A Deer, A Fox, Some Rabbits and a Badger: Wildlife Crime(to be ignored?)

My correction TWO foxes.   A badger was shot and killed. Police can ignore the rest (likely will do) but the badger is a wildlife crime. We'll see...

Someone shot and killed a deer, fox, badger and some rabbits then threw them over a gate in Hambrook. They were caught on CCTV and police involved. I have been asked to be kept informed but wildlife crime seems to be treated as a waste of time. Every night men and women go out to shoot and kill for 'fun' and their FB groups call them "sportsmen/women".

Cats, sheep -boring night anything is a fair target. There is no reason why anyone in the UK should have a fire arm other for in enclosed shooting ranges for 'sport'

I have given up on the UK as the people in it seem set to want to kill anything wild.

Guidelines for preserving dead wildlife intended for PME submission

 

Typically, there is no such advice in the UK but the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre gives some guidelines worth bearing in mind. https://dwhc.nl/en/faq/

Quite seriously the UK attitude seems to be "It takes a terrible lot of time and effort so let's be as slow as we can".  Is it any wonder wildlife crimne goes undetected in the UK?

How can I keep a carcass cool?

To perform post-mortem investigation it is crucial that an animal is kept under cool temperatures, but not frozen.

Although the animal is wrapped in two layers of plastic and thus the outside in principle should be clean, it is not advisable to put an animal in the same refrigerator as food.

Animals have insulating fur or feathers, which means that the organs inside do not cool down quickly and the decomposition process (autolysis)** starts quickly.

Please do not pick up a dead animal with bare hands, but use disposable gloves or a plastic bag.

Is it freezing?

Then put the animal wrapped in newspaper in an unheated shed so that the temperature is less than 4 °C, but not freezing.

Is it between 0 and 4 °C outside?

Then the cadaver can be kept outside as long as they are put in the shade.

Is it warmer than 4 °C outside?

Then the animal must be kept as cool as possible (but not in the freezer).

• Has the animal just died and are they still warm?

Cool the animal thoroughly with cold water before double* wrapping them. If an animal is placed in a plastic bag still warm, it can start to swelter and will not cool down quickly enough.

• Is the animal already cold?

Double wrap* the animal and place them as cool as possible, but not in the freezer. A cellar or floor in the shed often feels cold, but is usually too warm.

A number of options for keeping the double-wrapped animal cool until they can be picked up are:

Roll a newspaper around the wrapped animal and place them together with one or more cooling elements in a box with several newspapers (wads). Clean the cooling elements thoroughly before reusing them.

Place the packed animal in a refrigerator where no food is stored.

Place the packed animal in a bucket/tray/wheelbarrow with cold water with ice cubes or cooling elements. Make sure it is in the shade. If the weather is warm, it is advisable to replace the elements or add new ice cubes every few hours. Before transporting, put a dry plastic bag around it and attach the animal’s details to the dry bag. Clean the cooling elements thoroughly before reusing them.

* Double wrapping:

Double wrapping (in two plastic bags, with the outer plastic bag remaining ‘clean’) is important to prevent contamination of the environment during cooling and transport.

Attach the animal’s details (animal species, your name and place of residence) to the (outer) plastic bag. It is best to attach a printed copy of the completed form.

You can read how to pack the carcass in the manual for packing a carcass or watch the video on double packaging small carcasses.

**Autolysis

The internal decomposition process begins shortly after an animal has died. Depending on the size of the animal, its insulating fur and/or layer of fat and the circumstances (lying in the sun, and/or at warm temperatures) the organs can be unsuitable for proper post-mortem investigation within a few hours. An animal can still look perfect on the outside, while the organs are already largely decayed.

Dutch Wildlife Health Centre

If A Vet Says "It's been poisoned" the MUST report it.

 

If you ever take a sick fox into a vet and it dies then let us know, If the vet says "It's been poiisoned" then tell them it is a possible wildlife crime and as its poison the fox needs to be submitted to the Wildlife Crimes Investigation Unit or, in Bristol, contact Bristol Uni Post Mortem Services and ask to submit the fox for post mortem examination (PME).

If the vet refuses here is what to bear in mind:

While a vet is generally bound by strict client confidentiality, the [Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons](https://www.rcvsknowledge.org/.../when-is-it-safe-to.../) (RCVS) explicitly allows them to bypass this rule and report concerns to the relevant authorities if they believe the wider public interest or animal welfare is severely compromised.

The illegal use of pesticides or poisons can be reported to the government's [Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme](https://www.hse.gov.uk/.../wildlife-incident...) (WIIS) on 0800 321 600.

We have had seven vets in Bristol over the past few years who have told people "Its been poisoned" and in all cases the foxes were victims of car strike.

"Poison" -report and submit. NEVER EVER state an animal has been poisoned unless you have evidence as certain symptoms often quoted as evidence of poisoning can be related to other causes of death.

Thank you and good night Vienna.

Will My Files Be Lost??

 

Anything to do with the late Mike Collins and his work while running the Avon Badger Group seem lost. Avon Wildlife Trust just don't respond and BRERC claims all the data was returned to a group that ceased before 1994 and either a dead man or...or they are lying?

No photos seem to exist of Collins and I wanted to do a detailed historical lo0ok at ABG and his work. The one remaining member I could find (in her 80s) stated she never got any papers back and she also refuses to forward what she has/knows "I shall take them proudly to my grave".......

So anything Avon Badger Group is lost or being kept locked away.

Any of my stuff badger or fox and wild canid and Exotic Animal Register is destinned to go (I am going to box it all up in the next few weeks) to The Extinct Fox and Wild Cat Museum as I know my family have no interrest and it would all be burnt or binned and thertefore 50 years work would be gone.

The Actual Number of Badger Deaths in Bristol

 

 I did a recent post on the Fox Project Bristol and my blog about reported so KNOWN fox deaths and what the actual total might be.

 https://terryhoopernaturalist.blogspot.com/2026/07/182-reported-dead-foxes-total-is-higher.html

 That was scary enough but then I wondered whether statistics could guestimate the actual number  of dead badgers in the City and County of Bristol (yes, for those who did not know Bristol is not just a City). So far we have had 73 reported death so ....

The actual number of badgers killed is likely much higher than 73 . Experts estimate that up to (50,000\) badgers die on UK roads yearly. Studies show that for every dead badger seen and reported 2-3 others often die nearby or off-road from their injuries. Therefore, 73 observed deaths could mean 146  to 219 actually died.

First off it used to be 100,000 then 60,000now 50,000 is the estimate. I do not believe that after the cull took 300,000 badgers that 50,000 are currently dying. The population is so low and even though no longer present in certain areas (due to the cull) that 50,000 each year would mean we have 2-3 years before badgers are extinct.

I have asked Highways England and they do not record what dead animals their teams remove from roads. A simple email reading "Orpington  23 06 2026 badger" (or "fox" could be sent. How long does that take?  But local highway authorities such as Bristol City (Green) Council's Street Clean Team will not even cooperate: they just pick up and send for incineration.

That said, sadly, a total of 146+/- would not surprise me. And remember this is just road deaths not death by rodenticide, snaring or illegal killing by local badger men and badger baiting (yes, that still goes on).

Rather like foxes and the fast decreasing UK population I think it time English badgers were moved onto the Red List as a species facing extinction. 

Poisoned Foxes? Get The Evidence Before Stating "Poisoned"

 

This was posted to The Greenwich Wildlife Network:

Fox Guardians

WARNING to wildlife lovers and pet parents in Broadstairs! There is been a string of fox poisonings in the Stone Bay area (Eastern Esplanade, town centre end). So far 7 (!) cubs and 1 vixen have been found dead in the garden of a fox lover in quick succession.

The cases which constitute a wildlife crime have been reported to the wildlife officer at Kent police.

If one of your fox friends arrives and is struggling to breathe and seems wobbly, get them to a vet as soon as possible. Briar House Vets have been informed about the poisonings and Kent Wildlife Rescue Service could help getting the fox rescued.

If you find a dead fox in your garden, do not handle the body as the police would only consider collecting it for a postmortem if it was not 'contaminated' by being handled. Poisoned foxes often have a frothy discharge caming from their mouth.

I know this is challenging but do take pictures from various angles and call to police quoting crime reference number #09-1286.

Currently this case is "closed" due to lack of evidence but that could change because someone somewhere may know something.

If you know something, be the voice for foxes and speak up. If we don't show compassion, what is it that defines us?!

The vixen in this picture (not included in this post –TH) is a juvenile called Hazel. She is such a sweet little soul that I had the pleasure to look after over the last 2 weeks. She lives just a few gardens away from where the seven fox cubs that were of the same age as her were cruelly poisoned.

At 5 months old, their lives had only just begun. Their lives were not our to take. I and Hazel's guardian Jill are so very worried for her and her family. Be safe little one!

 

I responded:

Hi.

I have run the British Fox Study since 1976 and headed the onmly UK post mortem study of unusual deaths in foxes. The first question I have to ask is whether there has been a post mortem (in suspected poisoning cases you can get free PMs via the Animal Plant Health Agency) to identify poisonings?

The reason I ask is that when we started our work we had foxes that were found dead and unmarked in feeders gardens, foxes seen staggering, coughing and then collapsing. All were suspected poisonings.

As it turns out all were victims of cars -no broken bones found but all injuries were internal. Some were even found to be down to unsuspected illnesses. It can never be put down to poison until a post mortem as that will involve tests etc.

In case anyone is interested in what our study found I will include a link. https://foxandcanids.blogspot.com/.../bristol-foxes-study... I can be PM'd

I should have pointed out  that the discharge/froth from the mouth could also indicate thoracic damage. The only way you can 100% state poison is after testing.

 I also need to point out that Kent Police are talking complete and utter crap if they did say they would only handle a fox that has not been touch. I could use stronger words. Kent as a county is not known for liking foxes and I suspect the police just cannot be bothered because it was a fox.

A post mortem examines the internal organs and test samples are taken to check for poison and to identify what it was –if a crime or suspected crime the police tend to do nothing if my experience over the last few decades proves anything. If it is a rodenticide then it can become an investigation by the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS). The person recovering the fox, the lab technicians etc all handle the fox and there has NEVER been the line “If touched we can do nothing” –a police Community Service Officer collected two foxes and a cat in a suspected poison case and that was after reportees had moved the animals to keep safe. In that case all turned out to be road casualties.

The knee jerk “It’s poison!” statement once spread, as we found in Bristol, attracts almost hysteria and local journalists love a “juicy story” – “The Bristol Fox Poisoner(s)” was a result of absolutely no evidence but people stating as fact anything they heard. 

At least three vets with different foxes stated “Its poison” –all foxes were found to have internal injuries caused by cars.

182 Reported Dead Foxes -The Total Is Higher

 

I get used to the comments from morons (I am no longer polite about this) that the more foxes killed on the road the better for gardens, homes and the environment.

I am not joking. I once pointed out to a woman whowrote this that foxes were good for the environment and the best pest controllers for rats and micve that you can have. "I'd sooner have the rats!" was t6he response.

Another person who did everything possible to discourage foxes BECAUSE "I have a garden rat" ignored all the advice and told me "No one asked for your opinion -it's my garden!" About 9 months later she was posting for advice as "my garden is over run with rats".

AQt the moment we have recorded 182 known fox deaths in the City and there is a way of trying to guage from that the actual number that have died -I will upload the document on assessment to files).

Hold on to your seats:

If 182 foxes are counted as road casualties, the true number is likely much higher. Wildlife studies show that reported roadkill usually accounts for only 1/12th to 1/16th of actual casualties. This means the probable actual number of foxes killed is between 2,184\ and 2,912

That is terrifying to even think about with a national fox population that is declining at a steady rate 0thanks to humans. I would like to thyink the number is lower at 300+ which is still far too high but when drivers go speeding during the day and night and kill pets and don't stop or report and even hit people....at night it is free reign!