We Are A Nation Of Wildlife Abusers

 I read an item on MSN yesterday about the RSPCA warning people to avoid grey squirrels as they might bite or scratch. The comments on this post then erupted into anti fox and anti badger comments.

People called badgers a nuisance for being in their garden and openly stated that they made as much noise around setts as they could and that over a few days the badgers or foxes moved on. They also stated how they let their children invite over friends to make as much noise in the garden as they could with the intention of driving off badgers and even blocking badger entrances into gardens and free run to their setts.

They are all describing illegal actions interrfering with bnadger and active fox dens with cubs in. Police could easily trace the accounts (I did with two) owners an initiate an investigation. But... too much hard work and even the confession online in a public forum can be dismissed as evidence.

This is the country we live in. NOT a nation of animal lovers, it never was -it is a Victorian/Edwardian chocolate box invention at a time when hunts and pro hunt supporters mocked and even got "physical" with (spat out with bile) "humanitarians". Yes, being a humanitarian was a dirty thing back then.

Badgers shot or snared and dumped by the roadside because everyone knows that drivers will not stop to check "just road-kill".

We have had foxes snared in the area but left by the road and only a post mortem revealed the cause of death. Was anything done to find out who was doing this? No.

We had an otter found dead by the roadside near afishing site. Road-kill? No. It was snared. Wildlife crime so what happened? Nothing.

We had a man set his dog onto a fox in Blaise Castle Park in front of people -good description of dog and owner. Fox torn up and thge post mortem added to eye witness reports. Action taken? None.

Another man set his dog onto a fox cub in Kingswood and killed it; and it was reported to police. Action -none.

Three foxes found one day on a local allotment that is pro rewilding and no poisons are used. Police wildlife officer went to the site and took statements. The foxes were on a compost heap 300 yards away and the allotment holders assumed the officer would take them for examination in case of wildlife crime. He would not even go and look at the foxes. He told everyone that he had "gathered intelligence" and that was it. Blind eye of the police at work and the officer never responded to messages.

It goes on and on and then we have the losses on our streets due to speed bumps having been removed and no signs about wildlife crossing or monitoring of speed of vehicles -deer, squirrels and over 270 foxes and 80+ badgers (known).

Oh, and every night across the country men and women go out to shoot and kill for 'fun' with impunity.

All of this I deal with on a weekly basis "Just foxes" and "sad about the badger, isn't it?" are responses from officials IF they respond at all.

Our fox and badger numbers are hitting all time lows and our hedgehogs are not doing much better. Hedgehogs, badgers and foxes need to be Red Listed and REALLY protected and people going out killing them for 'fun' need to be prosecuted heavily (including the off duty police officers who are in the mix).

When the public are anti wildlife and teach their kids to be anti wildlife you realise that however much you push and fight it is a losing battle.

Anti Fox Propaganda Back Again

 

Every year. Cub season and Dispersal season the same, almost word for word, lies about foxes attacking and killing cats.

Here is the latest post:

"FYI - I don't know much about foxes except I love them just like any living thing. However, anyone with cats please note that I had to chase off a fox attacking a cat near the Charnhill Road/Brow green area and houses Sunday /Monday night. I only hope the cat is ok as the fight went on a while before I realised it was not a cat on cat and much more violent. This was dusk to dark time, maybe keep an eye on your cats and keep a watch out for this fox - he was quite large. I did not realise foxes attacked cats but I guess they do. There are quite a few kitties in this area and may be if a fox is desperate it may behave differently - not a fox expert. I do know quite a few cats have gone missing in the Mangotsfield area, but most are traffic related. "

I noted AGAIN a FB page with no info or posts which Face Book themselves alerted people to years ago as a sure sign of a fake account.

ALWAYS the "I love foxes". Anyway, here is what I wrote in response:

"British Fox Study set up in 1976 and I run it. I have observed cat and fox interactions over 50 years and studied all the old archived material looking at this.

"The fox is at greater risk from a cat than vice versa. In 10 years I have had to stop five different cats that had cornered five different foxes. This is pure pro hunt/anti fox rubbish. Cats have four sets of claws and can reach further than a fox witrh no claws can. A cat also has teeth. Against that a fox stands no chance.

"This post is almost word for word the same as one ten other FB groups. Usually the "poor cat" is a ginger or ginger and whitye or black and white. In the last five years this rubbish has been posted 101 times that I know of and not one single piece of evidence of fox attacks or foxes tearing up a pet cat or injuring one. I check all of these claims and I check with vets to see whether they have had the alleged attacked cat brought in.

"Nope.

"Not one.

"And the "precious member of the famioly"? Look on the poster's FB page not a single photo of such a loved animal. These posts go out as cub season comes in and during dispertsal.

"We have lost through cars etc 275 foxes this year and the fox population has dropped significantly. "

PLEASE be aware that we are losing so many foxes to cars, snaring, shooting and much more and this type of post WILL be appearing on other pages -guaranteed.

Wild Summit After Word

 Am I too polite?

After the Wild Summit an email was sent top attendees asking about suggestions or views on it. Polite as ever I wrote:

"Hello.

I think that one problem at the event were the yellow link ups on the floor after you entered. No one was expecting them or even thinking about looking down and I saw four people trip (but not fall) while I was talking to someone at the ASvon Wildlife Trust table.

Content wise I think the one thing that struck myself and some of the other attendees I spoke to was the lack of any presence regarding British mammals. At a Wild Summit that seemed very strange.

As I run the British Fox and Wild Canid Study, Bristol Badger Group as well as the Bristol Wildlife Group and specialise in the hist6ory of mammals we have lost, introduced and maintain a long term study of wildlife lost if for a future even you feel something dealing with mammals needs to be included (even if just a table) pleasde let me know.

Warm Regards

Terry"

[terryhoopernaturalist.blogspot.com/](https://terryhoopernaturalist.blogspot.com/)

That was 22nd September and no response yet of any kind so we will see.

I tend to think finding a cheap venue in Bristol and staging a one day look and chat would be a better day. Anyone with loads of money and a venue?

Some Back Information On The Current FOIA Request to Bristol University re 1994/95 Mange Outbreak

 I have written before about the mange outbreak that hit Bristol in 1994/1995 and left us with 4-6% of the population (numbers vary but we lost over 90% of the fox population.  

Here is the problem: having looked at records going back into the 19th century there has never been anything similar.  Mange gradually spreads in whatever are the nites get to. It is not like some human virus that spreads across the City from Ashton to Downend in a month due to human interaction (after Covid most people will know what I am talkiung about).

Foxes have a dispersal season around July onward when young venture out to find their own territory. I concentrated on that period of the years from 2019-2025 to see if this was when the "outbreaks" peaked.  Mange in foxes is caused by parasitic mites—primarily Sarcoptes scabiei—which burrow into the skin, triggering intense itching, hair loss, and inflammation. These mites spread mainly through direct fox‑to‑fox contact and indirectly via contaminated dens or environments.

Foxes do live in family groups -leashes- or even as a permanent pair. They maintain their territory and fight off interlopers. Although nomad foxes (males with no territory) wander areas they are not "cordially invited" to stay.  If there were an outbreak of mange due to the environmental conditions being ripe for the mites then we would be aware of those conditions and could prepare. In 1994/1995 fox watchers who helped injured or sick foxes (a small number of people at the time) had never seen anything like the outbreak before.

It was so fast and hit foxes so hard that questions were asked but ignored ("just foxes").  Here is what we were told by Bristol University's then Mammal Study Group headed by Professor Stephen Harris.

A radio collared for that was part of their study "suddenly left the City" -there was no explanation as to why as a town fox is not a country fox and we are told  the radio collar was of no help tracking it. Back in those days it involved going out with detectors to pick up the sigmal.  Foxes have been known to go travelling so not exceptional. Locating radio collared animals can be problematical although the Group stated that they had everything down pat so...

A while later the wandering fox returned to the City. This in itself is all very vague and Bristol University would not allow access to records on the matter. Whatever (if the quote is accurate and not off hand) "Within weeks" mange was hitting the fox population across the City but I can find no information on mange in countryside around the City at that time. This suggests that one single fox created the mange outbreak. That is ludicrous.

For the fast spread you would need more than one infected fox. You would need to have a fox in the North, South, East and West of the City each being part of a larger group of foxes to hit the entire population of the City. That one fox supposedly travelled all around the City dropping mange mites everywhere. 

I assume that the reader will see the problem here. The area size of the City and County is roughly 110 km (40 sq mi). We are talking about urban areas, woodland, heathland, valleys and much more. One fox spread mange mites to each and every one of these areas with fox dens -dens not affected by mange before as the Group pointed out.

How?

Much more information is needed on how, where and when a radio collared fox was "lost" since with a radio collar and it being part of a study surely they should have attempted to find it -it was supposed to be a study of urban foxes and how they lived.  In what area was the fox "lost" and on what date -that is essential information in a study's records.

We then need to know how, where and when the collared fox was picked up again and also how the Group was able to state that this one fox returned to Bristol carry mange mites and its movements after it was relocated.. Again: essential data in any study.

Since 1999 Bristol university has refused to respond to letters and emails looking for access to such data. "The Mammal Group was closed down" -presumably the records were not destroyed?  Oddly, at one point the nbew members of the Mammal Study Group were announced and I contacted each one on the subject of the foxes and mange; these learned people decided the best course of action was to ingore enquiries.

Bristol University and those associated with it (yes, I have tried asking Prof Harris -you can guess the response) put up a wall of silence. Even were I not the coordinatopr of the British Fox and Wild Canids Study (set up in the 1970s and from whom the mammal group took information happily) and being as sources put it (I hate ego but I will grit my teeth) a "noted naturalist" for my work I would expect at least a corteous "go away" response.

I hope that even the casual reader will see the problem all of this shows?

Here is my big problem. I have repeatedly asked Bristol university to refute the strong rumour that has persisted since the late 1990s but after 10 attempts -no response. Someone who used to work at the University contacted me and told me that there was more than one manged fox and that the Uni were paid to release such foxes. I heard similar from a member of the faculty at Langford Veterinary School. By 2018 I had some seven people tell me the same thing.

But why would the University or its Mammal Study Group deliberately infect and then release foxes into what was always a mange free population?

These days there are a lot of papers from studies on potential zoonotic diseases. In case you are unfamiliar with the term: Zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, are infections caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, or prions that can move between non-human animals and humans. Transmission can also occur in reverse, from humans to animals, known as reverse zoonosis. These diseases have been responsible for major historical outbreaks, including the bubonic plague and bovine tuberculosis, and continue to pose significant public health challenges globally.

Foxes are great indicators of environmental health. Historically the Old cur fox lived near human habitation until the New red fox took over.  Often blamed for any illness affecting pet dogs (a good scapegoat to take attention from the fact people do not get their pets vaccinated) it is often more likely dogs spreading illnesses to foxes. It's complex but the fox is a good sign of local conditions.  

We have not had rabies outbreaks in the UK since the 1920s and I can tell you through experience that a rabies outbreak is not something you want on your doorstep. It is not something I would like to see in the UK. There is also the danger of rabies infecting humans via bites and scratches. Literally, as in the 1970s and a rabies scare, every bird or animal sighted was shot "in case".  There has been much debate and discussion on how fast such things can spread.

Now, for a study on how fast a disease or virus can spread you need a few things;

1)  a non human affecting disease.

2) a population of target animals that are clear of the studied illness/disease so the spread, etc can be accurately recorded.  If, say, mange was regularly occurring in foxes around the City then how could you tell which was due to the study release and which normal?

3) a population of target animals that can be easily monitored for signs of outbreaks.

Bristol's urban fox population was the largest outside of London. Was monitored and mange free.  Why not London?  A massive outbreak of mange in London would be very noticable and questions asked not just by the public but poliuticians and news media -ignorant of the facts about mange "FOX DISEASE SWEEPS THROUGH LONDON!" would be an almost guaranteed headline and story. A lot of heads would roll if it was found out something had been deliberatley released in the Capitol city.

I cannot remember any stories about mange in the City of Bristol at the time and even today most people have no idea what we were witnessing at the time. One "Judas" animal seems unlikely.

Again, in case the reader is unfamiliar with  the term: a Judas animal is typically a social species individual trained or fitted with a tracking device to lead or locate other animals. The term originates from Judas Iscariot, the biblical figure who betrayed Jesus, symbolizing the act of betrayal, as the Judas animal leads its peers to a destination they would not willingly go, often to slaughter or eradication efforts Or, in the case of an experiment to see how fast a disease might spread, one or more infected Judas foxes.

Having tried for years to get data from Bristol University on the details from the fox study and had nothing but silence. I decided to make a Freedom of Information request for the data. Bristol University then asked if I could clarify my terms of what data I was looking for. I made it even clearer. Plain English and everything I wanted. Bristol University then asked again for me to clarify. This is deliberately delaying and they are also witholding data (which they have not yet done):

"University of Bristol may have refused all or part of your request under Section 40." 

You are going to now get an explanation of Section 40:

Section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 pertains to personal information. It states that any information to which a request for information relates is exempt from disclosure if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject. Additionally, it is exempt if it does not fall under the first condition and satisfies certain conditions related to data protection principles and the UK GDPR. The section also includes provisions for neither confirming nor denying the existence of personal data, ensuring that public authorities can protect personal information while complying with data protection legislation.

Personal data -fine unless the person involved committed some misdeed. But I suspect that Bristol University is going to give the runaround for a simple reason: a university study group would not just release one or more foxes with mange to carry out a study as that involves a lot of potential legal problems from animal rights groups, pet owners if a pet got mange and so on. However, as part of an officially (Government) backed or approved private study it might be easier. 

Here I am clearly pointing the possible finger of accusation at the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF -which became DEFRA in 2001).  There is a long history with MAFF and certain "outbreaks" in the countryside (the late John Green an estate warden noted unmarked white vans being reported in his area of Shropshire and small white boxes being left in fields. One farmer reported that he removed a box from his land and took it to police as he thought it was all "very odd" and no permission was given to place anything on his land. After being made to wait a good while a police sergeant told him that the boxes were government property but would not say which department was involved other than "Well, it's agricultural land, isn't it?" After the boxes appeared the healthy rabbit population had an outbreak of myxomatosis which devastated it -any communications with MAFF led nowhere.

MAFF at the time is a likely but not the only culprit as we are dealing with disease and health matters.

Once the FOIA request is ended I will post all here but my question has to be why any refusal to comment or just say "Yes, this is what we have on file about 1994/1995" -end of story. Or even "That is totally untrue. We would never do that" Why do I have to go through FOIA?

How Many Foxes in Bristol?

 

As a bit of an AI and statistics test I asked the total number of the fox population in Bristol based on 238 sightings -in this case dead foxes as no one can argue that they exist. Here is what AI (using a stat analysis model) came up with:

Based on 238 known fox sightings in Bristol, the estimated fox population is likely between 400 and 700 foxes. This estimate is derived from various methods of observation and tracking, including direct sightings and citizen science data. The population density in urban areas can vary significantly, but Bristol's urban environment suggests a relatively stable population size

The population would be much lower than the answer given as the 238 dead foxes need to be removed from that figure so 162-462 is the given fox population of Bristol. That would make the City's urban fox population on the verge of extinction. 

Although people are reporting regular foxes as no longer appearing in their gardens there could be any number of reasons for this but there is a decline -on a site monitoring foxes since 2020 the decline has been noticed. Foxes are known to wander about and find new places so can vanish for a few weeks or so but Area 1, although noting this, has since 14th August, 2026 only captured 3 images of a fox. Since we have had/are having disperal one would expecxt far more fox activity but it has declined.  The benefit of having seven years of camera observation is that this can all be checked back including the fact that where 2-3 cubs were observed in the past there was only 1 in 2026.

Estimating the population is impossible based on observations but I would guesstimate perhaps 1000 to 1200 across the City. In North Somerset, BANES and South Gloucestershire which is the area covered by the Fox Project Bristol as well as Bristol Badger Group the likely number of foxes is probably lower as they are more prone to being shot, snared or poisoned. BANES (Bath and NE Soimerset) we have tried to get someone to gather fox data but there seems to be a distinct lack of interest and even anti fox feeling. For that reason Bristol is the only location an estimate for population can be worked out.

Whatever the actual figure we are losing a lot of foxes and after the population grew again after losing 94% of the popul;ation due to mange in Bristol during 1994/1995 that is pretty sad since foxes are also a good indicator of environmental health.

Have We Hit An Urban Wildlife Crisis Point?

 

After five decades of monitoring wildlife in Bristol, primary foxes and badgers, I have to say that I am very concerned.

In 1994/1995 the mage outbreak that hit Bristol's urban foxes devastated up the 94% of the population. That mange outbreak may well have been created but that is a question for another time.  The fox population eventually started recovering.

There is absolutely no doubt that since the 1990s drivers have gotten worse, speeding in city streets and narrow lanes is so common that few people even bother showing concern. Night time speeding is a problem everywhere but it seems almost normal across the City of Bristol. As a result more and more wildlife is dying: struck by cars and left for dead. When I showed the Fox and Badgers Death Register at the recent Wild Summit the comments were: "You hear about it but seeing the actual figures is staggering" and "Oh, that's awful".

Yet Bristol City Council refuses to even put up wildlife crossing signs and threaten those that do with legal action.

Added to this is the fact that there are very sick individuals who go out at night setting snares (two fox victims and an otter recorded so far).  Equally sick individuals go out out in all weather every night to shoot and kill wildlife -this shooting 'sport' is decimating not just fox populations (cubs and adults are killed with no interest whether a vixen killed will lead to orphaned cubs or even if the vixen is pregnant. All done with impunity even though the wildlife (and in some cases pets) are causing no problem.

We know that there are still local "badgermen" or shooters who will disp[ose of badgers "on the quiet" for farmers and others. Most badgers are dumped at the roadside and people ignore them as "road kill".

This all adds up so that, whatever you may hear from the countryside groups and pro hunt people (the latter every cub season spamming social media with tales of foxes killing pet ginger and white, black and white or elderly "much loved" cats) foxes are not -not- increasing in numbers. We have wildlife photographers from Wales visiting English towns because Welsh foxes are "non existent" thanks to decades of shooting, snaring and poisoning. 

Bristol's badger population may all be urbanbut it has to be remembered that what are now suburbs of the City were once small villages with their local badger setts and that means badgers have survived in these locations for more than a century. The threat to badgers does not just come from poisons and cars but the local authority. Aware and repeatedly informed of established badger sett territory Bristol City Council (a Green council) attempt to sell the land to developers when there is more than enough Brown Site areas to handle new housing.

Health wise we know more now than we did in 2020 as to what illnesses are affecting foxes and killing them (a small percentage compared to cars etc) but when it comes to badgers a block was placed on any post mortems being carried out under pretence of Health and Safety and risk from Bovine TB -all while official PMs WERE being carried out on badgers.

The fact is that I would love to believe that foxes and badgers were not being seen on roads and reported because none were being killed. However, looking at the yearly total for each species in the Death Register as well as hearing reports from people who are no longer seeing their badgers and foxes I suspect that a crisis point has been reached. 

The British Trust for Ornithology did a mammal survey and concluded that foxes might need Red Listing (protection as a species under threat) and their figures along with those of others invbolved in wildlife work very strongly suggest that England has lost over 60% of its fox population. I believe that it is higher and the percentage growing by the day.

We are losing the hedgehog as well as up to 30 other species and with an estimated 300,000 badgers killed during the cull (remember that is just from the cull not cars or other illegal killings) I estimate the UK badger popu;lation has gone beyond a crisis point. An the Welsh Parliament want to wipe out their badgers now.

It is mind numbing that politicians just shrug at these facts while counting "donations" from farmers groups and lobbyists.  Concern for wildlife and the environment that were so hip, cool and trendy and a MUST promote in interviews in the 1990s to early 2000s is now "People need homes" and "We need to develop as a country" and 95% of the population shrug and sit in front of the TV not caring.

The 1860s, thanks to humans and hunting, etc. created a mass extinction of UK wildlife from foxes, deer, wild cats, hares and many other species. The answer was to import more of them from Europe to "continue the sport" and this time round "Fewer wildlife better for more development and building!"

I Did My Best But No One Listened

 I've had three requests for help to try to stop construction work on green sites.

No.

I made my position clear: for 10 years I have been telling or suggesting that Bristol groups out to save green spaces unite as it makes it harder for the Council to approve development. The Longmoor site I asked the Save Ashton Vales Environment group to help highlight the wildlife and environment but their only concern was what it would all mean for their house prices.

I got stick for being too negative but what has happened? They've sneaked in and started construction on sites which means it is far too late to do anything.

I mentioned the grabbing of green sites to Avon Wildlife Trust ("we work with Bristol City Council", Friends of the Earth and other supposed environmental/save the countryside groups at the Wild Summit. Absolutely no interest what so ever. Just disinterest.

Badger setts at risk I'll look into but that's my unpaid job. Saving green spaces when l;ocals cannot be bothered....someone else's job.

On with the wildlife work.