It is sad to think that it is only the 22nd April and we have reached 100 dead foxes reported. With lactating vixens dying the death toll would be much higher if we knew the number of cubs they had that would die once the mother was gone.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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