The old rule under certain "rescue" was a fox with a facial injury HAD to be put down. Most vets would agree.
Whether otters, foxes, badgers, pine martens or birds of prey be aware: killing them and dumping them by the side of the road is an old farmers trick.
Above: otter left at roadside. Car was stopped as it was thought to be a fox at first. Cause of death? Snaring
The Fox Death study found two fox snaring cases -both found by the roadside.
People seeing dead wildlife by the road assume all are road kill so why ask questions?
You SHOULD ask questions.
I posted This Is What The UK Thinks of Wildlife and guess what? Even more evidence. Natural England seem to sign off on animal death warrants (oops. "Cull licences") like people throw confetti at a wedding. Are they being paid for these licences? Does anyone at NE even check personally on a situation before issuing a licence to kill wildlife -and this is far more common than people know- ? Oh, the old "Health and public safety" excuse -the club spokesman uses the phrase a lot along with the crocodile tears and "we never wanted to do this"fakery.
Name the "pest controller"/company who carried out the killings.
Every night hundreds of men and women (including off duty police officers ("blue insurance") go out 'sport' shooting -foxes, deer, birds in fact anything "legal" or illegal for kicks. HOW can polirticians say we have the greatest gun control when morons rush out to shoot and kill every day? And Natural England mentions declining species numbers (well, they try to avoid it unless it serves a purpose) and "environmental causes" but totally ignore the, uh, 'sportsmen' -the same type of people who wiped out so many UK species in the 19th cemtury -all through 'sport'.
Many thouysands of birds are killed by local authorities each year on, uh "health and safety" grounds. 300,000 badgers were killed (Wales wants to go for a cull next) based on fake science and health and safety issues.
The UK is simply anti wildlife and takes any opportunity (even without cars) to kill it -shooting, snaring, poisoning it goes on and on and everyone puts on the fake smiling face and "We LOVE Wildlife" badgeswhile hiding their blood stained hands behind their backs.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/tennis-club-secretly-asked-marksman-212527298.html
The
Members of one of
They are "furious" after the management at
Residents reported hearing a volley of gunshots shortly after sunrise and later learned that eight birds had been killed, including goslings, according to The Times.
The club, set on the exclusive St George's Hill estate, has long been associated with famous residents including John Lennon, Jenson Button and Sue Barker.
Members pay an annual fee of £2,664 on top of a £2,000 joining charge. In return, they have access to 34 courts, including grass, clay and indoor surfaces, as well as a swimming pool and clubhouse.
The club was also where Emma Raducanu won the UK Pro Series and the UK Pro Classic in 2020, a year before her US Open triumph.
It has previously embraced the
The year before, it posted a photograph of two adults and two goslings walking across a tennis court in wet weather, captioned: "Canadian geese family enjoyed the courts today."
An adult and gosling who were spared the cull on July 16 were allegedly "found in a distressed state the same day wandering the local area", according to a social media post.
It said: "The tennis club claim they were pests and murdered them by the club's lake, which they used as their home, much to the delight of the young and old club members. Such barbaric action in a situation where local wildlife organisations would have taken them in."
Members claimed the birds were part of the "beauty" of the club and that they were not consulted about the cull.
"The members have always liked the geese," one long-standing member said. "It is sometimes a bit annoying because they amble on to the courts and leave their poo.
"But that does not mean they had to be shot. It's a private estate and the residents are concerned about a firearm being brought in without any warning."
Another player added: "The club management ordered this because they felt the birds were making the courts messy. There was no consultation with the members. The club is in a beautiful setting and the birds were part of that."
One member claimed they were initially told the birds had been relocated, only to find out later that they had been shot.
"The
"First we were told they had been rehomed and then that they had 'flown off'. The members and local residents are furious."
The shooting, which started at 5.25am, was carried out by a marksman operating under a Natural England licence permitting the culling of certain bird species to protect public health and safety.
Surrey Police said they were informed about the shooting at 5.18am by a pest controller.
Miles Hill, the club's chief executive, said: "We fully understand that some members and estate residents have been upset by what occurred.
"This was not a decision the club wished to take, nor
one that was taken lightly. It followed many months of attempting to manage a
growing resident population of
"The decision was taken primarily on the grounds of public health and public safety.
"Despite extensive daily cleaning by multiple members of our grounds team, we were increasingly unable to keep pace with the volume of faeces being produced."
Mr Hill said it was important for the cull to remain secret so the operation could be carried out safely.
"The decision reflected a genuine desire to avoid causing unnecessary concern, distress or alarm over what was a lawful operational matter undertaken in the interests of public health and safety," he added.
He said the club had "reflected carefully" on the incident and was developing a wildlife management plan under which lethal control would remain a measure of "absolute last resort".
"The recent arrival of further
"Where members made inquiries to me about the absence of the geese, I responded directly, openly and honestly, explaining the reasons for the decision and the background that led to it."
Canada Geese were introduced to
They are now well established in the
Someone shot and killed a deer, fox, badger and some rabbits then threw them over a gate in Hambrook. They were caught on CCTV and police involved. I have been asked to be kept informed but wildlife crime seems to be treated as a waste of time. Every night men and women go out to shoot and kill for 'fun' and their FB groups call them "sportsmen/women".
Cats, sheep -boring night anything is a fair target. There is no reason why anyone in the UK should have a fire arm other for in enclosed shooting ranges for 'sport'
I have given up on the UK as the people in it seem set to want to kill anything wild.
076 Tuesday 14 07 2026 My friend described
seeing a dead badger on the A38 near to Thornbury, she believes it was trying
to cross the road but was blocked by huge barriers erected by the council
while they lay a new cycle path She rang the council to complain, but was
kept waiting so long she gave up
If you ever take a sick fox into a vet and it dies then let us know, If the vet says "It's been poiisoned" then tell them it is a possible wildlife crime and as its poison the fox needs to be submitted to the Wildlife Crimes Investigation Unit or, in Bristol, contact Bristol Uni Post Mortem Services and ask to submit the fox for post mortem examination (PME).
UPDATE: The response to my post was...one that sounded confused but as far as I am aware no fox has been submitted as having been a victim of poisoning. This sort of lack of action is what allows real wildlife crime to go unreported/. If poison is suspected the REPORT it (not to the police).
This was posted to The Greenwich Wildlife Network:
Fox Guardians
WARNING to wildlife lovers and pet parents in Broadstairs! There is been a string of fox poisonings in the
The cases which constitute a wildlife crime have been reported to the wildlife officer at
If one of your fox friends arrives and is struggling to breathe and seems wobbly, get them to a vet as soon as possible. Briar House Vets have been informed about the poisonings and Kent Wildlife Rescue Service could help getting the fox rescued.
If you find a dead fox in your garden, do not handle the body as the police would only consider collecting it for a postmortem if it was not 'contaminated' by being handled. Poisoned foxes often have a frothy discharge caming from their mouth.
I know this is challenging but do take pictures from various angles and call to police quoting crime reference number #09-1286.
Currently this case is "closed" due to lack of evidence but that could change because someone somewhere may know something.
If you know something, be the voice for foxes and speak up. If we don't show compassion, what is it that defines us?!
The vixen in this picture (not included in this post –TH) is a juvenile called Hazel. She is such a sweet little soul that I had the pleasure to look after over the last 2 weeks. She lives just a few gardens away from where the seven fox cubs that were of the same age as her were cruelly poisoned.
At 5 months old, their lives had only just begun. Their lives were not our to take. I and Hazel's guardian Jill are so very worried for her and her family. Be safe little one!
I responded:
Hi.
I have run the British Fox Study since 1976 and headed the onmly
The reason I ask is that when we started our work we had foxes that were found dead and unmarked in feeders gardens, foxes seen staggering, coughing and then collapsing. All were suspected poisonings.
As it turns out all were victims of cars -no broken bones found but all injuries were internal. Some were even found to be down to unsuspected illnesses. It can never be put down to poison until a post mortem as that will involve tests etc.
In case anyone is interested in what our study found I will include a link. https://foxandcanids.blogspot.com/.../bristol-foxes-study... I can be PM'd
I should have pointed out that the discharge/froth from the mouth could also indicate thoracic damage. The only way you can 100% state poison is after testing.
I also need to point out that Kent Police are talking complete and utter crap if they did say they would only handle a fox that has not been touch. I could use stronger words.
A post mortem examines the internal organs and test samples are taken to check for poison and to identify what it was –if a crime or suspected crime the police tend to do nothing if my experience over the last few decades proves anything. If it is a rodenticide then it can become an investigation by the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS). The person recovering the fox, the lab technicians etc all handle the fox and there has NEVER been the line “If touched we can do nothing” –a police Community Service Officer collected two foxes and a cat in a suspected poison case and that was after reportees had moved the animals to keep safe. In that case all turned out to be road casualties.
The knee jerk “It’s poison!” statement once spread, as we found in Bristol, attracts almost hysteria and local journalists love a “juicy story” – “The Bristol Fox Poisoner(s)” was a result of absolutely no evidence but people stating as fact anything they heard.
At least three vets with different foxes stated “Its poison” –all foxes were found to have internal injuries caused by cars.
Last night we had a report of a badger seen dragging its back legs in the Novers Hill area. Sarah Mills has searched the fields but no sign of a sett. I have appealed on Bristol FDoxes and Badgers and here for anyone who knows where a sett is but no responses.
Just had to post this out to a local community group:
Hello.
Can I warn members to be alert if they have pet cats in the area. Bristol Wildlife Rescue were called out to a fox in Rudgeway Road that was victim of a snare. This has now been reported as a wildlife crime to police.
Snares will catch hedgehogs, pet cats and other animals(including birds). If anyone has information regarding snaring in the area please contact the police."
Details:
Tuesday 30 06 2026 Rudgeway Park, Rudgeway,
Male 4.6kgs Elderly Damage originally caught in snare. Ruptured Lung diaphragm and liver Slowly bleeding internally and black dark blood visible from back end
Pts at Vets4pets who are reporting this as a wildlife crime.
Bristol is a good example of what is going on around the country. It has a Green Party controlled council that is overseeing environmental damage for development money.
We are seeing more and more green spaces in Bristol being marked for development.
Avon Wildlife News (24:26) carries the following:
"Helping Hedgehogs
Isabella Clark is a researcher based at the University of Reading currently recruiting volunteers across the UK for a citizen science project investigating how urban hedgehogs may be exposed to rodenticides (rat poison) in gardens. One potential route of exposure involves hedgehogs occurring in the same gardens as rats and mice, where rodenticides may be used to treat infestations. As a result, hedgehogs in these areas may be more likely to encounter these toxins.
Isabella is looking for volunteers with access to a garden and a motion-activated wildlife or security camera. Participants will be asked to monitor a leaking tin of sardines in their garden for 1–2 weeks. No prior experience is required, and full instructions will be provided.
The findings from this project may help improve understanding of the risks rodenticides pose to urban hedgehogs and inform more wildlife-friendly pest control practices.
The project is planned to begin in July 2026, with additional surveys taking place in winter 2026/2027. For more information and to apply, please visit https://sites.googlr.com/view/gardenwildlife-org/home and contact isabella.clark@pgr.reading.ac.uk if you have any questions."
I laughed. Sorry....monitor a leaking can of sardines for two weeks? How will it be made to leak?
1. An open can leaking poses a risk to foxes, badgers (yes hedgehogs and badgers do frequent the same gardens) and while either might carry the can off.
2. what about rats? If rats are nearby why would you want to attract them to your propperty? I have first hand experience of what just what damage one lonbe rat can do in a fedw minutes.
3. I can see a few good cat fights over this leaky can.
Not sure how this will show hedgehogs will be attracted to rodenticides. I found two dead in my garden early last year after rodenticides were used in three adjacent properties and his have been seen for the first time in the last week.
"It's difficult to tell exactly how these animals are exposed to the chemicals.
"They may be eating them directly, scavenging on dead rodents that have been killed by the poison or eating their favourite diet of slugs and snails that have fed on the poison bait."
Here is a problem we get all the time. Based on the response from the group it seems that studying the law regarding wildlife you deal with is a bore. Just as four badger cubs were transported without any documentation or license from the Isle of Wight to Somerset it seems that wildlife groups bend the law when it suits them.
On Greenwich Wildlife Network:
"We’ve found a fox and initially five (but now maybe three) cubs in a building site in kings X (between the British library and the Francis Crick Institute). We feel they may need to be moved before the building gets more intense?"
Adice: "Hi David, Unfortunately it isn't as simple as just moving foxes. Foxes are highly territorial animals, so if you remove them from their territory and place them somewhere else, they can be attacked by resident foxes and may struggle to find food, shelter and safe den sites.
There is also no guarantee that an entire family group could be trapped. You could easily end up leaving cubs or adults behind, separating the family and creating an even bigger welfare problem.
The good news is that foxes will often move cubs between several backup dens if they feel disturbed or unsafe, so they may relocate themselves as activity on the site increases.
We'd recommend contacting https://fox-a-gon.co.uk/ for advice on encouraging the family to move on naturally and humanely.
We would also strongly advise against using pest control companies that offer "humane relocation". In reality there is no genuinely humane way to relocate wild foxes long distances. Many foxes removed from their territory do not survive, and some companies may euthanise foxes despite using more reassuring language in their advertising.
If the site is due to be developed, it may also be worth speaking to the site manager so they are aware of the foxes' presence and can avoid any active den areas where possible"
I made it clear:
"Also it is illegal to tamper with an active den with cubs in: it is illegal and highly unethical to move, block, or destroy an active fox den while cubs are present. Under the UK's Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1995, intentionally causing suffering, crushing, or trapping animals inside a den is an offense. Everyone has now been notified publicly that there is a den and cubs so until dispersal season (around July) you cannot move. British Fox and Wild Canid Study f 1976"
Simply: YES
People are not interested in standing up for anything outside of their houses and driveways. People do not stop when they hit wildlife and do not care if the animal takes hours to die -"Shouldn't be on the road" is the usual response.
Mature growth trees chopped down ("unavoidable") -"so what?"
It is now declared that "five new towns" will be built around Bristol (we've already seen the damage one "new suburb" underway has done). NOT towns but in reality suburbs and guess where some will be built? Green sites and on traditionally wildlife rich areas because "they are pretty sites".
We are going to see an increase in wildlife and particularly badger, deaths during building due to site traffic and poisonous/hazardous materials left out. That is standard. Once pushed out of traditional clan territories WHERE will the badgers go? Onto the new builds where a developer will "get rid of them on the quiet"? Certainly you can be assured that new home owners will be driving their cars over or through wildlife.
Corrupt local authorities and corrupt governments don't care and they know that the great British 'animal loving' public will simply sit back and let them do what they want.
After 50+ years I can tell you that no matter how hard we battle the war is lost because in reality NO ONE really cares.
The old rule under certain "rescue" was a fox with a facial injury HAD to be put down. Most vets would agree. However, things ...
