Germany is moving toward allowing wolf hunting

The above image went out with the news item and gives the impression of savage and dangerous wolves.

 Typical that hunters/farmers with money and politicians in their pockets should succeed. This will mean many wolves killed as shooters claim "They were a threat to livestock".

Germany is fast losing its reputation for environmental and wildlife conservation.  It is always "re-introduce them" then "Too many -kill them!"

 Germany is moving toward allowing wolf hunting after its lower house of parliament passed a controversial law aimed at managing the country’s growing wolf population.

The decision comes after a sharp increase in wolf numbers over recent decades and a rise in attacks on livestock, which has fueled pressure from farmers and rural communities.

The new legislation would make it easier to shoot wolves, especially in areas where repeated livestock killings occur, marking a major shift from the country’s previous strict protections.

The move has sparked intense debate, with supporters arguing it’s necessary to protect livelihoods, while conservationists warn it could undermine decades of recovery for wolves, which had once been driven to extinction in Germany before making a comeback.

IUCN Needs To Update UK Hedgehog Status

 

On the first night I moved into Risdale Road in Ashton Vale I saw a hedgehog -biggest one I ever saw but was killed a few weeks later by a car. I moved to the current address in 2004 and I have posted regularly on the hedgehogs here.

Last year we were down to one hog and no young as in previous years. Every night the camera is out and no sign of a hog anywhere. I asked my neighbours and they have seen none.

The hope is that, after a lot of private building work along the lane which created a rat problem, the hogs have moved on although they had been nesting in my neighbours and my garden away from the work.

The hope is that the less than likeable council "pest controller" who was putting out rodenticide as not the cause of the demise.

While people reporting hedgehogs seems to make people think hedgehogs are back and the population growing that is a false idea. Hedgehogs are still Red Listed and building development ignoring them as well as cars etc has meant their status is not good.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) should alter the status to Critically Endangered (CR)

Why A Fox Without A Tail is Not Rare

 

 I was  once asked "how did the poor thing lose its tail?" when I posted this image.

The thing is that the fox had a perfectly fine tail but like many foxes was in the habit of curling its tail around one side. To prove the point here is the fox above about one minute later.  Incidentally, the colouration indicates that it has melanism in its make up and this is becoming more common with grey and black coloured foxes being reported.

A few years back (2020/2021?) I was sent a clip and some photos of a fox with no tail. With foxes you expect a quarter or half a tail missing occasionally as they are not fast enough to avoid a car tyre. However, in this particular case the tail was gone.  We call the bones that connect a fox's tail to its body are the caudal vertebrae; these vertebrae are the  direct extensions of the spine, starting from the sacrum (the base of the spine near the hips) and extending down to the tip of the tail. 

Above (c)2026 respective copyright owner. A completely tail-less fox.

Foxes can lose parts of tails from cars driving over them, having them caught in something resulting in tail loss or even by having tails caught in a snare and amputating it.

Above (c)2026 respective copyright owner; a slight stump can be seen

Above (c)2026 respective copyright owner

When I was shown the photographs of the tail-less fox my first thought was that, being that close to the back and so cleanly done that it may have been removed by a veterinary surgeon. There were problems in that vets rarely want to treat a fox let alone amputate a tail and keep it confined until healed.  I could find no vets who had operated on a fox nor any fox released by a wildlife rescue that had had its tail removed.

Above (c)2026 respective copyright owner; a fox with a more prominent stub from its missing tail.

Of course, the photographer then noted the fox had always been like this so it had not had a tail -so why ask me if I could explain why its tail was gone?- and had not disappeared for any length of time as per it being trapped, operated on, recovering and then being released. Even now there are people stating "their" fox needs help as it has no tail and want it trapped and treated.

Looking at the photographs available (and we have a large photo image catalogue) it becomes clear that there is a very simple explanation -over-grooming by the mother when the fox was a cub.  A friend of my grand mothers had a dog with no tail and I asked when it had been removed? I was told "the mother did it" and it was explained that the bitch had over-groomed her pups so much the tails came off. I have found similar with domestic cats 

"Excessive maternal behaviour" or "Mismothering" is well known in cats and dogs. That the foxes in question are all fit and healthy and the caudal vertebrae so clean and hair covered seems to indicate the tail loss occurred during its pup stage.

After decades you find that the 'experts' tend to ignore the basics.

Is It A Red or A NARF?

 Back in the 1950s the "big money earner" was going to be fox fur farms. In fact they were being set up back in the 19th century as commercial ventures.

Not very sanitary, often cruel 'entrepreneurs' found things were not as promised. Throughout the early to mid 1950s the fur farms folded. Was there massive blood letting as the unprofitable foxes were all killed? 

The easiest way of getting rid of "stock" you did not want anymore was to just release them. No legislative control over releasing foxes and some land owners probably saw the extra foxes as more 'sporting fun'.

Did these North American Red Foxes (NARF) interbreed with new native Red foxes? Probably. I have shown before photos of over large foxes from parts of the UK that had traits of the NARF. Now of course we have the breeding and escaping Silver fox interbreeding with the Red fox.

What is the size difference between a bred for sale NARF and Red fox? I think the photo below demonstrates that. This image goes back 6 or 7 years and I believe is from a keeper.

(c)2026 respective copyright owner

Was Mange Deliberately Spread in Bristol in 1994/1995?

 To start with; this is not an accusation but notes on rumours Bristol University will not respond to.

(c)2026 respective copyright owner

I have repeatedly asked Bristol University for access to its now defunct mammal group (led by Prof. Stephen Harris) papers on foxes. I either get silence or am told that I do not qualify for such access. The British Fox Study started in 1976 and continues today which, obviously, is far longer than the Bristol Uni study.

Most of the old Uni study data featured in books by Prof. Harris but a great deal remains archived (IF we believe what has been written).

Who funds Bristol University ?

• UK Government & Research Councils: Funding for research and infrastructure comes through bodies like the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), and Research England.
• Tuition Fees: Income from UK and international student fees, managed through student finance systems.
• Endowments & Donations: The university holds numerous endowment funds established by benefactors, which are invested ethically to support research and scholarships. Approximately £70m held in endowments.
• Alumni & Philanthropy: Support for research and entrepreneurship is provided by donations from alumni and friends.
• Industry Partners: Research grants and collaborations with external commercial organizations. 

My interest lies in the fact that over a period of 10 years I have received emails/messages from

 people who worked at or were connected with Bristol University. Each one notes that "it was

claimed" that the mammal study introduced mange (which killed approximately 95% of the Bristol

urban fox population.

The Mammal Group noted that for an "unknown reason" one of their radio collared study foxes 

suddenly left the City.  And "suddenly" it re-appeared and had mange which was studied as it 

spread throughout the fox population.  Each of the people who contacted me stated that this was work 

funded by a UK government office to see how fast a disease/virus *such as rabies) could spread

throughout urban fox populations.

I asked Bristol University to refute the claim and release any data gathered on such a major

outbreak that almost wiped out foxes in the City. They have refused on every occasion which, 

obviously, means that the rumours and suspicions continue. 

WHY the silence?

"Auntie" or Helper Vixens

 

 (c)2026 respective copyright owner

I've mentioned "Aunt" foxes before and how foxes living in a leash (a family group) help vixens out with cubs. Here is an explanation of one way they do that.

Vixens (female red foxes) acting as wet nurses is a phenomenon known as alloparenting or "helper" behavior—often occur in social groups where young females (typically daughters from the previous year) stay with the breeding pair to help raise the new litter. The hormonal mechanisms driving this behavior involve the same hormones responsible for biological motherhood, primarily prolactin and oxytocin, often stimulated by the presence of cubs and social factors.

Here is the breakdown of the hormonal role:

• Prolactin (The "Mothering" Hormone): High levels of prolactin are essential for initiating and maintaining lactation in mammals. In sub-dominant helper vixens, the presence of kits and the social structure of the den can trigger increased prolactin production, enabling them to produce milk even if they have not given birth themselves.

• Oxytocin (The "Let-Down" Hormone): This hormone triggers the contraction of mammary glands, ensuring the expulsion of milk during nursing. It is released in response to the tactile stimulus of nursing (suckling).

• Alloparental Lactation Stimulation: The "helper" vixen may be induced to lactate by the high levels of progestin (progesterone) and estradiol during the breeding season, coupled with the stimulation of seeing or caring for the cubs.

• Behavioral & Hormonal Bonding: The act of grooming, hugging, and sitting with the cubs is crucial for bonding and potentially triggers the necessary hormonal responses, including a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, which helps the vixen feel comfortable nursing, even if they aren't the primary mother.

To The Badger Trust: There has been a Bristol Badger Group for 30+ Years!

 

Apparently the Badger Trust is still pushing for a badger group in Bristol.

I am now taking it that after all the communications Badger Trust is ignoring Bristol Badger Group (f 1994) BECAUSE it is not Bristol Badger TRUST.

I have tried over and over to be pleasant with the Trust which insists it cannot find BBG in an internet search and seem to have the attitude that the work of the last 30+ years is not important because we are not the Badger Trust.

My diplomacy is at an end.