try and get a better picture in a bit."

The poster was obviously concerned that if caught the fox would be put down. It is shameful that so many foxes are killed simply because it would take time and effort to bring them up to the point where they could be released but vets are, after all, businesses and unless a treated fox is going to a rescue to recuperate -put it down.

A colleague of mine tells me that the vet she uses would, if necessary, amputate the leg rather than put the fox down. Sadly the vet is too far away from Bristol. For that reason all we can do is hope that there is no infection and that the leg will heal. I do NOT want this one ending up as part of the Fox Deaths Project.

Why might it end up as part of that project? Because it is possible that the injury was caused as the fox escaped a snare. Yes, we know for a fact that degenerates out there are setting snare traps in and around Bristol -causing two deaths last year. These people do not care whether a domestic pet such as a cat is caught as if it isn't done through sheer psychopathy it is done to get a fox or badger "to order" for taxidermists and we KNOW that happens.

So will this vixen survive or become another victim of human disinterest as it is "just a fox"? That is out of our hands.

Check your local wildlife rescues that appeal for donations and, if they do not put down a fox just because it has a leg injury -support them!

Spot The Poo

 Wildlife Trusts

Baiting Wildlife To Film or Photograph

 

People on social media groups do it and so do, shame on them, professional wildlife people. Note:

"1. BAITING WILDLIFE FOR PHOTOS

Laying out food to encourage an animal's presence can negatively impact wildlife by altering their natural movement behaviors. Most wild animals spend a large portion of their time foraging or hunting, and as such are hugely opportunistic. A food opportunity that involves little energetic expenditure (i.e., they don't have to do much to find or access it)is a huge reward in terms of survival, and animals will very quickly learn to associate where and how they can benefit from a food source. By baiting any location with food, we override an animal's instinct to adhere to territory markings, be aware of signs of predators, and we change wild behavior by encouraging an animal to enter an area for human-created reasons. As a result, animals are more likely to be predated upon, have negative encounters with conspecifics (members of the same species), or cross roads and hostile habitat in an effort to access the food. Even one baiting activity can have a negative impact."

See source page below:

https://www.theoutbound.com/.../why-feeding-wildlife-for...

Basically you are getting the animal to ignore its natural prey such as rats and mice -which is helpful for the environment- to get food put out by humans -which is NOT good. Trusting humans will get a fox or badger killed.

The Research Continues

 

There is very little doubt that The Red Paper 2022 I: Canids and The Red Paper 2022 II: Felids are going to shake up wildlife research and study in the UK.

When I published the first Red Paper in 2010 it was called "explosive" by more than one well known naturalist. In fact the book sold very badly and that may be because people are only interested in books with pretty fox pictures or by authors who have been on TV. Sadly, those people are pretty badly educated when it comes to the history of the fox in the UK/Ireland as well as wild cat history.

Basically, people go to university/college and study wildlife but they are taught from books that are full of dogma and taught by persons who follow that dogma and will defend it in the extreme. You see, I have spent 50 years scouring newspaper archives, old hunting and 'sport' books and naturalist/zoological publications from 18th century on. Therefore I KNOW based on contemporary accounts and papers exactly what the original three British fox types were like until hunted into extinction by the 1840s (thousands of foxes were imported into England for hunting from, at least, the 17th century on). Most modern writers will tell you that 'tales' of the three Old foxes were "the equivalent of the giant fish that got away"

That is ignorance and stupidity and shows no true knowledge. Of course naturalists in the 1970s could say they had heard tall tales of Hill foxes but had never seen one in the real world: the three fox types were extinct by the 1840s (maybe the odd pair in very isolated mountainous areas).

My colleague has actually built up a collection of rare Old fox taxidermy and that includes at least two full body Mountain foxes which p[rove they existed and were in fact larger than a coyote.

The updated Red Paper contains photographs (in colour) to prove the point.

The same thing applies to Wild cats which, as hybrids, survived in England and Wales into the early 20th century -we have the photographs and accounts. The true Old wild cat was large and dogs used to hunt them were fitted with studded collars to prevent them being killed -though dogs were and men were also seriously injured. The Old wild cat in size would probably have been near to lynx size -it was not known as "The British Tiger"/"Highland Tiger" for nothing.

In the 1690s it was noted that, had it not been for mating with feral domestic cats, the wild cat would have been extinct long ago. It was this interbreeding that kept the cats going but by 1897 the Scottish naturalists declared "the true" wild cat extinct by the 1860s. In fact, the wild cats at that time were not true wild cats but at least generation III of wild cats (feral hybrids) and, yes, my colleague has specimens from the 1830s. And I have proven what the last vestiges of wild cats looked like just before extinction.

By consulting the works of the field naturalists who (shame on them) were also the 'sportsmen' who helped make wild cats extinct- and some very highly regarded ones at that including Frankl Buckland- I can show how what is currently called the 'true Scottish wild cat' is in fact a feral tabby cat. In fact, it is possible that some were imported from Europe for 'sport' and that others escaped travelling menageries and private collections. The reason why the feral tabby DNA matches that of the European wild cat is simple:

1) they are hybrids or descendants of imported European wild cats

2) European wild cats have survived by also interbreeding with feral domestics.

When it comes to foxes and wild cats the London Natural History Museum has been downright obstructive when it comes to collaboration (the first time I have encountered this since first communicating with them in the 1970s). In fact, it is interesting that (and I have the email) despite all the obstructiveness the last email I had from the NHM was to ask what was in my paper and what had I found , etc., etc. In fact, the NHM even stated that they had no idea where (if they had the specimen) the Kellas cat handed to them in the 1980s was.

Publishers have also flatly refused to accept fully referenced manuscripts -commercially for them it might be bad as they have been publishing dogma and my works show that. I have even heard and seen people attempting to trash the books and their contents which is interesting since the books have not been published and not distributed to anyone or establishment!

In the meantime I have not stopped fox research. The Fox Deaths Project is making discoveries and to date the British Fox Study has the largest data base of fox photographs from the UK not to mention 'fox' masks (head trophies) that have been clearly identified as jackal, coyote and even wolves and whereas I originally thought these were all escapees it appears that they were in fact deliberately released by hunts for 'sport' -again, fully referenced accounts are in the book.

Our next step is DNA testing of Old fox and Old wild cat. This, however, is far too expensive and as there is some anecdotal evidence that the DNA work by one institution on an Old wild cat specimen might have been deliberately lied about there has to be independent lab analysis that can be trusted and data presented.

The work is truly never finished and I hope that in future someone can continue the research but with no funding for any fox project it is an expensive business.

So, I am still here for...well, however long.

Preliminary Listing of Bristol Dead Foxes Reported During 2022

 Preliminary Listing of Dead Foxes Reported During 2022

Note that this is simply a reference listing of dead foxes reported to the British Fox Study’s Fox Death Project (the Project is Bristol based). A report on the findings of post mortem examinations of foxes submitted under this project is scheduled for June 2023.

001 Sunday, 02 01 2022

Southmead BS9 Fox found dead in garden.

002 Tuesday, 04 01 2022

Redland pair of foxes found dead in garden.

003 Monday, 10 01 2022

Winterbourne, BS36. Fox found dead in field.

004 Thursday, 13 01 2022

Durdham Downs, BS9. Fox found dead.

005 Saturday, 15 01 2022

Greenbank Allotments BS5. Dead fox found in open greenhouse

006 Monday, 24 01 2022

Dead fox found at entrance Doncaster rd park, Southmead BS10

007 Tuesday, 25 01 2022

Rownham Clse BS3 fox collapses and taken to vet PTS

008 Thursday, 03 02 2022

Mangotsfield BS16 dead fox found in hollow in wood

009 Friday, 04 02 2022

Brislington BS4 Deaf fox reported

010 Saturday, 05 02 2022

Dead fox on Wedmore Vale Rd/Glyn Vale Rd corner. Bs3

011 Wednesday, 09 02 2022

RTA Fox Colliter’s Brook, BS3

012 Wednesday, 16 02 2022

Dead fox at Blaise Castle BS10

013 Tuesday, 22 02 2022

Dead fox found in garden Cherington Rd BS10

014 Monday, 07 03 2022

Dead fox Frome Valley Walkway

015 Friday 11 03 2022

Possible RTA dead fox Devon Road Bridge, Eastville BS5

016 Friday, 25 03 2022

RTA vixen and cub Kingswood BS15

017 Sunday, 27 03 2022

Staggering fox collapses dies. Oakland Road, Redland BS6

018 Monday, 28 03 2022

Two dead foxes found Oldbury Court BS16

019 Friday, 01 04 2022

Dead fox found in Horfield BS7 garden. RTA

020 Friday, 08 04 2022

Dead (RTA) fox in Doncaster Rd Park, Southmead BS9

021 Monday, 11 04 2022

Fox found dead Metford Rd allotments BS6

022 Thursday, 14 04 2022

Harcourt Rd, Redland BS6 -fox has seizure collapses and dies

023 Monday, 18 04 2022

Dead, possible RTA, fox cub found on Park Road, Stapleton BS16

024 Saturday, 23 04 2022

Person reports RTA fox; refuses to give location (BS4)

025 Sunday, 01 05 2022

2 Dead (RTA) foxes Charlton Common BS10

026 Monday, 02 05 2022

Dead fox found in garden, Bradley Stoke BS 32

027 Wednesday, 11 05 2022

Fox collapses and dies in garden BS7

028 Thursday, 26 05 2022

Dead (RTA) fox cub corner Glyn Vale Rd BS3

029 Monday, 30 06 2022

Dead fox cub Hazel Grove BS7

030 Friday, 03 06 2022

Dead fox cub Filton Avenue BS34

031 Wednesday, 20 07 2022

RTA Fox Kingsley Road, Greenbank BS5

032 Tuesday, 02 08 2022

Dead fox (head wound RTA)Wedmore Vale Allotments BS3

033 Monday, 15 08 2022

Fox found dead in garden Landseer Avenue, Lockleaze BS7

034 Saturday, 20 08 2022

Two dead foxes (RTA?) A4 nr Avon Ring Road

035 Friday, 09 09 2022

Redfield BS5 dead fox in garden

036 Friday, 09 09 2022

Dead fox found in garden BS7

037 Saturday, 10 09 2022

Dead fox found in alleyway Whitehall BS5

038 Thursday, 22 09 2022

Injured fox PTS Burchells Green BS15

039 Monday, 17 10 2022

Vet PTS fox from Westbury on Trym BS9/BS10

040 Friday, 28 10 2022

Fox caught PTS Highridge BS13

041 Saturday, 29 10 2022

Fox Jaundiced PTS BS37

042 Saturday, 29 10 2022

Fox with head tilt and collapsed PTS by vet BS6

043 Wednesday, 02 11 2022

RTA dead fox Parry’s Lane BS9

044 Saturday, 05 11 2022

Fox found dead in high fence Bromley Heath Rd BS16

045 Monday, 07 11 2022

Jaundiced fox collapses dies BS37

046 Saturday, 19 11 2022

Emersons Green BS16 Dead fox found

048 Friday, 25 11 2022

Remains of very large fox found Whitchurch Village BS14

049 Friday, 25 11 2022

Fox said to look “unwell” on Weds, found dead Eastville BS5

050 Saturday 26 11 2022

Fox collapses in garden and dies St George’s BS5

Note: on a number of occasions a dead fox was reported but no location given after we explained that we do not clear up road traffic accident foxes. These reports are not included as without verification/location they are of no use to us.