We have in Bristol thousands who are members of the Bristol Naturalist Society, Bristol Nature Network and many area wildlife groups. For five years I have posted and asked for volunteers or assistance in wildlife work in the City and County.
I have posted the results of the 2022 and 2023 Bristol Fox and Badger Deaths Register that gives an idea of losses of those two large mammals in our area. I have even outlined some of the findings from the post mortems carried out under the Fox Deaths Project and updated on wildlife health issues from Avian Influenza Virus affecting our area and possible cross-infections.
I have asked whether, to preserve bodies of foxes that need post mortems carried out, anyone has free freezer space (I know there are a good few taxidermists in the area who have freezers for their work).
The lack of responses or interest, apart from a couple of "Likes", has been overwhelming. Foxes and badgers are important parts of our ecosystem and since I set up the new Bristol Badger Group in 1994, taking over from the group that became defunct in 1992, I have monitored badger health as best I can and have catalogued setts and areas where setts are located. The number of volunteers to take part in surveys or monitor badger setts on a regular basis has been zero.
The best reporting of sick, injured or dead foxes come from the public or the Lost and Found Pet groups who have been amazing.
In fact, if it were not for the work of Sarah Mills in going out and checking foxes suspected of being injured and trapping when necessary and successfully treating mild to severe mange in situ to avoid stressing the animals we would have a massive loss in the fox population -in the 1994/1995 mange outbreak we were left with an estimated 4% of the urban fox population -96% of foxes had died out.
Whether it comes to checking whether a dead badger on the roadside is a sow with now orphaned cubs nearby or vixen with cubs in a similar position this all needs checking and naturalists have always done this. We cannot have badgers undergo post mortem because of the Health and Safety Executive restrictions but they do need checking. And foxes need checking to see whether they qualify for the study -jaundice, etc being something we are looking at as well as other diseases and viruses. Foxes or otters need retrieving quickly and storing in a cold place until they can be submitted because Bristol City Council refuse to help and in fact hinder as much as possible (you would need to ask them why) and will collect a dead fox very quickly when they know I have been told about it.
That calls for a network, however loose-knit, of people who can check and photograph dead foxes, badgers and otters and then check foxes to see whether they might be of use to the study. Cold storage is then a problem for any bagged up fox.
Pretty birds, butterflies, etc are all well and good but foxes and badgers are not just photo-opps. Even the British Trust for Ornithology after its mammal survey suggested that the fox needs to be Red Listed as endangered. Hedgehogs are not recovering superbly as they are still dying on roads and in gardens for various reasons (most to do with humans). Foxes are dying at an alarming rate on Bristol roads and when I stated that we needed road over/underpasses at certain blackspots the response was, again, silence when we should all be joining together to ask our elected authority to get something done.
If wildlife groups are simply social clubs with no active interest than the social drinks evening or insects/wild plants then it should be made clear. If you use the word "naturalist" it comes with certain expected obligations. Yes, naturalists like myself are a dying breed and there have even been papers written on the matter. No university or college has a department concerned with natural history or wildlife and in a City the size of Bristol that seems ludicrous.
Wildlife work does not pay. It can involve working out in cold and wet weather but it adds to our knowledge and even churn up some exciting finds. Sadly, my request for reports of muntjac deer in and around Bristol only solicited two responses but how wide spread they are is important to know.
Are groups serious about studying wildlife and surveying? Are groups interested in the larger mammals of Bristol whether badgers, foxes, otters or muntjac -can we carry out surveys on them?
I think I can guess the responses to this and yet I cannot believe that I am the only field naturalist left in Bristol!
Discuss. Decide. We can get things done and find out more or just plod along.
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