Ridiculous But I had To Make A Freedom of Information Request

  I have written before about the mange outbreak that hit Bristol in 1994/1995 and left us with 4-6% of the population (numbers vary but we lost over 90% of the fox population.  

Here is the problem: having looked at records going back into the 19th century there has never been anything similar.  Mange gradually spreads in whatever are the nites get to. It is not like some human virus that spreads across the City from Ashton to Downend in a month due to human interaction (after Covid most people will know what I am talkiung about).

Foxes have a dispersal season around July onward when young venture out to find their own territory. I concentrated on that period of the years from 2019-2025 to see if this was when the "outbreaks" peaked.  Mange in foxes is caused by parasitic mites—primarily Sarcoptes scabiei—which burrow into the skin, triggering intense itching, hair loss, and inflammation. These mites spread mainly through direct fox‑to‑fox contact and indirectly via contaminated dens or environments.

Foxes do live in family groups -leashes- or even as a permanent pair. They maintain their territory and fight off interlopers. Although nomad foxes (males with no territory) wander areas they are not "cordially invited" to stay.  If there were an outbreak of mange due to the environmental conditions being ripe for the mites then we would be aware of those conditions and could prepare. In 1994/1995 fox watchers who helped injured or sick foxes (a small number of people at the time) had never seen anything like the outbreak before.

It was so fast and hit foxes so hard that questions were asked but ignored ("just foxes").  Here is what we were told by Bristol University's then Mammal Study Group headed by Professor Stephen Harris.

A radio collared for that was part of their study "suddenly left the City" -there was no explanation as to why as a town fox is not a country fox and we are told  the radio collar was of no help tracking it. Back in those days it involved going out with detectors to pick up the sigmal.  Foxes have been known to go travelling so not exceptional. Locating radio collared animals can be problematical although the Group stated that they had everything down pat so...

A while later the wandering fox returned to the City. This in itself is all very vague and Bristol University would not allow access to records on the matter. Whatever (if the quote is accurate and not off hand) "Within weeks" mange was hitting the fox population across the City but I can find no information on mange in countryside around the City at that time. This suggests that one single fox created the mange outbreak. That is ludicrous.

For the fast spread you would need more than one infected fox. You would need to have a fox in the North, South, East and West of the City each being part of a larger group of foxes to hit the entire population of the City. That one fox supposedly travelled all around the City dropping mange mites everywhere. 

I assume that the reader will see the problem here. The area size of the City and County is roughly 110 km (40 sq mi). We are talking about urban areas, woodland, heathland, valleys and much more. One fox spread mange mites to each and every one of these areas with fox dens -dens not affected by mange before as the Group pointed out.

How?

Much more information is needed on how, where and when a radio collared fox was "lost" since with a radio collar and it being part of a study surely they should have attempted to find it -it was supposed to be a study of urban foxes and how they lived.  In what area was the fox "lost" and on what date -that is essential information in a study's records.

We then need to know how, where and when the collared fox was picked up again and also how the Group was able to state that this one fox returned to Bristol carry mange mites and its movements after it was relocated.. Again: essential data in any study.

Since 1999 Bristol university has refused to respond to letters and emails looking for access to such data. "The Mammal Group was closed down" -presumably the records were not destroyed?  Oddly, at one point the nbew members of the Mammal Study Group were announced and I contacted each one on the subject of the foxes and mange; these learned people decided the best course of action was to ingore enquiries.

Bristol University and those associated with it (yes, I have tried asking Prof Harris -you can guess the response) put up a wall of silence. Even were I not the coordinatopr of the British Fox and Wild Canids Study (set up in the 1970s and from whom the mammal group took information happily) and being as sources put it (I hate ego but I will grit my teeth) a "noted naturalist" for my work I would expect at least a corteous "go away" response.

I hope that even the casual reader will see the problem all of this shows?

Here is my big problem. I have repeatedly asked Bristol university to refute the strong rumour that has persisted since the late 1990s but after 10 attempts -no response. Someone who used to work at the University contacted me and told me that there was more than one manged fox and that the Uni were paid to release such foxes. I heard similar from a member of the faculty at Langford Veterinary School. By 2018 I had some seven people tell me the same thing.

But why would the University or its Mammal Study Group deliberately infect and then release foxes into what was always a mange free population?

These days there are a lot of papers from studies on potential zoonotic diseases. In case you are unfamiliar with the term: Zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, are infections caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, or prions that can move between non-human animals and humans. Transmission can also occur in reverse, from humans to animals, known as reverse zoonosis. These diseases have been responsible for major historical outbreaks, including the bubonic plague and bovine tuberculosis, and continue to pose significant public health challenges globally.

Foxes are great indicators of environmental health. Historically the Old cur fox lived near human habitation until the New red fox took over.  Often blamed for any illness affecting pet dogs (a good scapegoat to take attention from the fact people do not get their pets vaccinated) it is often more likely dogs spreading illnesses to foxes. It's complex but the fox is a good sign of local conditions.  

We have not had rabies outbreaks in the UK since the 1920s and I can tell you through experience that a rabies outbreak is not something you want on your doorstep. It is not something I would like to see in the UK. There is also the danger of rabies infecting humans via bites and scratches. Literally, as in the 1970s and a rabies scare, every bird or animal sighted was shot "in case".  There has been much debate and discussion on how fast such things can spread.

Now, for a study on how fast a disease or virus can spread you need a few things;

1)  a non human affecting disease.

2) a population of target animals that are clear of the studied illness/disease so the spread, etc can be accurately recorded.  If, say, mange was regularly occurring in foxes around the City then how could you tell which was due to the study release and which normal?

3) a population of target animals that can be easily monitored for signs of outbreaks.

Bristol's urban fox population was the largest outside of London. Was monitored and mange free.  Why not London?  A massive outbreak of mange in London would be very noticable and questions asked not just by the public but poliuticians and news media -ignorant of the facts about mange "FOX DISEASE SWEEPS THROUGH LONDON!" would be an almost guaranteed headline and story. A lot of heads would roll if it was found out something had been deliberatley released in the Capitol city.

I cannot remember any stories about mange in the City of Bristol at the time and even today most people have no idea what we were witnessing at the time. One "Judas" animal seems unlikely.

Again, in case the reader is unfamiliar with  the term: a Judas animal is typically a social species individual trained or fitted with a tracking device to lead or locate other animals. The term originates from Judas Iscariot, the biblical figure who betrayed Jesus, symbolizing the act of betrayal, as the Judas animal leads its peers to a destination they would not willingly go, often to slaughter or eradication efforts Or, in the case of an experiment to see how fast a disease might spread, one or more infected Judas foxes.

Having tried for years to get data from Bristol University on the details from the fox study and had nothing but silence. I decided to make a Freedom of Information request for the data. Bristol University then asked if I could clarify my terms of what data I was looking for. I made it even clearer. Plain English and everything I wanted. Bristol University then asked again for me to clarify. This is deliberately delaying and they are also witholding data (which they have not yet done):

"University of Bristol may have refused all or part of your request under Section 40." 

You are going to now get an explanation of Section 40:

Section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 pertains to personal information. It states that any information to which a request for information relates is exempt from disclosure if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject. Additionally, it is exempt if it does not fall under the first condition and satisfies certain conditions related to data protection principles and the UK GDPR. The section also includes provisions for neither confirming nor denying the existence of personal data, ensuring that public authorities can protect personal information while complying with data protection legislation.

Personal data -fine unless the person involved committed some misdeed. But I suspect that Bristol University is going to give the runaround for a simple reason: a university study group would not just release one or more foxes with mange to carry out a study as that involves a lot of potential legal problems from animal rights groups, pet owners if a pet got mange and so on. However, as part of an officially (Government) backed or approved private study it might be easier. 

Here I am clearly pointing the possible finger of accusation at the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF -which became DEFRA in 2001).  There is a long history with MAFF and certain "outbreaks" in the countryside (the late John Green an estate warden noted unmarked white vans being reported in his area of Shropshire and small white boxes being left in fields. One farmer reported that he removed a box from his land and took it to police as he thought it was all "very odd" and no permission was given to place anything on his land. After being made to wait a good while a police sergeant told him that the boxes were government property but would not say which department was involved other than "Well, it's agricultural land, isn't it?" After the boxes appeared the healthy rabbit population had an outbreak of myxomatosis which devastated it -any communications with MAFF led nowhere.

MAFF at the time is a likely but not the only culprit as we are dealing with disease and health matters.

Once the FOIA request is ended I will post all here but my question has to be why any refusal to comment or just say "Yes, this is what we have on file about 1994/1995" -end of story. Or even "That is totally untrue. We would never do that" Why do I have to go through FOIA?

Cat-Fox

 In a 2000 paper I noted the anecdotal evidence for the existence of the cat and it took a couple decades but everyone finally caught up with me 😄

Now, I do not wish to be pedantic but the cat in the image used is a hybrid European wild cat and not the type found.   I should note that the fox is known as "the cat-like canid" so you work it out!

CORSE: THE MYSTERIOUS "CHAT-RENARD" (fox-cat) WAS REALLY THERE

For a long time, it belonged mainly to the stories of Corsican shepherds. A strange wild cat, discreet, living in the remote areas of the island and nicknamed "ghjattu-volpe".

A creature almost legendary... until scientists started to take a serious interest.

A particularly discreet cat

The ghjattu-volpe resembles at first glance a large domestic cat. But the individuals studied present several remarkable features: a fairly robust silhouette, a thick coat, stripes on the legs and above all a long annelated tail ending with a black tip.

Some specimens have been studied in the north of Corsica by agents of the French Office of Biodiversity.

And genetics has revealed a surprise

A genetic study published in 2023 showed that the studied Corsican wild cats form a particular genetic lineage, different from domestic cats and European forest cats.

Researchers have also observed a proximity with the wild populations of Sardinia.

However, one must remain cautious: contrary to what some titles may suggest, science has not yet definitively established that the ghjattu-volpe is a new species of cat.

Its exact taxonomic status and its links with the African wild cat (Felis lybica) continue to be studied.

When a local story leads to a real discovery

It may finally be the most fascinating.

Long before DNA analysis, the inhabitants and shepherds of Corsica were already talking about this mysterious wild cat living in the maquis.

In this case, behind what could have seemed like a simple local legend, there was indeed a real and scientifically remarkable animal population.

And that's also what cryptozoology is when it's approached seriously: listening to testimonies, looking for clues... and then letting science determine what's really behind the stories.

How many animals described by the local populations are still to be identified somewhere in the world?

How Big Is Bristol's Fox Population?

 

As a bit of an AI and statistics test I asked the total number of the fox population in Bristol based on 238 sightings -in this case dead foxes as no one can argue that they exist. Here is what AI (using a stat analysis model) came up with:

Based on 238 known fox sightings in Bristol, the estimated fox population is likely between 400 and 700 foxes. This estimate is derived from various methods of observation and tracking, including direct sightings and citizen science data. The population density in urban areas can vary significantly, but Bristol's urban environment suggests a relatively stable population size

The population would be much lower than the answer given as the 238 dead foxes need to be removed from that figure so 162-462 is the given fox population of Bristol. That would make the City's urban fox population on the verge of extinction. 

Although people are reporting regular foxes as no longer appearing in their gardens there could be any number of reasons for this but there is a decline -on a site monitoring foxes since 2020 the decline has been noticed. Foxes are known to wander about and find new places so can vanish for a few weeks or so but Area 1, although noting this, has since 14th August, 2026 only captured 3 images of a fox. Since we have had/are having disperal one would expecxt far more fox activity but it has declined.  The benefit of having seven years of camera observation is that this can all be checked back including the fact that where 2-3 cubs were observed in the past there was only 1 in 2026.

Estimating the population is impossible based on observations but I would guesstimate perhaps 1000 to 1200 across the City. In North Somerset, BANES and South Gloucestershire which is the area covered by the Fox Project Bristol as well as Bristol Badger Group the likely number of foxes is probably lower as they are more prone to being shot, snared or poisoned. BANES (Bath and NE Soimerset) we have tried to get someone to gather fox data but there seems to be a distinct lack of interest and even anti fox feeling. For that reason Bristol is the only location an estimate for population can be worked out.

Whatever the actual figure we are losing a lot of foxes and after the population grew again after losing 94% of the popul;ation due to mange in Bristol during 1994/1995 that is pretty sad since foxes are also a good indicator of environmental health.

Have We Hit An Urban Wildlife Crisis Point?

After five decades of monitoring wildlife in Bristol, primary foxes and badgers, I have to say that I am very concerned.

In 1994/1995 the mage outbreak that hit Bristol's urban foxes devastated up the 94% of the population. That mange outbreak may well have been created but that is a question for another time.  The fox population eventually started recovering.

There is absolutely no doubt that since the 1990s drivers have gotten worse, speeding in city streets and narrow lanes is so common that few people even bother showing concern. Night time speeding is a problem everywhere but it seems almost normal across the City of Bristol. As a result more and more wildlife is dying: struck by cars and left for dead. When I showed the Fox and Badgers Death Register at the recent Wild Summit the comments were: "You hear about it but seeing the actual figures is staggering" and "Oh, that's awful".

Yet Bristol City Council refuses to even put up wildlife crossing signs and threaten those that do with legal action.

Added to this is the fact that there are very sick individuals who go out at night setting snares (two fox victims and an otter recorded so far).  Equally sick individuals go out out in all weather every night to shoot and kill wildlife -this shooting 'sport' is decimating not just fox populations (cubs and adults are killed with no interest whether a vixen killed will lead to orphaned cubs or even if the vixen is pregnant. All done with impunity even though the wildlife (and in some cases pets) are causing no problem.

We know that there are still local "badgermen" or shooters who will disp[ose of badgers "on the quiet" for farmers and others. Most badgers are dumped at the roadside and people ignore them as "road kill".

This all adds up so that, whatever you may hear from the countryside groups and pro hunt people (the latter every cub season spamming social media with tales of foxes killing pet ginger and white, black and white or elderly "much loved" cats) foxes are not -not- increasing in numbers. We have wildlife photographers from Wales visiting English towns because Welsh foxes are "non existent" thanks to decades of shooting, snaring and poisoning. 

Bristol's badger population may all be urbanbut it has to be remembered that what are now suburbs of the City were once small villages with their local badger setts and that means badgers have survived in these locations for more than a century. The threat to badgers does not just come from poisons and cars but the local authority. Aware and repeatedly informed of established badger sett territory Bristol City Council (a Green council) attempt to sell the land to developers when there is more than enough Brown Site areas to handle new housing.

Health wise we know more now than we did in 2020 as to what illnesses are affecting foxes and killing them (a small percentage compared to cars etc) but when it comes to badgers a block was placed on any post mortems being carried out under pretence of Health and Safety and risk from Bovine TB -all while official PMs WERE being carried out on badgers.

The fact is that I would love to believe that foxes and badgers were not being seen on roads and reported because none were being killed. However, looking at the yearly total for each species in the Death Register as well as hearing reports from people who are no longer seeing their badgers and foxes I suspect that a crisis point has been reached. 

The British Trust for Ornithology did a mammal survey and concluded that foxes might need Red Listing (protection as a species under threat) and their figures along with those of others invbolved in wildlife work very strongly suggest that England has lost over 60% of its fox population. I believe that it is higher and the percentage growing by the day.

We are losing the hedgehog as well as up to 30 other species and with an estimated 300,000 badgers killed during the cull (remember that is just from the cull not cars or other illegal killings) I estimate the UK badger popu;lation has gone beyond a crisis point. An the Welsh Parliament want to wipe out their badgers now.

It is mind numbing that politicians just shrug at these facts while counting "donations" from farmers groups and lobbyists.  Concern for wildlife and the environment that were so hip, cool and trendy and a MUST promote in interviews in the 1990s to early 2000s is now "People need homes" and "We need to develop as a country" and 95% of the population shrug and sit in front of the TV not caring.

The 1860s, thanks to humans and hunting, etc. created a mass extinction of UK wildlife from foxes, deer, wild cats, hares and many other species. The answer was to import more of them from Europe to "continue the sport" and this time round "Fewer wildlife better for more development and building!"

The Extinct Fox and Wild Cat Museum and it's work

 

I get people telling me that taxidermy is "sick" or "upsetting" as well as a few other complaints.

How do we know what the Dodo looks like? Or for that matter any anbimal, bird or aquatic species humans made extinct pre wide spread use of photography?  Illustrations -some not very good. It is very sad and I reserve comments about huntsmen here but taxidermy has made it very clear that modern wildlife books, TV and zoologists have just accepted dogma and have spent the period from 1900 lying to everyone.

What have we learnt/proven via taxidermy?

1.  That the red fox we see today is not the fox that has "always been here" but are descendents of European foxes imported by hunts for 'sport' (Brits exported red foxes to the United States and Australia for the same purpose).  

2.  There were three distinct types of fox in the UK and Ireland after the flooding of the area known as Doggerbank (the French or English Channel). The largest was bigger than an American coyote (taxidermies of both are kept at the Museum) and called the Greyhound or Mountrain fox and it was basically the British jackal/coyote.  The second was known as the Hill or Mastiff fox; not as big as the Greyhound fox but robust and sturdy in build. The third type was smaller and known as the Cur or Common fox and was living near to human habitation as the fox of today does. We call these Old Fox types.

3. We know that the wild cat people talk about preserving so much these days is a European hybrid and does not look anything like the Old wild cat of England, Scotland and Wales -Ireland also, despite all the arguments, had its own wild cat. We have examples of the later Scottish wild cat.

4.   We also know from taxidermy examples (see The Red Paper Canids for photographic examples) that coyote, jackals and wol;ves were kept and released by hunts. 

That is just four points but then you add over 50 of archival research and evidence gathering it proves everything noted above. Jackal and wolf hunts were well publicised events as foxes were hunted to extinction, reintroduced from Europe then hunted to the point of extinction again.

The research has shown that there was a major extinction even in British wildlife c the 1860s. It was at this point in time that Scottish zoologists and naturalists decided that the true Scottish wild cat went extinct. At the same time the Old fox types became extinct and thousands of foxes were imported each year to keep the 'sport' going. Hares, red squirrels, some deer species, birds and other animals became extinct or on the verge of extinction and the well publicised importantions from Europe began -although this seems to have started c 16th century/

All provable and documented in journals, books and papers from the time.

DNA testing of wildlife today resulting in European species DNA is pointless. Species examples in taxidermy pre 1860 are required and should show the difference in species; 8-10,000 years of separation from Continental Europe made the wildlife in Britain and Ireland unique island species and after the formation of Ireland from Britain that again produced unique island species.

We learn a lot from taxidermy and this is added to by the archival work so that we have a true picture of Britain and Ireland and not the dogma of today.

We are currently loising more and more species and all due to humans, as in the past, which makes you wonder what dogma will be brought in to shift the blame in 100 years when hedgehogs, foxes, badgers and other species are gone?

Taxidermy is important evidence and evidence that zoologists choose to ignore because it is factual and threatens their credibility.

2030s: Badgers, Foxes, Hedgehogs and More Face Extinction

 

I believe that we are currently looking at badgers in the British countryside becoming a rarity. Excluding the approximate 300,000 killed during the unscientific cull (and there is the threat of that starting up again at some point) and Wales not thinking of culling its badger population because they do not want to be "left out of the fun".  Bad animal husbandry is the main cause of bovine TB and we know (they were caught) of farmers selling bTB cattle they knew was infected.

Same with BSE infected cattle.

A Leicestershire farmer has been ordered to pay nearly £11,000 after repeatedly breaching the rules designed to protect animals from tuberculosis (TB).

 https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/farmer-repeatedly-breached-tb-rules-10803403

British investigators have confirmed that they are examining more than 50 cases where farmers and cattle dealers have allegedly used bogus identity documents to conceal cows' ages in order to sell them for human consumption. Last week the agriculture ministry admitted that 90,000 cattle have gone missing from its surveillance scheme. About 1,600 cows a year are still being diagnosed with BSE.

https://www.iatp.org/news/ten-new-cjd-cases-raise-fears-of-cattle-cull-fraud

Politicians in the Welsh Parliament are not interested in the countryside or wildlife and are following the example of the Labour Party in seeking farmers votes and donations and who cares about a few badgers? The shooters earn a fairly good amount killing badgers -both cubs and adults. So farmers get what they want (a cover up of bad farming practice), the politicians get what they want (farmers votes and donations) and the psychopaths get what they want: money to kill something.

Every night across the UK men and women don the cammo gear and go out with their rifles to just kill for fun. It is NOT a 'sport' but a pastime for someone who is mentally unwell. On some of their forums they even joke about shooting disguised foxes -disguised as ginger or tabby cats with collars. It has been going on a long time and it has made sure that the fox has declined by at least 60% in the UK. 

I think that the idea or "topped a badger last night -helped the local farmer out" followed by congratulations and "keep it low key though like the rest of us" says a lot.  There is still badger baiting going on with gangs having finished off badgers in Wales (as they have the fox) now crossing into England for their 'fun'.  There are still local "badger men" who are paid by farmers to kill off badgewrs "on the quiet".

When you see shooters say their group has "blue insurance coverage" it means that one of their group is a serving police officer.

'Sport' shooting should be banned and anyone requesting a fire arms licence should undergo psychological testing. Wanting to kill something for 'fun' is not normal. 

The official attitude to all of this appears to be "who cares?" -we have a government that has passed legislation to destroy green spaces and wildlife habitat including setts for money from developers.  Bristol City Council and Long Ashton Parish Council have both ignored the presenceof otters, badgers, foxes, badgers and nesting bird sites to get the developers money. 

At the moment we have an ever decreasing urban fox population (Bristol has lost over 230 foxes so far in 2026) and an urban badger population (over 80 deaths in 2026). How are they dying? Road vehicles and out of control speeding on city streets is the 95% killer. We have had snaring of at least two foxes and one otter plus several fox deaths by deliberate dog attacks.

While people sit back watching their TVs and guzzling pizza the elected local authority bodies as well as the government are ploughing up and putting buildings and "mini towns" on green site while there are masses of brown (old industrial) sites where building can take place but, of course, building on pretty looking land (which is not after you build over it) looks good when you are selling a scheme or property. 

I never thought, after all the work put into conservation from the 1970s on that in 2026 we would be in a worse state than in the 1950s when it comes to wildlife and the environment. 

As I found out at the recent Wild Summit the main reaction is "Oh, that is so sad. Nothing we can do,"

Conservationists we lost. You cannot sugar coat it the greed anbd money grubbing as well as morons with guns and cars have won out.

Badgers, foxes and hedgehogs as well as other spoecies are going to be victims in the latest extinction event (the last great one in the UK was the 1860s).

Is The Urban Fox Changing Its Breeding Season?

  I have written before (on the blog) about fox breeding season and how I have noted cubs born later or earlier than is considered normal. We have to realise that all of the information we have comes originally from country hunts. They needed to know when cubs were born and where foxes lived to make it easier for them to hunt and kill them.

In the countryside foxes tend to get shot, snared or poisoned as well as hunted. There is a false date given for when foxes moved into urban areas 1930s Edinburgh. Utter nonsense of course since the Cur fox before extinction lived near suburbs and human habitat. They were replaced by the red fox.

Climate change has been at work. Humans more friendly to foxes have been at work. Up to around 2000 there were no large number of feeders. From 2000 on and from internet influence the feeders have become a problem to an extent with overfeeding when towns and cities are full of the fox's natural food source -rats and mice. In suburbs rabbits can be found and are also taken as prey.

The urban fox is not like the country fox which is rapidly disappearing. Town foxes get good shelter, good weather and water sources as well as extra food -often what is left out for hedgehogs or cats is an easy snack. This may well be changing fox breeding seasons; in the past it was waiting until food sources were there to feed cubs on. That problem is gone.

I was sent this photo today (14 09 2026) of a vixen looking pregnant. I am told of a similar instance in another part of Bristol. Before these two reports I was told by someone that a vixen living on their property looked "quite pregnant".

The  vixen above and the other one will have an eye kept on them. The third vixen the person does not want location known or to give out further information she just wanted to know if there was anything extra she could do to help the fox.

It could well be that urban foxes are changing habits and it is something I have been noting for a few years but, ridiculously, I seem to be the only naturalist in Europe doing this fox work but there must be others?

I will keep an eye on the situation and continue making notes but it is important that rescues and wildlife hospitals are aware of the changes.