UK Wildlife and Saving it... We Might as well Shrug and Give Up?

 I really do feel I am getting too old fort all of this. Fox research seems so much easier. On Face Book Ju Pepp on the Friends of Western Slopes wrote:

"Let’s give our otters of the slopes safe passage" followed by the news item )see below)

My reply:

Its seriously not just otters either.

As the British Fox Study I set up the Bristol Fox Deaths Register so people could report dead foxes within Bristol and running the Bristol Badger Group I set up similar. Remembering that these are ONLY the reported foxes for 2023 up to 2nd July there have been 151 dead foxes/cubs.

Badgers 31.

Luckily I do not record deer and other animals. We really need to take an example from Europe where walkways over or under roads are created for wildlife.

However, who will pay for it? Local authorities do not care because they don't worry about wildlife just the money side.

Government? We have a major pro hunt Conservative government that is overseeing the mass culling of badgers (a 'protected' species) over very bad science.

It really needs a big discussion and all persons interested in the Bristol area to take part and pull in local councillors and MPs.

Until everyone can agree that we need to save the vast number of mammals killed on our roads we will just keep seeing the losses..

Ju Pepp responded:

"genuine question…do you think a walkway could be done over the HW?"

My response:

"You'd need to look a6 where the main points of Hartcliffe Way are that otters are getting killed but the first objection would be "traffic hold-ups" (irony there). I think under passes for wildlife is more feasible amd probably cheaper and if the roadside has fencing to prevent otters or other animals killed there running into the road they will find the underpasses. This is why there needs to be serious consultation and study."

The response was: " interesting…I wonder if we could fundraise…"

The news item:

Campaign to save otters being killed when forced to cross busy Bristol road

Tristan Cork

The otter is the face of Bristol's new litter campaign but in South Bristol the real ones are getting killed

An environmental campaigner has asked Bristol City Council to consider moving or replacing a huge metal grill that was installed to stop flooding in South Bristol, but could be inadvertently wiping out the area’s fledgling population of otters.

The giant grill system completely covers the Pigeonhouse Stream as it enters a tunnel under Hartcliffe Way, the main road that connects Bedminster and Hartcliffe. It was installed to stop the tunnel getting clogged up with abandoned supermarket trolleys and other detritus that was stopping the flow of the river so much that it was backing up and flooding roads and homes at the top of Crox Bottom in Hartcliffe.

But since then, otters have been found living in the wildlife haven created by the Pigeonhouse Stream at the Crox Bottom nature reserve - only for at least two to be killed crossing the road 

Now, environmental campaigner Vassili Papastavrou has submitted a question for July’s council meeting, asking the Mayor to look into it, after Bristol Live’s inquiries found both Bristol City Council and the Environment Agency said the other was responsible for the issue.

Otters were found in Crox Bottom in a discovery that surprised experts in South Bristol, because of the isolated nature of the river there. But since that discovery, two have been killed on Hartcliffe Way, and it became clear that the otters were crossing the road rather than accessing the tunnel to go between the Western Slopes and Crox Bottom.

Mr Papstavrou is calling on the council to take ownership of the problem, and review whether the grill can be replaced. “It has become apparent that the grill on Pigeon House Stream was too fine to allow an otter to pass through it in order to travel under the road,” he said.

“I have since found an example of an Environment Agency grill in Mousehole with a much greater width between the bars which would allow otters to pass. It is unlikely that Pigeon House stream grill is owned or installed by the Environment Agency as there is no sign stating this so it is likely to be owned by BCC.

“Despite the disturbing deaths of these two otters, and several requests by a number of people including me, nothing has been done in the last six months to address the problem. The current harbourside litter bin campaign states that BCC likes otters but clearly practical measures are needed beyond photos on bins,” he added.

“Can the Mayor now take tangible steps to address mortality of otters on Hartcliffe Way? This may include adjusting the grill on Pigeon House Stream in order that otters can pass under the road and otter fencing to prevent the passage of otters across the road,” he added.

The Mayor is expected to respond to the formal question in the week before July’s full council meeting.

When asked by Bristol Live about the screen, Bristol City Council said it was the Environment Agency's responsibility. "It is the Environment Agency who need contacting as it's not a flood risk or a highways issue," a spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the screen was not one of theirs. "Many culverted watercourses across Bristol rely on trash screens to prevent blockages which could jeopardise people and property due to flood risk," a spokesperson for the Environment Agency South West said. "This screen is not owned or used by us, but flood risk authorities who manage such assets are mindful of issues like this," they added.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/campaign-save-otters-being-killed-8566222?fbclid=IwAR3vy9sZ5X0GsThSfyAIM_Bl0ZJbTog1qxjIYcll0mhF_H4uHRsxeEHOwqA#ljlolgw5aa64z0mbn6q

The problem is that no one in authority really cares. A few wild animals are killed on the road, so what? Put the time and effort into an official proposal to make a wildlife underpass or overpass? Before even seriously looking at the cost (unless that is likely to end the matter quickly) of such wildlife corridors there will be other objections: road work would hold up, delay traffic or call for it to be diverted and from that they can push out as many excuses for not carrying out the work as possible.

However, first you have to find the right person and in the right government body to look at the matter. I can tell the reader that after over 40 years of wildlife work I have never been surprised at the way one person can say "contact ---- it's their responsibility" and that person will then deny it is their responsibility but they will forward the matter to someone else. The hope is that you give up hope and drop the matter before they have to be rude and say "I think we've gone as far as we can on this matter. Goodbye"

In 2022 I tried several government bodies as well as Bristol City Council animal welfare about the admitted use of electrical fencing and other devices in an area of Bristol (Staple Hill) to keep otters away from koi carp in garden ponds. After 4 months I still had no answer as to the legality of these electrical devices and eventually I was told my message would be forwarded to another person who would be aware of legislation on the matter. Despite emailing that person three times...no response.

You see I do not just spend my time on sick, injured or dead foxes and their welfare. In fact there is a perfect example of how situations are dealt with there. Bristol City Council in 2021 was all for cooperating on fox deaths (I won't bore with the story again) in the City. However, first mention of rodenticide and secondary poisoning and everything stopped (even though we have only ever had one case of secondary rodenticide poisoning). Everyone stopped responding to calls and emails and everyone denied ever knowing about the subject despite me having all the emails and names. Total no longer responding to calls and emails -what can you do?

Also there were people at Council owned allotments who were concerned that some allotment holders were putting down rodenticide and some hedgehogs had succumbed and it was suspected at least one fox had. They both got the run around and so I got involved. Then came the official reply telling myself and the two original reportees that the matter had now been put into the hands of two council officials who would take "sole control of the matter". But no contact numbers were given and the original reportees were getting nowhere. When I tried I was aske4d who gave me the names as they did not seem to be on any council list. The person I spoke to phoned around quickly but came back with "no one has ever heard of those names before". Total stonewall -the people using the poison on 'rigorously controlled' council allotments carried on.

All of this from a council shouting out loud that it was fighting environmental destruction and declaring itself wildlife friendly. None of the above involved spending any money so what chance would we stand asking for a wildlife walk over or walk under corridor?

Raising funds privately for any wildlife issue is, I know (I really know) impossible. The UK is not a land of animal lovers and unlike Europe the UK is lagging in the dark ages when it comes to wildlife. All these animals get killed off -"We can always reintroduce more" which is the old British solution to extirpated wildlife.

What is the solution? In all honesty I have no idea. The logical thing to do is build safe routes for wildlife but we are not talking about people who think logically but more financially and money is the main thing. So why cause road disruption for a few animals?

It really needs serious discussion as I wrote earlier. Local MPs and councillors not just attending to get a few votes but who will push to help preserve wildlife as best we can and try to get the funds to carry out the necessary work. We can write (I have stumpy fingers now) or phone as much as we want but it takes official backing and money to achieve the goals and at the moment the main fight is concentrated on Bristol's green spaces that developers and the council seem determined to build on.

I wrote that the UK when it comes to wildlife was stuck in the dark ages. In fact the stone age would be more accurate. We need younger and very energetic people to keep pushing and campaigning otherwise we might as well just shrug and give up.

Hedgehogs: Do We Know the REAL Killers?

  Mammal Society page ("Saving Britain's Wildlife") carried a post about hedgehogs, foxes and badgers and here are some quotes.

Hedgehogs: predators and the truths behind their decline

26th June 2023

The interactions between hedgehogs, badgers and foxes are essential processes in sustainable functioning Earth systems, wrongly portrayed as victims and demons, explains Elspeth Stirling.

 https://www.mammal.org.uk/2023/06/hedgehogs-predators-and-the-truths-behind-their-decline/?fbclid=IwAR3C9HrusTzsRbFDmJsznxAp-2caARsu_NKYnRYZm3rJmgHlQ4LZOSBKnrc

If you look at farming websites you find that foxes and badgers are the most frequently mentioned factor in opinions about lamb losses, despite field and forensic studies spanning the last 40 years consistently demonstrating that in under 2% of lamb deaths a wild predator may be a contributing factor (although not necessarily the significant factor)

Response: Some official figures state 1% and in these cases no lambs were seen killed by foxes but the biggest cause of lamb death was bad animal husbandry which, naturally, farmers are not going to accept. Naturalists in the 19th and 20th century observing foxes in a filed of sheep noted the foxes were eating the rich afterbirth as well as nutrient rich sheep droppings. Even dead lambs were not necessarily touch by foxes though a free meal is a free meal.

Roads and traffic – estimates indicate that over 167,000 hedgehogs are killed annually in Great Britain, and it is ‘unlikely that this level of mortality is sustainable’

Response: I once kept records of dead hedgehogs I saw on roads around the area where I live.  I eventually gave up as there were so many and absolutely nothing I could do about it or get done about it.  Drivers are drivers and basically most do not give a crap if they hit a pet cat so what is a hedgehog to them?  And I suspect that road deaths may be far higher in towns and cities.

(c)2023 Vale Wildlife Group

The conditions hedgehogs rely on for life are vanishing and it’s down to human practices.

It’s a tragedy when a hedgehog dies – but they’re the victims of land management practices that push wildlife aside. People have killed foxes, badgers and small wild mammals for centuries, although this has failed to achieve any lasting improvements in the perceived harms. If the problem is that the remnant hedgehog population is at a tipping point, then the approach is to focus on reviving the natural conditions that will support their revival and maintain the population naturally without requiring artificial inputs.

Response: Humans have always been the biggest contributing factor to species decline or extinction.  What do we do if we find orphaned hoglets?  Well, during the 1990s and early to mid 2000s the Bristol RSPCA centre refused to take them in when found. My neighbour quite clearly explained to the RSPCA that the sow was dead on the road so was not "going to return" as they suggested to her -and to me when I followed up for her. I was told quite clearly: "We do not have the space, staff or time to look after them. If they are brought in we would put them to sleep. Put them back and let nature take its course".

Thankfully more and more hedgehog rescues have emerged as well as wildlife rescues that deserve far more financial support. Now, of course, with the hedgehog in such massive decline people take some notice. 

(c)2023 British Fox Study

Here is something people do not know: for centuries right up into the 20th century bounties were paid for each hedgehog killed (rather as bounties were paid to exterminate British foxes -which they did by the 1860s- wild cats and badgers -the wild cats were exterminated and the reason badgers survived would shock quite a few people). Yes, "the gardeners friend" was deliberately killed mainly in the country to preserve the eggs of ground nesting game birds and in town...probably just because they were there.  At the same time poisons of all sorts were put on gardens from slug pellets to worse. 

Humans have killed hedgehogs in the millions over the centuries and, yes, people are still doing it now and snaring and illegal traps are taking their toll "out of sight" and game keepers are still killing them.  Then again, the badger is a "protected species" and survived centuries of decimation to now be driven to the verge of extinction legally,

Rather like foxes and badgers that are declining at a scary rate in the UK countryside it is very likely that in 20 years time the only badgers, foxes and hedgehogs to be seen will be urban ones,  Foxes kill hedgehogs? I have plenty of first hand observations as well as photographs and video footage of foxes and hedgehogs totally ignoring each other as the eat with inches of each other and the only aggression noted came from the hedgehogs!  I have seen similar with badgers and hedgehogs and in urban areas the reason there is no badger predation of hedgehogs may well be down to the fact that there are feeders. Why chase after something when you can get a full feed just by turning up -even then looking for worms and other insects seems more important than the spiky little thing.

(c)2023 Time Out With Nature

In the countryside a really hungry badger or fox may well kill a hedgehog in desperation. However, even here there are other resources. At one badger sett a badger was seen on several occasions carrying back a dead rabbit. The initial thought was that the rabbits were shot and left for wildlife to dispose of, however, it turned out that there was a road close by and the rabbits were killed by cars racing along it.

In the 1860s we lost the Old British foxes, the wild cat, the Old red squirrel and many more species (the 19th century is seen as the "Golden Age of Hunting" when every and anything (not kidding) was perfect to snare, shoot, poison and hunt with dog packs. Of course, these losses were "replaced" by imports from Europe to "continue the sport".

It is important that we understand what is killing off wildlife and habitats. We saw the badger blamed for hedgehog decline.. Then we judged to foxes killing off hedgehogs. Both blamed for the hunting agenda or by people or organisations not wanting to accept that humans were the greatest (in many places only) culprits.  It is why dogma regarding wildlife continues because the truth is too harsh for "a nation of animal lovers" -a myth in itself.

Please read the article by Stirling but always bear in mind that humans always love to find a scapegoat.

Fox Numbers ARE Declining

 

I keep hearing the "so you say" when declining fox numbers are mentioned. This is no personal fantasy and there are a number of organisations who have noted the decline over the years. It is just a fact that 99.9% of people have no interest in looking up the data or even care about wildlife.

The British Trust for Ornithology looking at mammal monitoring during its survey noted https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/breeding-bird-survey/latest-results/mammal-monitoring

Three mammals have declined significantly: 

• Rabbit (67%)
• Mountain/Irish Hare (61%) 
• Red Fox (48%)

In the case of Red Fox, there is some regional variation in their decline; in the south-east and south-west of England, there are 25-year declines of 30% and 56% respectively, but in the east of England, there are signs of a potential recovery.

That East of England recovery is arguable. 

It has to be taken into account that the SE of England is more heavily populated and traffic heavier so the high number of losses to cars would, we assume, be higher and that is worrying based on the current death rate in just Bristol.

Our Fox Deaths Project is also showing the high number of foxes falling victims to pneumonia, leptospirosis and babesia. Cub deaths are assumed to also be high since nursing vixens killed by cars or other means would result starve.

Numbers of foxes in the countryside are declining because every night the 'big hunters' go out to shoot whatever they can and if the numbers they claim to kill (brag is more like it) then it is no surprise. 

At the current rate I have no doubt that in 20 years time even the town foxes will be in decline and only urban badgers will exist. The UK is "The Bloody Island" when it comes to wildlife.

Plastics and Wildlife

 Although not the cause of death two foxes that underwent post mortems as part of the Bristol Fox Deaths Project had plastic in their stomachs. We also know that one fox outside of our area died due to ingesting a rubber balloon.

We have photographs from fox feeders of "takeaways" they put out in plastic bags. I only wish those people could be prosecuted for endangering wildlife but this is the UK. Take a look at these photos. 

No one putting food in plastic bags for wildlife is an animal lover - this is moronic  in the extreme.

The problem of people throwing rubbish from cars is still there. People dropping litter on walks is still there. I have noted many people on "country walks" reporting discarded plastic carrier bags and any number of party balloons that have been released and fallen into woodland or park areas. I have asked how much they collected and been told "That's not my job -I was walking and enjoying myself" or even "I had the dog with me so could not pick anything up" which are pretty lame excuses.

But we live at a time when people on wildlife groups will note that they often drive past dead badgers and foxes but never report them "They're dead so of no interest" (despite a couple of those involved "Liking" my posts on dead badgers and foxes). 

We need this information to assess the wildlife losses (particularly of species in decline such as foxes and badgers) but we also need to be aware that every piece of plastic litter picked up can prevent an mammal/bird from swallowing it and suffering the consequences or getting material stuck around legs, heads and bodies requiring a trap and rescue that might fail -and the animals fate is....

So, please, please, pick up any plastic litter you see while out and about because it could prevent a mammal or bird death.

Thank You

Are Badgers Potential Burglars :-)

 People are always surprised that foxes can climb but they are known as "the cat-like canid"' and jumping walls and fences as well as climbing trees is a well known fox trait (or should be).

This ought to surprise a few out there. A lady from the West Midlands wrote:

"Being woken up in the night thinking someone’s trying to break into the garden with a noise of fences being climbed. I ran to the window to see what was happening only to be greeted by this!"

Badgers have the strength and claws to climb but few people get to see them do so and the fact that they can climb is never mentioned in wildlife books because for the last hundred years everything has just been copied from one or two sources and writers do very little research work or even field work on badgers.  Like foxes they are largely ignored and killed for unscientifi9c reasons.

I was once told how a couple were woken just after dawn and they could hear someone climbing the ivy that led to their bedroom window. The husband got his golf club and was ready to fight off the potential burglar. Things went quiet and the couple waited and then the husband moved to look out the window. His wife screamed as he fell back but then he started laughing.

"What?" his wife asked. The husband got up and sat on the edge of the bed giggling. Apparently as he looked out some two feet (60cms) from his face was a badger. The badger, he claimed, looked as shocked as he must have done and t6urned and shot down the ivy. His wife looked out the window to see the badger moving off into undergrowth.

So, foxes are good climbers. Badgers are good climbers. No other nocturnal visitors to worry about though, right?  Well, hedgehogs are also good climbers but they do tend to stay where the food is on the ground and as far as I can find out hogs have climbed to ground floor windows but not the dizzying height of foxes or badgers.

A "Green and Pleasant Land" But In Reality "The Island of Blood"

  We really have gone back to the 19th century.

Badgers became a protected species after centuries of melecide. Now, under that protection DEFRA and HMG is wiping the species out.

Foxes are being killed by the thousands on UK roads and hundreds are shot every month by 'sportsmen' for 'fun'. The fox population is now at a critical point and may face another extinction (there have been several).

True wild cats in the UK were also killed by the dozens -kittens and adults- as part of a felicide campaign that lasted until they were no longer here. Extinct. 

The solution for wild cats is to introduce European wild cats which, again, are not the true Old species but hybrids and we are introducing them to keep the wild tabby cat alive and roaming the countryside -with hundreds of shooters each week going out killing anything they please under cover of darkness (including pets)Native red squirrels were wiped out by the 1860s and...more were imported (as with the fox, hares, deer and other species to keep the shooting going.

And now this -the full article can be found here:

"Last-ditch attempt to prevent second UK capercaillie extinction

"The latest survey by the RSPB found just 542 Western Capercaillie surviving in Scotland last winter, a severe drop from the 1,114 counted in 2015-2016.

"The critically low number of birds has led the Cairngorms National Park to draw up an emergency plan to save the species, which has suffered due to recreational disturbance and poor summer weather, likely brought about by climate change.

Western Capercaillie could once again disappear from Scotland within the next two or three decades (John Fielding).

"Scotland was home to approximately 2,000 Western Capercaillie just 20 years ago, when its range stretched west to Loch Lomond.

"The remaining stronghold in the forests around Strathspey is under increasing pressure from dog-walkers and cyclists. Andy Ford, the Cairngorms' director of nature of climate change, said that mountain-bikers and ramblers had readily followed voluntary restrictions, while officials are now planning to reroute visitors away from the most sensitive areas.

"Western Capercaillie has already undergone an extinction in the UK. The birds existing in Scotland today are the descendants of birds reintroduced from Sweden in 1837, after the grouse had been hunted to extinction."

Oh well it must be the environment, right? Not people going out shooting these birds. Climate change is being used to swerve the blame away from the real problem -humans (who also caused climate change). There is also a falsehood here. The bird became extinct in 1837 and extinction is forever. All that has been done is import birds to be shot and killed and you cannot re-introduce a species because what you are importing are not the old British birds.

Who is going to watch these newly introduced species 24/7 and 365 days of the year because, like the imported wild cats, they are going to be killed off. Extinct in 1837 (during the 19th century "The Golden Age of Hunting") is extinct. The birds and cats should not be introduced because the UK is not animal friendly and the fact that His Majesty's (who loves to hunt and kill) Government in the shape of MAFF and its successor DEFRA just lost control many years ago when it came to badgers and now automatically pays bounties for cubs and adult badgers to be killed based on very bad 'scientific' data shows that we will lose the badger -it seems almost like a deliberate plan to eradicate the species.

We will loose the badger, the fox and the introduced species will not establish for long.

We should be called "The Red Island" to show that killing wildlife to extinction is still accepted and worst of all, a large number of the public do not care.

How To Repel Ants...WITHOUT Killing

 

I have written before about essential oils for repelling rats (a few years ago now) and this afternoon I went to get papers from a corner of the room and...big (BIG)black ants all over the table.

I DO NOT kill ants and they serve a useful purpose but when crawling over my face when i can sleep at night is not good.

How could I get rid of my little cousins without killing? What repels ants naturally?

• Mint. Plant mint around perimeter of your home to repel insects. ...

• Vinegar. Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. ...

• Lemon Juice. ...

• Cinnamon. ...

• Cayenne Pepper or Black Pepper. ...

• Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth.

Now I am always dubious but we had some essential oils peppermint so sprinkled some about 3 inches from the ants...within 5 minutes they had packed up and left. I just stared blankly but I have now found a way of keeping both colonies (back garden invading the kitchen and front just breaking and entering) out.

They now know that I have a weapon of mass smellyness