I'm Speechless

 Well, I heard from two people in Europe that my fox work is unique. I find that hard to believe but then I got the latest response from Germany re. the Fox Death Study resaults:

Dear Terry,

 

Thank you for your message to NABU.

 

NABU does not conducting any specific research into foxes currently, and unfortunately we are not aware of any other projects that investigate the various causes of death among foxes in more detail.

 

Data on fox hunting bag figures and road traffic accidents is collected by the German Hunting Association (Deutscher Jagdverband): Jagd- und Wildunfallstatistik | Deutscher Jagdverband

The IZW in Berlin deals with wildlife diseases in Germany in general. They may also have data on diseases affecting foxes: Department of Wildlife Diseases - Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

 

Kind regards

 

Janice Pahl

Referentin

Naturschutzkommunikation

__________________________________________________

 

NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) e.V.

Bundesgeschäftsstelle

We are in the year 2026 and and bleat on relentlessly about wildlife welfare in third world countries yet ignore our native wildlife.

This explains why zoologists in  Norway have no idea that large "mountain foxes" were exported to England -none have done the research. It explains why zoologists just think EU DNA in foxes and other UK species is normal -they have no idea of the mass importing of animals to continue hunting after native species were exterminated. It shows why, despite the historical pictorial evidence for there having been an Old fox type in Western Europe zoologists believe there have only ever been red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).

It is far easier to teach and keep pushing established dogma than it is to spend years accumulating files and reading through old books and journals AND scientific papers.

We are in the year 2026 and and bleat on relentlessly about wildlife welfare in third world countries yet ignore our native wildlife.

Shameful

Some Notes on a Tuesday: What We've Learnt, Funding and so on

I have just written something similar to this post over on the Bristol Badger Group blog. My first statement is a fact: the UK is very far from a "nation of animal lovers". We lose THOUSANDS of animals on our roads every year mainly wildlife but also domestic. 

Based on my own records out of 100 foxes reported dead how many involved the driver stopping and checking that the animal was dead or injured and then reporting it? Zero. There was one instance when the people "in the car behind" reported an incident and that is it. For a year with the final total of over 300 foxes killed that is bad.

We know, from various estimates, that roughly 60% (at least) of the UK fox population has been lost. There have even been calls to have the red fox placed on The Red List marking it as endangered. No one interested. 

Every night in the UK men and woman don their cammo gear and go out 'sport'  shooting. Many foxes die and in some cases the, uh, 'sportsmen' note moving into new area as "foxes a bit scarce". Domestic cats and other animals are also shot because "determined to shoot something". Foxes can be "dealt with" officially if they threaten livestock but when the nearest livestock is 10 or 20 miles away surely that makes decimating the fox population by shooting them illegal?  Well, a couple groups have given a nod and a wink that they are okay as they have "boys in blue" (police officers) on their team.

Officially the only people who refer to foxes as vermin are anti-fox/pro hunt people. They have never been classified as vermin officially and that term comes from the hunts who used it to replace "Beasts of the chase" (probably due to there being too many words to remember). 

I was asked what sort of funding I get since the British Fox Study started in 1976 and has revealed so much about the lost history of the true Old British foxes as well as looking at fox welfare and health and educating people on the animal. Not a single penny. Everything has come out of my own pocket because in the UK they are "just foxes" -unless you work at a university and find there is grant money looking at foxes (parasites, disease etc.

I fought long and hard to get fox post mortems carried out and that study revealed a great deal that we were not expecting. My final draft report was handed in and well, the story is told on this blog.  My publishing business was attacked, I was threatened with having a barrister put on me to take extreme action and these moves were officially supported by the bodies involved. WHY let the PM study go ahead only to suppress the findings?

EU funding? Tried but you have to get a tick in all the required boxes first. Donations to the work...well, the petty cash box has never seen a penny!

Even discovering taxidermy samples of Old foxes has gained no interest -DNA labs approached have had no interest despite the possible implications of defining a new extinct species or unique sub-species.

When I shuffle off this mortal coil my books will also vanish as they are on an online store that closes when I do! My archives... who knows.  The books should have sold well enough to continue to finance the work but fact and non dogma material seems out of fashion -who reads books these days?

Genital Infections in Fox Cubs

 I get asked some odd questions. In the last three days I have had people ask me about genital infections in fox cubs. Luckily I keep all sorts of strange info so here you go.

(c)2026 British Veterinary Association

Genital infections and related issues in fox cubs, particularly within the context of wildlife rehabilitation, often stem from environmental factors, infections from the mother, or lack of proper maternal care.

• Canine Herpesvirus (CHV): While studies show CHV is pathogenic to European red foxes, causing respiratory disease and mortality in adult experiments, it is also known to be shed in genital secretions and can be fatal to young cubs.

• Parasitic Infection (Toxoplasmosis): Fox cubs are highly susceptible to Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite can be passed from a vixen to her unborn cubs (prenatal infection). It can cause neurological symptoms, such as lack of fear and coordination, and can be fatal.

• Maternal Care and Hygiene: In the first two weeks of life, fox cubs cannot urinate or defecate on their own; they rely on their mother to lick their genital and rectal areas (perineum) to stimulate the perigenital-bladder reflex. Lack of this stimulation (e.g., if the mother dies) can cause severe, fatal retention of waste products, which may be mistaken for or complicate genital infections.

• Infections from Dehydration/Wounds: Rescued cubs are frequently found dehydrated or with injuries from predators or netting. These wounds can become infected and, in some cases, occur on or near the hindquarters.

• Worm Burdens: Young fox cubs are more susceptible to internal parasites, such as hookworms (Uncinaria stenocephala) and roundworms (Toxocara canis), with high worm burdens found in cubs compared to adults. These can lead to weakened immune systems and increased susceptibility to other illnesses. 

  ScienceDirect.com +8

Rehabilitation centres frequently treat these infections with antibiotics and supportive care, particularly for dehydrated or injured cubs.

Taxidermy of an Hong Kong Fox Would Be Nice Confirmation. Sadly, The Response Was Not What I Hoped For

 The Museum got back to me and the only fox taxidermy they have is of  an arctic fox. No taxidermy specimens of the extinct HK fox exists. Therefore my identification of species is the best we  have.

Because physical evidence would prove what I believe I sent this to the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum:

Hello.

My name is Terry Hooper and I specialise in wild canids -I set up the British Fox and Wild Canid Study in 1976. For some years I have tried to find anyone with a taxidermy specimen or photograph of the fox that once lived in Hong Kong. I wondered whether your Museum might have either? What I found out I posted on my blog. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Terry

https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-hong-kong-fox-now-we-can-identify-it.html

The Fox Project Bristol

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/685039133265733

Vixens Are More "Liberal" Than Dog Foxes

 

A long-term study led by Professor Stephen Harris and his team at the University of Bristol uncovered surprising behavioral patterns in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).

After radio collar tracking urban fox populations for over 25 years, the research found that Dog foxes are remarkably loyal, often staying single for the rest of their lives if they lose their mate. This loyalty was thought to be linked to Dog fox role in raising offspring and maintaining territory stability.

Vixens, whose reproductive success depends on securing a mate each breeding season, tend to form new partnerships relatively quickly.

The study highlights the contrasting strategies between the dog fox and vixens: while males invest in long-term pair bonds and territorial defense, females prioritize reproductive timing and opportunity.

This research offers rare insight into the complex emotional and social dynamics of wild animals and challenges the assumption that monogamy is rare in mammals.

Fox tactics could inspire territorial design

 

Press release issued:

10 March 2011

A new study into the exclusion tactics adopted by urban foxes suggests that the transient nature of animal territory is a result of a complex system of individual-level interactions.

The size of an animal’s territory is ultimately dependent on how long it can exert its control before intruders cross the boundaries into its space. The precise nature of such changeable territorial boundaries is revealed in a new study which offers fresh insights from the combined perspectives of biological sciences, mathematics and engineering.

Researchers from the University of Bristol used thirty years of data regarding the movements of the urban red fox to construct and verify a mathematical model on which their analysis was based.  A trade-off between two factors emerged as key determinants of territoriality – the time necessary for an animal to move between its own boundaries and the time span during which the fox could maintain its scent trail within that territory.

In 1994, when a disease called sarcoptic mange infected and killed most of Bristol's fox population, Professor Stephen Harris noticed that as the animals on one territory died, the neighbouring animals were able to move in and take over within a matter of three or four days. He assumed that this was because the scent marks of the original fox population were no longer fresh.

This new study, published in PLoS Computational Biology, shows how important it is for a fox to renew its scent marks frequently, further demonstrating the transient nature of populations, and disputing previously held beliefs that scent marks serve as a long-term message and indicator of territorial boundaries.

Lead author Dr Luca Giuggioli, a Complexity Sciences lecturer in the Department of Engineering Mathematics and the School of Biological Sciences, said: “Understanding how organisms move and interact has implications far beyond behavioural ecology. This model may, for instance, shed light on the processes responsible for the formation of territorial boundaries in early human hunter-gatherer societies, and eventually help predict how the size of modern day countries will evolve.”

Co-author Jonathan Potts added: “Our theoretical framework might also inspire designs in collective robotics. From very simple rules, the individuals divide space into territories, and if one individual should fail, its territory is taken over. Building an army of territorial robots that move according to these rules could be an efficient and robust way to deal with dangerous tasks over a wide spatial area, such as clearing minefields.”

Dr Giuggioli added: “This study is one classic example in which answering a biological question with the help of Complexity Sciences tools provides far reaching results, challenging long-held preconceptions and opening up the possibilities in areas of science unrelated to where the questions originated.”

Paper: Animal interactions and the emergence of animal territoriality, by Luca Giuggioli, Jonathan Potts, Stephen Harris.  Published in PLoS Computation Biology.