Leptospirosis More "Endemic" in British Foxes Than Adenovirus?

 

Secret World Wildlife Rescue were sent out to a dying Fox in Portishead (Bristol BS20) this morning (16th August, 2023) . "Secret World Wildlife Rescue were sent out to a dying Fox this morning. The Fox was found to be breathing heavily and drooling in someone's front garden and it was taken straight to Vale Vets where it has been prepared to PTS. they had drawn up meds to euthanise and were injecting into heart, the draw back blood was cloudy, pale and creamy, rather than blood coloured. But the fox actually passed before they administered the drugs.

My response was "WE WANT THAT ONE!!"

So it was gasping for air (agonal breathing) which in humans is a sign of cardiac arrest and stroke although organ failure/organs shutting down also cause this. For some reason I had it in my head to look for discolouration of blood and I cannot remember why.  The pathologist will sort this one out.

We have so far sen no evidence, following post mortems, of the claim that "adenovirus is endemic in British foxes" -in fact our pathologist is somewhat surprised that he has not found adenovirus. We have had five cases of babesia and so far four cases of leptospirosis so the Project is making inroads there and the final report (if I don't have a nervous breakdown compiling it) should stir up a lot of interest amongst anyone interested in foxes.

What concerns me is that if (as I suspect and I am postulating here since I never state anything for a fact until the post mortems are completed and we have hard evidence) the current two heavily jaundiced foxes and today’s discoloured blood fox submitted for post mortem examination turn out to be leptospirosis it would take the total number of cases to 7. We have lost, because this is a voluntary project and with no freezing or chill storage capability, a lot of dead or collapsed foxes whose described symptoms included sudden collapse and jaundice. In fact, if memory serves me around four such foxes were lost to the Project. These cannot be counted as anything but anecdotal evidence simply because we do not have the post mortems to back up such a conclusion just experience. But if (if) they were leptospirosis that would take the total to eleven (11). That would indicate from the Bristol sampling, that leptospirosis is far more common than adenovirus.

The following is an interesting abstract from a paper which, unfortunately not being a “professional” (fifty years a mammalogist / natural doesn’t count) I cannot access the full paper but here we go:

Acute lethal leptospirosis in a red fox (Vulpesvulpes)

Abstract

Doroteja Huber  ,  Josipa Habuš ,  Nenad Turk ,  Krunoslav Vinicki ,  Ivan-Conrado Šoštarić-Zuckermann 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36739678/

“Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic spirochaetes belonging to the genus Leptospira, is a globally distributed zoonosis that can affect many species of domestic and wild animals, and humans. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a native species in Croatia and, due to constant food availability and lack of interspecies competition, is becoming more abundant in urban and suburban areas. 

“Although antibodies for Leptospira spp have been detected in red foxes, lethal disease has not been reported. We necropsied a young, male red fox that had jaundice, multifocal haemorrhages in the heart, lungs and urinary bladder, hepatomegaly, non-congestive splenomegaly and slight yellow discolouration of the renal cortex and medulla. Histology revealed multifocal haemorrhages in parenchymal organs, thrombi within lung septal capillaries and other blood vessels, interstitial lymphocytic and plasmacytic nephritis and erosions of the gastric mucosa. 

“A microscopic agglutination test on the post-mortem cardiac blood clot revealed a high titre to Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, which implies contact with rats, which are natural reservoirs of this serovar in Croatia. The gross and histological findings in this fox were similar to those in dogs with leptospirosis, indicating that fatal leptospirosis can occur in foxes and suggesting that this species can act as a source of infection for other animals and humans.”

We know that Bristol is also a City with a huge rat population. We also know that rodenticides are not that effective and that the local authority (Bristol City Council) has not carried out any study on the effectiveness of rodenticides it uses -this is a standard thing most authorities are supposed to do. As soon as rodenticide was mentioned all of the cheery promises of cooperation from Bristol City Council vanished and there was a very obstructive attitude taken. In fact, we have submitted over 50 foxes for post mortem examination and only one died due to rodenticide and that was secondary poisoning having probably eaten a poisoned rat. Therefore, based on these cases the local authority attitude is puzzling as it does not show widespread rodenticide poisoning. Also, the local authority dismissed cooperating with the Project as “all fox deaths are car related” -which they are proven wrong on -though cars are one of the biggest killers of wildlife in the area -deer, otters, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and so on.

Cats rarely tackle rats these days as other than feral cats they are too well fed. That written I do know local cats have taken a good few rats and mice over the years. Foxes are excellent at dealing with rats and I have first had experience of that from a few years ago. Two main prey items feature in the fox diet (no, not chickens) and those are rats and rabbits. We know foxes have killed wild rabbits in and around Bristol and we certainly know that foxes have taken rats. Despite the ill educated statements in 50 years I have never had evidence of foxes preying on hedgehogs and they certainly do not prey on pet cats -the latter is mainly pro hunt rhetoric. This is where we get a major problem.

I have spoken with many people who feed foxes on a supplementary basis so not over-feeding. In some cases this is to study local foxes or keep an eye on the health of the local fox population -in other countries studying jackals, coyotes et al and their health is standard but Vulpes vulpes is largely ignored. Again,in some cases food is used to provide mange treatment and it has to be remembered that in the 1994/1995 mange outbreak in Bristol (which I am still investigating for a very serious reason) during which the old fox watchers found themselves unable to do a great deal only approximately 6% of Bristol foxes survived so 94% of the population died off. Monitoring local fox health has therefore been a priority and luckily I know of fox watchers who have kept records of their local foxes for up to three decades and can even identify who the mother or father was of each generation.

The problem is that massive over-feeding is taking place. Not just massive over-feeding but foods which no wild animal let alone a canid should eat are put out. I have seen the photographs and video clips of huge amounts of chicken, sausages and other foods, both cooked and uncooked (cooked bones are a danger to foxes) , along with sandwiches, baked beans and even “last night’s left over pizzas” and other processed foods. In an economic crisis when families are struggling to buy food the basic items reduced in price for that reason such as chicken are grabbed daily by fox feeders. There are feeders who put out ‘breakfast’, ‘dinner’ and ‘supper’ for ‘their’ foxes and foxes and their cubs then learn to arrive outside the house ready for the feeding time. This is habituation of foxes and should really be a wildlife crime -as should enticing foxes (and badgers) into kitchens and homes with food. Someone shares a photograph of a fox in thei8r garden and there are a half dozen immediate comments such as “Oh, poor thing looks starving -feed it!” or “It is so thin -it needs food!” or even “Put food out – chicken - and they will keep visiting!”

All of this adds up to abuse of wildlife. My old dog, Sooty, was fed on scraps and once or twice a week a can of dog food. She would flatly refuse to eat food on one or two days because she was regulating her input and she lived to be 17 years of age. Every year there are funny posts on local groups where someone has been ready to repot a plant or dig around a shrubbery and “Weird. I found an egg in my pot” and in 2022 I counted 10 confused gardeners who found eggs in various parts of their garden. Some told that foxes bury extra food had it suddenly dawn on them that they did see foxes so that must have been what was “planting” eggs.

That may cause a few chuckles but here is the problem. Again and again I read people commenting that ‘their’ fox (a fox is a wild canid not a garden pet) took “5-6 chicken legs/wings and after a few minutes was back so it must have young!” And why “must” the fox have young? “It looks so thin so it is not eating the chicken!” People do nopt even know how to tell a dog fox from a vixen or that the taxonomic name is Vulpes vulpes and the number of requests for advice on “what to feed a fox” is a weekly thing. My advice these days is “Go and buy a book on foxes and learn about them” but it seems that is considered both unfriendly and negative advice!

A fox, like many other wild animals, will stash food away in case no new food becomes available and that is something built into foxes to survive. Rabbits is the top food item. There are historical accounts of foxes living on farms or within yards of easy picking chickens who avoid them and go out to hunt rabbits and we know when the rabbit population hit rock bottom in the 1950s foxes started starving and dying off. In Bristol and any other town I would always advise to never put pet rabbits in a run or any other type of easily entered enclosure; buy a “fox proof” cage/run -they are easily found online. Hawks, badgers, foxes etc see a bunny running about a garden it is a food source. The same applies to any poultry or fowl and it is no good blaming a fox when you have not even considered all the predators that might take your birds or purchased adequate housing/protection. It is bad animal husbandry.

A few people take delight in the fact that they have “wildlife in the garden” and these turn out to be rats and mice all given names of course. Advice is given to get rats moved on without resorting to poisons or inhumane traps and the responses are always the same; “No one asked for your opinion!” and even “I shall not do anything to deter rats and my garden is meant for wildlife” (the latter person was the only one who complained to the moderator of the Bristol Naturalist Society page and had it deleted despite it having positive feedback). It is interesting how a year later some of these people are desperate for non-lethal ways to get rats out of their gardens as “there are so many now” or “they are all over the garden”.

We do see rats getting caught by foxes but the problem is that when excess amounts of food are put out of course rats will grab it. Buried chick and eggs – yes, rats will have that as well. Bad fox feeders are causing a boom in rats populations and in some cases trying to prevent foxes getting at their natural prey. One person was very antagonistic over something I posted about foxes visiting their area taking care of rats “I would sooner have rats than foxes ‘leaving messages’ outside the house!”

Here is where I see how leptospirosis may be so rampant in Bristol foxes (and this would seem to be nationwide); over-feeding and the wrong foods. The reason so much food is buried is because it is too much for a fox to eat and, naturally, if you feed it even more food to stash it will keep coming back for more: it is not starving. If it looks thin it is because that is how a wild canid looks -slim and healthy and that keeps them on their paws for natural hunting of prey.

It cannot be over-stressed just how bad over-feeding of foxes or any wildlife is. In some countries it is considered a wildlife crime to feed animals like foxes. It disrupts the natural prey-predator balance that keeps our eco system itself in balance.

We have seen with dead foxes how, very quickly, even in a city a rat will move in to have a gnaw or corvids (crows, ravens, jackdaws, magpies) will descend to peck at the corpse. That is the way nature works. If a rescuer called out to a deer hit by a car finds it dead then they move the carcass off of the road and under hedges or grass verges because there is nothing else that can be done and it will provide a meal for a lot of wildlife from foxes, badgers, hawks and buzzards, etc. It’s other fate ois for the local authority to pick it up (IF they do that) and incinerate it. In the UK we do not examine all wildlife whether road-kill or not like some countries do so letting nature take its course will help other animals survive.

Really, we need to educate the public and foxes feeders especially on not to overfeed foxes (and badgers) and when it might be acceptable to feed supplementary food. I know that to many who are basically addicted to social media “Likes” denying them the ‘right’ to fill social media with videos and photos of foxes and badgers (and rats and mice) gorging themselves on huge plates of food is seen as something that they need to whip up the support of their ‘fans’ over I have faced that backlash more than a few times. I have been called “anti- fox” and many other things. I have seen the response “I will NEVER stop feeding my foxies!” so many times and even when you try to explain things simply there can be a backlash. Even explaining that a certain food should not be given to foxes has resulted in: “I feed that to my dog are you accusing me of animal cruelty?!”

The big problem arises when you read “I’ve fed the foxes here twice a day for five years now I am moving (new home, job or abroad) what can I do?” The basic response which is somewhat moronic from people is “Get your neighbours to continue feeding them!” or “Explain to the neighbours that the foxes need to be fed regularly!” If you call out to a neighbour that your grass needs cutting so they should get to work on it I wonder what the reply might be? The feeder created the problem so they have to sort it out. Less feeding over time until the move. Whatever but it is not for neighbours to take over their “garden pets”. And the people luring foxes and badgers into homes should face prosecution over a wildlife crime. That fox or badger may walk into a neighbours kitchen or home expecting to get food and they become (if the person is terrified of either or anti fox) “problem animals” and then the pest controllers are called in. Dead foxes (whether the one in question or not).

We (bad fox feeders) are causing a generation to generation dependence in foxes to human feeding. That in itself is horrific. It may well be that the over feeding of foxes is partly the cause for the drop in national population. Cars, pneumonia, babesia, lung and heart worm and more natural cause are killing foxes in numbers and the last thing we need is deaths caused by human feeding and if the number of leptospirosis cases can be tied to excess food sources it may be that even urban foxes will be decreasing in large numbers...I would hate to see another extinction of the fox population (read The Red Paper 2022 Volume 1: Canids if you need the history).

Incidentally, our Fox Deaths Register has a reporting system that has improved since 2022 (but not a lot comes via wildlife groups) andas of today the number of reported fox deaths in Bristol is at 177 and if we consider that lactating dead vixens resulted in hungry young cubs dying then based on the lowest number of cubs that can be born we have exceeded well beyond 200 fox deaths in 2023 and it is only August.

As we are unfunded the Bristol Fox Deaths Project is due to end at the end of August, 2023. That will give us a two year sampling of dead foxes from start of Project to end. The pathologist has exceeded all of our expectations and Bristoil University Post Mortem Services as well as Animal Plant Health Agency and Natural England (though funding for tests has been tight) have all been very cooperative and, of course, get a picture of what is going on in the fox population. Zoe Webber, who I dragged into this, and in the last year Sarah Mills have had the task of collecting sick or dead foxes, rushing to veterinary surgeries and then transporting dead foxes to the study centre all on a voluntary basis. Before anyone asks neither are reimbursed for time or (importantly) the amount of fuel used in driving around and they have a rather unpleasant task. I simply sit around and coordinate (unfunded .

Sweden's Solution To Animal Road Deaths and The UK's

 

And the UK's answer.....

Oh. That's right. The UK does not give a shit. "Let 'em die, so what?"

"A Nation Of Animal Lovers"

 An appeal has been launched after a hedgehog was found having been tortured on a footpath on Saturday night.

The animal, which was still alive at the time, was found by a passer-by with its legs tied together by blue electrical tape, its spines trimmed short and having been partly spray painted blue on a footpath adjacent to Arkell Avenue in Holt, north Norfolk.

The male hedgehog was rushed to a vet in Fakenham at around 8pm before the RSPCA was contacted. The vet took the decision to put the hedgehog to sleep due to its condition.

‘What3Words’ has been used to pinpoint the precise spot the hedgehog was found in Holt – location ///cyclones.signified.bounded.

The charity is now urging people in the area to check CCTV and video doorbell footage in the hope of identifying the people responsible.

RSPCA inspector Ben Kirby said: “It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the state this poor hedgehog had been left in – with his legs bound together by tape, and his spines trimmed right down.

“I just cannot believe what this poor hedgehog has been put through; it seems very much like he has been the victim of a premeditated attack. It’s the most callous incident I’ve had to deal with in 16 years as an officer.

“He’d also been sprayed with blue paint – potentially so they’d be able to see him more clearly in the nearby hedgerow after they’d tortured him.

The footpath adjacent to Arkell Avenue in Holt where the tortured hedgehog was found (RSPCA/PA)

“This was a shocking discovery for the member of the public who found him to make, and we’re really grateful to them for sounding the alarm and racing this poor hedgehog to a local vet.

“We’re now looking into exactly what happened here – and who may be responsible. We know video doorbells and CCTV can override fairly quickly – so we’ve launched this urgent appeal for information in the hope that the local community can support our inquiries.

“If anyone saw anything suspicious in this area of Holt in recent days, we urge them to contact our inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018, and quote reference 01115237.”

A Badger In Daylight...Again

 

Another person posting on Badger Watch UK (Face Book of course) that they have seen a badger out in daylight and, since these badger groups are basically the same as fox groups the response was:

"Worrying"

"It must be starving!"

and "Something must be wrong!"

It never ceases to amaze me how "fox lovers" and "badger lovers" know absolutely nothing about their "garden pets" and it seems that they have never even read basic info on badgers.

I responded:

"No. Badgers are seen out during the daylight in areas where they have setts and there is no threat to them. The myth of foxes not venturing out in daylight still persists as does the myth that hedgehogs are only out at night. It is not worrying nor concerning and the best thing you can do is see if there are any obvious injuries: if none just enjoy the view."

Hedgehogs I would put food out for as a matter of course but I have seen and recorded them out in the day particularly during mating season.

"Bears" that terrified walkers in woods in the past and during daylight were.... badgers!

Look online for all the photos of badgers out during the day grooming themselves and playing.

LEARN about the animals don't just junk feed them or try enticing them into homes!

My Position on the Unscientific Killing of Badgers

 

People seem to be unclear about my position on the UK badger cull that is likely to lead to our loss of countryside badgers.

Really?

As stated many times before on my blog: the cull of badgers is NOT scientific and the main problem is bad farming/animal husbandry.

Killing badgers earns certain people a LOT of money.

Badgers survived centuries of melecide until the 1970s when they became 'protected'. Now, under that 'protection' they are being slaughtered in their thousands.

Where are the population of this "nation of animal lovers" to protest and call for this to stop?

Sat on their asses watching TV.

In 20 years time we will see a badger population so depleted that it will be facing extinction as even cubs are a "good earner" for badger killers.

Save up all those children story books for your grandchildren so they can see what a badger looks like.

North East Essex Badger Group: Badger Cull

 

North East Essex Badger Group:

A reminder of where the cull is taking place in Northamptonshire. We are in year 2 and it starts again in approx 9 weeks. We are working hard to have patrollers out and need your help. Join a patrol, let us know if you see activity, help us with fuel money (Patrollers travel long distances nightly!). https://buff.ly/3D2rkXq

Known culling areas = Red hatched area (the black circled area is unknown). #EndTheCull

Comments On -10 wildlife invaders costing us a fortune – from Japanese knotweed to grey squirrels

 

 Another semi fictional piece of journalism based on no real knowledge just a press hand out https://uk.yahoo.com/style/10-wildlife-invaders-costing-us-162326506.html

I will deal with the relevant points as we go along.  Basically, all of these "problems" are man created so let's get that one out of the way for a start.

Grey squirrels are a familiar sight in the UK, but don’t have many fans - Getty

Invasive alien species are now a £4bn problem in Britain, with more than 2,000 critters and fungi killing trees en masse, causing structural damage to buildings, and prompting clean-up campaigns running into millions of pounds. The extent of the destruction has been revealed in a new report funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which found that the cost of invasive non-native species (INNS) has risen by 135 per cent since 2010.

“We already knew the costs were huge,” says René Eschen, senior scientist at the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) and lead author of the study.

Still, the scale of the findings – which include an average of 12 new species taking root here each year – have come as something of a “surprise”, Eschen admits. The report adds that ‘there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the size and nature of the economic impacts of INNS… and assessment of the costs are needed to prioritise investment in prevention, intervention and management.’

Here are the 10 most damaging species currently plaguing Britain:

Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (ash dieback)

Although there is currently no cure for ash dieback, it is hoped that a small percentage of the UK’s ash trees are genetically resistant to the disease - PA

This tree-killing fungus wasn’t present in Britain at the time of the last report, yet “all of a sudden, it has become by far the most expensive species [where damage is concerned],” Eschen explains. An Asian import that arrived in the UK in 2012, it tallies £883.5m in annual damage (close to four times the second place saboteur) via major clean-up costs around railways, roads, and other public land.

The disease kills 80 per cent of trees infected, with initial signs including blackened or dead leaves, twigs and live shoots acquiring a purple tinge, and diamond-shaped lesions where older branches join the tree’s trunk. There is currently no cure, but it is hoped that between one and five per cent of the UK’s two billion ash trees are genetically resistant to the disease, meaning they could survive and produce dieback-resistant species in the future.

Japanese knotweed

Japanese knotweed needs to be treated by professionals - Getty

Introduced as an ornamental garden plant in the mid-19th century, Japanese knotweed generates around £246.5m of repair work annually, growing through cracks in areas such as pavements, walls and fences, damaging lightweight structures such as garages and conservatories, lifting pipework, and blocking drains. England is the worst affected country in the UK, accounting for over 80 per cent of cases.

One 2012 study found that its presence reduced a property’s price by between 5 and 15 per cent. Spraying or injecting the stems (with approved herbicides) can get rid of the problem, though it typically takes three years to treat, at a cost of £1,000-£5,000 for a domestic garden. However, Government guidance advises that you don’t attempt to treat knotweed yourself unless you have the appropriate skills and experience, as certain chemicals, for example, require a certificate of competence for use.

Rabbits

They might look cute, but rabbits can cause a huge amount of damage to plants, trees and shrubs - The Image Bank RF

The costliest species in 2010 – causing more than £260m a year in damage to crops – Britain’s rabbits are now not quite as costly, according to the latest report, mainly because viral infections have reduced the size of the wild population. But around £170m in damage is still caused by rabbits each year in the UK. Introduced as pets by the Romans 2,000 years ago, their grazing can kill a number of plant species as well as trees and shrubs (if the bark is gnawed).

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) warns that ‘killing rabbits will rarely give more than a short-term reduction in numbers,’ and advises wrapping part-chewed trunks in black polythene to help the area to callus over (along with other rabbit-proofing measures, such as fences), and the use of animal repellents including aluminium ammonium.

Comment: Here we have a problem in that some historians claim that the Normans brought rabbits to the UK in the 11th century. Others argue Roman times. Whichever, after 2000 or 1000 years these are now a native species and to constantly still refer to them as an "invasive species" is  to constantly call yourself a fool. The biggest problem is that feral domestic cats will kill rabbits as a food source. However, the biggest hunter of rabbits is the fox and even in the old records it is noted that foxes would bypass easy to take poultry in order to hunt rabbits and when rabbit numbers decline so do foxes. We also have hawks, buzzards and eagles that will take rabbits.

The common factor between foxes, cats and birds of prey is this: humans kill all of them and when you take out the predator the prey animals increase in numbers -as Australia has found with its idiotic policy of feral cat and fox killing resulting in an explosion in the rodent population (mice and rabbits). One day it may sink in to the thick heads and they will realise that predator = prey ("pest") extermination. Work with nature not make excuses to kill it.

Rats and mice

Rodents cause some £84m of damage in England each year - iStockphoto

Edible dormice (Glis Glis) were brought over by the Rothschilds in the early 1900s, brown rats first came to the UK on boats in the 18th century, while house mice arrived on trading vessels during the Stone Age. These rodents are most commonly found in homes, gardens and woodlands, and can cause major damage, often posing a fire hazard by tearing up drywall and insulation, and exposing and chewing through wires. England’s rodent-related damage is three times higher than the rest of the UK, at a total cost of £84m annually. Pest control is vital here and expense depends on the size of the problem; a rat exterminator call-out starts at around £50.

Comment: Again we have a situation where some facts are off. Why did pre 18th century householders have cats to get rid of rats and mice if the rats never arrived until the 18th century? Again, established species like the rat and mouse are no longer "invasive species". But we have the human created problem handled rather stupidly.

Huge amounts of rodenticide are used officially and stupidly in many cases by house holders who have no idea of what they are doing. Hedgehogs, badgers, foxes, domestic pets and even owls and other birds of prey suffer and die from secondary rodenticide poisoning which, by and large, is not killing off rats or mice.

On farms and in towns and cities the rat and mouse is the common prey for foxes and feral cats as well as owls. In the United States some cities have stopped using rodenticide on rat populations as it is not effective and the secondary dangers are there. How have they started to combat rats? Firstly, urban foxes and in some cases coyotes are taking the rats in numbers. The other method -as in Baltimore and Chicago- is to use feral cats that are caught (those that can be  rehomed are) but too wild are given health checks and vaccinations and then relocated to areas with large rat populations. Apparently it works. Who could have guessed.

Idea: stop killing the very animals and birds that will reduce the rat problem

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are mostly found in commercial premises where food is handled, and can spread disease - Alamy

The two main types of cockroach found in the UK are the German and the Oriental species, which confusingly hail from southeast Asia and the Black Sea respectively. The £70m worth of damage cockroaches inflict on the UK each year is borne by humans, rather than land or property. They are a significant public health risk, carrying diseases such as salmonella, gastroenteritis and dysentery, and are most commonly found in commercial premises where food is handled, mostly restaurants. Pest control, via chemical killers and bait traps, can eradicate the problem.

Deer

Deer can cause significant damage to trees and crops - iStockphoto

Only two of the six species found in the UK are native: the red and roe deer. Fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer all come from other shores. Deer can cause substantial damage to woodlands via ‘fraying’ – where males rub bark from the main stem of a tree, leaving it in tatters – ‘thrashing’ (males whipping low branches with their antlers), and ‘browsing,’ when they cause damage to tips and shoots while feeding. Their eating and trampling through crops is especially expensive in the east and south west of England (where cereal crops are planted), with the total annual destruction coming in at £63m. For domestic land, the RHS recommends netting or high fences. As many as 350,000 deer are culled each year on private land.

Comment: Yes, allegedly (no one officially monitors this so let's say that some figures can be "padded out" by certain people). It is also interesting that deer are killed on land where there are no crops. In the past in conversations with estate owners and managers I was told that game keepers are told to shoot any deer -just as they are told to shoot red squirrels and "dispose of badgers on the quiet".

Deer in some parts of the UK were hunted to extinction along with other species and the solution, as always, was to import more from Europe so that hunting could continue. "Officially" there is no UK predator to take down deer although police, farmers and others will note that deer are found that have been taken down by large cats (such as puma and lynx that are in the UK and that is known officially -see Red Paper 2022:Felids).

"Management" of deer, or as they like to call it "harvesting" need not involve killing even if that spoils some persons' 'fun'.  

The number of deer species imported into the UK by landed gentry to fill their private menageries and estate grounds where they roamed freely hit a peak in the 17th century and even some dates for when muntjac deer were first introduced are a tad "off". Again, these are all human created problems and we now have to live alongside the various species and bad land management does not help -looking at fencing, etc as employed in Europe is a viable option although killing being 'fun' it seems preferred to spending money to protect "valuable crops".

Grey squirrel

Britain’s grey squirrels could be subjected to birth control on public land, according to the Squirrel Accord - iStockphoto

In 1876, grey squirrels were brought to Britain from North America as an ornamental species to populate the grounds of stately homes. By 1930, however, the level of damage they wreaked – including stripping bark from trees, creating ‘open wounds,’ and destroying maize and fruit crops – was identified, and the practice swiftly stopped. Previously described by conservationist and broadcaster Chris Packham as Britain’s “most unpopular non-native invader,” the population – and the havoc it causes – is most pronounced in England (though Northern Ireland sees double the cost of the damage carried out in Wales and Scotland). The CABI study puts the total bill at £40.5m, though a 2021 report from the Royal Forestry Society warned that disturbed timber, lost carbon revenue and tree replacement will cause £1.1bn in costs over the next 40 years. In the garden, squirrels can be deterred by artificial birds of prey, like owls and falcons, and the damage they do managed by caging fruit trees and pots. For public land, there is a Squirrel Accord, made up of 41 leading conservation and forestry organisations, government agencies and companies, which is considering various measures, such as birth control.

Comment: 1876? That is way off. Grey squirrels were in private collections well before that time and far from having very few "fans" the grey squirrel is quite popular although they can cause damage they are, after all of this time, a native species and there are some 'facts' that need noting.

The Grey is often cited as the squirrel that killed off Red squirrels. This is nonsense and, again, humans trying to find another scape goat. By the 1860s humans and hunting had wiped out the Old British red squirrel. More were imported. Killed o0ff more were imported and some of these imports may have carried diseases and red squirrels have faced and still face extinction. The Grey moved in to towns and cities where it was adaptable enough to live -the Red squirrels having been poisoned, shot or snared out of existence.

Grey squirrels "kill and eat young birds and destroy birds eggs". This is one that the bird watching fraternity loves to throw out as a reason why Greys should be exterminated while the "lovely" Red squirrel should be preserved. Red squirrels have the same dietary habits as Greys and will rob birds nests the same way the Grey does. 

The Red squirrel is, even as a 'protected species' (which means nothing on the Blood Island) , trapped and shot on private estates and in forestry for damaging tree bark, etc. as the trees are "commercial" and therefore of  far more importance and value than wiping out another species. 

And don't think badgers are not killed on private estates along with birds of prey.

Varroa mite

We all know the importance of honey bees, but it seems the varroa mite didn't read the email - Alamy

Infestations of varroa mites, originally found in eastern honey bees in Asia, deplete bee populations, which costs the UK £22.5m each year. When the mites attach themselves to bees, their foraging performance is much reduced, meaning they can’t help to pollinate the 70 species we rely on them for, for food. They can also cause the entire breakdown, and death, of bee colonies. (An infestation last year triggered a bee lockdown in New South Wales, Australia, during which time no honey bees could be moved across the state.)

Monitoring hives, buying mite-resistant honey bee stock, installing small-cell honeycombs (in which it is thought mites struggle to reproduce) or introducing brood breaks (where there are no babies in the nest) can help to clear out early-stage infestations.

Box tree moth

London is particularly prone to box tree moths and their voracious appetite - iStockphoto

Accidentally introduced to the UK from southeast Asia, box tree moths can rapidly overwhelm hedges, eating the plants and leaving a brown skeleton in their wake. Capable of laying hundreds of eggs (larvae) when they find a bush, swathes of caterpillars then chomp at their new environment – a £15.4m defoliation issue that is especially bad in London. Checking box plants often from early spring can prevent the population from growing, according to the RHS; pheromone traps and pesticides may prove necessary for infestation control.

Green spruce aphid

It is possible to treat green spruce aphids with pesticides, says the RHS - Alamy

Native to continental Europe, the green spruce aphid (or elatobium abietinum) is a sap-sucking insect that takes to spruce trees during late autumn to spring, causing discolouration and needle loss. This reduction in needles affects the volume of timber trees produce. Treatment to curb this £14.5m desecration isn’t possible with larger trees (as the whole thing must be treated), but for smaller plants, pesticides should be used in late August or September, according to the RHS, “with a further treatment on a mild, dry day in early February.”

Five species that could be next to invade our shores

Asian hornet

Don’t have nightmares... - iStockphoto

Of the 19 alerts issued by the Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS), the vespa velutina is the biggest potential threat to Britain, capable of killing off insects like honeybees (thereby damaging other native species). They spread rapidly in France in 2004, and a number of sightings have been recorded in the UK since 2016. Vigilance is strongly encouraged around major ports in southern parts of England and Wales, particularly during April to November when they are most active (they peak in August/September).

Water primrose

Despite its benign appearance, the water primrose can raise the risk of flooding - iStockphoto

South Africa’s native ludwigia grandiflora has been found in some parts of England and Wales. Having already become a serious pest in countries such as France, where it causes a reduction in native species in water, it also raises the risk of flooding.

Purple pitcher plant

This bog-dwelling visitor from North America has been found growing wild in England and Scotland - iStockphoto

The carnivorous sarracenia purpurea is a bog-dwelling plant native to north America, where “it outcompetes native bog vegetation, may impact on invertebrate communities, and disrupts [the nutrient cycle],” according to the NNSS. Twenty suspected sites where it is growing have been found in England, along with two in Scotland.

American lobster

Our native lobsters could be at risk from these invaders - Alamy

These US and Canadian imports could harm UK lobster stocks, say the NNSS, by carrying disease, competing for resources, and interbreeding. UK guidance is to record suspected sightings of the homarus americanus, and retain them for collection from the Marine Management Organisation.

Carolina fanwort

These aquatic plants could post a threat to our native species - Alamy

A few populations of the cabomba caroliniana, originally found in South America and southern parts of North America, have made it to south east England. While these have yet to become invasive due to the climate, the NNSS warns that they could have “potentially large impacts on native aquatic communities and may also affect aquaculture, damage equipment, and impede recreational activities.”

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One has to wonder who is furnishing all the estimates of damage since in the past some data has come through members of pro hunting groups such as the Countryside Alliance and the Game & Wildlife 'Conservation' Trust (the latter despite its name is a pro hunting group) as well as big pest control companies. All of these, obviously, have a vested and biased interest in exaggerating damage and animal numbers.

Invasive plants can be a great problem but here we can look at native plants that are seen as dangerous https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wild-plants-dangerous-invasive-and-protected-species According to DEFRA: "Common ragwort (Senecio jacobae) - the most dangerous injurious weed, and the most commonly reported." And yet, on three occasions I reported a wide area of ragwort to the local environmental office and was told to "report it to the land owner"!!  Reported on other occasions as being in gardens people were told to put on gloves, dig the ragwort up and burn it. The attitude always seems to be "Yeah, your problem not ours" and these are the people responsible for monitoring and dealing with invasive plant species??

Interestingly, back in 1997 I had a man from the local DEFRA turn up on my doorstep along with a colleague (the quiet type who was obviously there "in case of trouble") and informed me that a colleague of his had twice passed my garden and noted that I had an "invasive species" plant that was out of control and he was there to issue me with a warning that they intended to have the plant removed and destroyed and he was there to check it. Apparently, the "invasive plant" were my willow hedge that I was allowing to grow out more as there were nesting birds. No apology although I did recommend a good book on plants and shrubs for his colleague.

Plants aside, we need to start realising that we are in the 21st century and not the 19th. We are in a period where habitat and environmental destruction are so common most people just ignore it. A "nation of animal lovers" is a falsehood. The UK is almost as destructive ("to protect wildlife" of course) as Australia. It is Blood Island pure and simple and in 20-25 years time badgers and foxes as well as other species will be a thing of the past or extremely rare. Badgers are already being "culled" and killed by cars in numbers that may well see a sustainable population a thing of the past and foxes are declining in numbers.

Until the UK has a government with real interest in conserving nature, protecting wildlife and the environment the future is bleak.