Oh look, its cubbing season and another anonymous person posting the exact same bs as every other year for the past ten.
Next it'll be the ginger or ginger and white cat seen having been snatched by a fox or foxes.
Owners and moderators on the FB groups posting this year after year need reporting as they know what is going on.
There are a number of books from the late 18th to very early 19th centuries that refer tto wild cats and how they have only survived "for hundreds of years" by interbreeding with feral domestics. Thomas Pennant, thanks to his British Zoology , 1771, and writing about his travels and observations, is seen as THE pre-extinction rewference source.
Pennant Manwood's
"THAT fierce animal the wild cat, is still met with in this forest. In the reign of Richard I. the abbot and convent of Peterborough had a charter for hunting in this place the hare, the fox, and the wild cat; which was confirmed to them, in 1253, by Henry III.9 By these charters, it appears the wild cat should be added to the beasts of forest, or of venerie; which the book of St. Albans, and old Sir Tristram, in his worthie Treatise of Hunting, confined to the hart, the hynde, the hare, the boare, and the wolfe: the hart and hind being separated, because the season of hunting them was different; yet they remain in species still the same. Beasts of the chace (which was an inferior sort of forest) were the buck, the doe, the fox, the martin, and the roe."
and
Thomas Pennant described the English wildcat in the first
volume of his British Zoology (1776 and reprinted in 1771 and 1818) as
"the British tiger," highlighting its fierce nature and destructive
power against poultry, lambs, and kids. He considered it the fiercest and most
destructive beast in
Pennant's Description of the Wildcat
Pennant referred to the wildcat as a "British
tiger" due to its ferocity He described it as the "fiercest, and most
destructive beast we have. Pennant observed that the wildcat "mak[es]
dreadful havock among our poultry, lambs, and kids". He mentioned its
strength, stating that if wounded, it would attack the person who injured it
and could prove to be a "no despicable enemy"
Remember that the original wild cat was large -much larger than the claimed modern wild cat. It was hunted with packs of dogs and due to its size and ferocity cat hunting dogs were fitted with metal studded leather collars to prevent them being killed. Surviving remnants of the Old wild cat could wound and kill a man and this is where the ignorance of those involved in "big cat" groups as well as cryptozoology shows. This had to be an unknown felid or even an escaped exotic cat like a tiger -the tiger stripes and size stated made that clear.
No. It was a wild cat and nothing else.
Hounds for hunting wild cats, which all the authors point out were being wiped out (they just didn't care unless it affected the 'sport'), were in demand because it took "courage" for a hound to take on a wild cat. Look at this advertisement from 1733 when the wiping out of the cats was in full swing
The fact that I more or less proved that wild cats of the New variety were being released into shooting territories to be hunted and shot in the 1920s-1930s shows that the only reason for hunting was sadistic 'fun'. In fact, a man who shot two wild cats in such a hunting territory said one was only wounded (he never bothered following it) and the other he just shot and threw onto a low hanging tree branch as he "paid no heed" to what it looked like and it goes on and on as the evidence of releases for 'fun killing' mounts across England up to the 1940s.
Even with all the wildlife conservation and publicity there is still talk on shooting groups about wanting to "get one" (shoot one).
Like the Old fox types everyone knew that they were being hunted to extinction but no one cared because it was their 'sport' and the loss of foxes and wild cats only concerned them because then what could they hunt??
We lost the Old type foxes and wild cats in the 1860s and that was discussed in the 19th century. What we see now are hybrids of European wild cats being introduced in some attempt to appease consciences -a game keeper is not going to worry about shooting one ands they have in the past with the claim "I thought it was feral domestic"
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It was in 1977 that my late friend, Franklyn Angus Davin-Wilson, asked what I thought about "the killer canids of Cavan" as reported on by Charles Hoy Fort (The Books of Charles Fort, 1942). I responded that I had not heard of the report. It turns out I should have said "reports". People in Cavan, Ireland bitten by mysterious "canid-like creature" and they all went insane and were institutionalised.
It took 35 years before I could close the file on that one. The case is examined in The Red Paper: Canidae. Add to that "The Black Beast of Edale" which took a lot of research to get far more than the cryptozoologists had to offer (quoting one press report) and I was firmly looking beyond foxes or wolves.
The Girt (Great) Dog of Ennerdale is near mythological when you look at the various claims for what it was: an early imported and escaped thylacine. A tiger. An unknown type of ancient native British cat, a hyena and, of course, a werewolf or dire wolf (Dire wolves pop up everywhere when cryptozoologists are involved. As an archivist I did what any good researcher should do: I went back to the factual original account often cited by cryptozoologists but very obviously never read by them., I identified the animal.
Jackals and wolves were all mysterious appearances and disappearances as far as cryptozoologists and Forteans were concerned but like coyotes in the UK it took research to find out where those canids came from.
And then we have the Beast of Gevaudan. Lion? Child killing serial killer with a cannibalistic leaning, a dire wolf or, if you go by You Tubers who base their knowledge on the utter mess that is the internet, now !positively a lion". I went back and, in mysterious Beasts and Creatures, catalogued a large number of mysterious French beasts and the conclusions were even a surprise for me. Again, based on historical documents and talking to French naturalists.
I have specifically specialised in foxes and other wild canids, wolverines and also, as a side line, hyena. I would dearly love to say that a case has stumped me and is totally unexplainable but when you find that the unexplainable aspects are actually fake and created by certain fringe people to "sex up" a story you are simply left with fact and every one of my books has heavy reference sections.
Naturalists should NEVER be afraid to look at anything described as "mysterious" because they may find getting to the truth enjoyable but also learn. Seeing how a known animal can spark off a "mysterious sea creature" or "mystery predator" story can tell you a lot about people and how they perceive our wildlife but also how things can go very wrong.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/mysterious-strange-beasts/paperback/product-23771024.html
Below cover for smaller format version
I got a very strange look from someone once when I said that I really liked hyenas. I pointed out the hyena (yes, I have stopped spelling it "hyaena" as people got so worked up about it!) types and some facts including about "hyena men" of Nigeria. I was asked why I knew so much about hyena? Uh, "naturalist" about covers it but there are other reasons I intend to go into in another post.
"So which would you sooner be bitten by -a wolf or hyena?" Silly question really but my response was immediate: "A wolf!" Here is why from Bright Side 15+ Animals That Have the Strongest Bite
https://brightside.me/articles/15-animals-that-have-the-strongest-bite-796851/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMb2XhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETAzMUdtT25Ld1JSYVBRelpJAR6sYEpkNNT_W8Xns6sOSqnDburi5ac69HNWNSTNjSjNSkSioclL0a4fCBv5WQ_aem_aah3IpXrWPj-l1_m9Rr9Aw
To prove the point look at this comparison photo. (c)2025 respective copyright holder
Now, which would you sooner be bitten by?
96 Pages
For decades there have been reports of “Big Cats” roaming the British countryside killing sheep and deer. Are all of the observers from naturalists,zoologists, zoo personnel, police and others all mistaken?
Terry Hooper-Scharf set up the Exotic Animals Register (EAR) in 1977 to disprove the claims before become a UK police forces exotic wildlife consultant and member of the Partnership Against Wildlife crime (PAWS). What he found out was almost unbelievable but with the gathered evidence including DNA results and bone analysis it seemed that there were exotic cats in the UK and that some had been here at least going back to the early 19th century.
The presented evidence saw the Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) force him off the PAWS scheme despite police protests.
Now read fact and not sensationalist press or fringe claims.
I have been told, again, that I seem to be very concerned with wildlife health welfare.
😐
Of course I am. I am not a member of the Green Party so I do care about the environmental and wildlife crisis that is currently taking place. Next year will be my official 50th (I don't count when I was learning as a child) year as a naturalist, researcher/archivist. I have read many thousands of news and items and journals going back to the 17th century, hundreds of books going back to the 16th century and that learning continues.
We saw what one might call The First Modern Mass Extinction during the early Medieval period up to the 1500s. Bears, lynx, wolves, boar and many other species (land and air) wiped out by humans. By the start of the 17th Century much wildlife was imported from Europe to replace "beasts of the chace" for hunting 'fun' -the bigger mammals were no longer around to kill and so the Old wild cat and Old fox species were put on the list.
By the mid 1830s it was apparent, and written about frequently, that the Old fox was heading for extinction and there was much discussion. But discussion not about saving the species but about what would happen "to our sport". Yep, if foxes went extinct then there was nothing else to hunt and kill. Hares died out in many areas due top hare hunting as did otters and many others including deer.
From the early (possible) 16th century on the importing of animals to hunt increased but that meant constant "re-stocking" and Leadenhall Market imported at least 2000 foxes a year to hunt and the actual number with the number of importers in England must have exceeded 3-5000 per year.
However, the 1860s can be seen as the Second Modern Mass Extinction with Old Fox and Wild cats, red squirrels and others falling into the gaping hole. More Red squirrels imported and yet shooting clubs were still noting with pride the hundreds of squirrels their members were killing. I doubt that a genuine British Red squirrel exists today. When importing stopped due to World War 1 and then anti rabies legislation wildlife took a downturn and never -despite the many false claims- recovered.
Foxes are still shot for 'fun' nightly which means those 'sportsmen' (it is what they call themselves) are actually helping drive foxes to extinction as we are calculated to have already lost 65-70% of the fox population.
We lose badgers every year to cars and 99% of drivers do not even report hitting an animal whether fox, badger or even a deer (hopefully the damage caused hitting the latter ran into the hundreds in repair work on the precious car).
There are people who will kill or try to kill pet dogs and cats as well as abuse horses and cattle. "A Nation of animal lovers".
We have seen the increased decline in hedgehog numbers and there is little doubt that the 2030s will see the Third Modern Mass Extinction with many mammals and birds, etc joining the fox, badger and hedgehog.
Treating wildlife for injuries in the wild for minor injuries and ailments is beneficial in that there is no stress on them from being trapped, caged and then held for a period of time where the treatment can take longer to work. But wildlife vets and rescues need to step out of the dark ages and into modern times.
A fox does not depend solely on eyesight to survive as hearing and smell are the main senses. Blind in one eye "It can't survive in the wild -kill it. A badger that a wildlife hospital felt was blind had survived a long time until an unblocked drop point in the ground meant it got trapped. Again, badgers do not solely rely on eyesight but the vet declared it could not live in the wild and no wildlife rescue was asked whether they could take it on so -kill it.
I often wonder whether these people "cast the bones" before making their decisions. They certainly do not listen to people who deal with foxes and badgers daily.
A leg injury in a fox "It cannot survive in the wild -kill it". I even wrote a piece about how well three legged foxes survive and at least two such vixens have had a couple of litters with no problem. https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2024/08/fox-leg-amputation-reason-to-kill.html
A facial injury: "Can't be treated -kill it" BUT why kill the fox? With severe infection and necrosis I can understand and the smell and black skin will tell you when it is too far gone. One vixen with cubs had a facial injury and talk was of trapping which would mean killing it or "euthanising" it. It was decided to start treatment and give it a set period to note any success and that way it could still feed its young cubs. The facial injury healed and the vixen is still alive.
Mange is NOT a death sentence that destroys organs and leads to a nasty death. It just needs treating as soon as possible and in the last three years over 600 local foxes have been successfully treated (previously the local wildlife rescue had any fox with what someone decided was "35% mange" put down. The new regime there is treatment (under veterinary advice) and that has saved 600 foxes rather than wipe them out.
This item may be of interest:
https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2024/08/treating-infections-facial-injuries-and.html
The answer to the statement "you seem to be very concerned with wildlife health welfare" is "Yes, I bloody well am and so should you be now get off your ass and help!"
People tend to ignore these things as they are out at sea or on sea shores so as long as they do not spoil sunbathing or a day out -who cares? Well, we ALL should. After this item I have reposted an item from 2014 which taught me a lesson.
A sei whale stranded in Arbroath, Scotland. Toxic Web via Flickr
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The number of whales and dolphins getting stranded on the Scottish coastline has increased at an exponential rate over the last 30 years, a new study warns.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, marks the first time scientists have been able to quantify the scale of the increase in marine strandings around Scotland's coastline.
In such events, a marine mammal is usually found dead on a beach, or is alive on land or in shallow water but unable to return to its ocean habitat.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow looked at all marine mammal species seen in Scottish waters, including baleen whales, short-beaked common dolphins, harbour porpoises and pelagic dolphins.
They used a 30-year dataset collected by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) between 1992 and 2022 to examine the distribution and trends in marine mammal strandings.
Overall, 5,147 marine mammals were included in the study, having stranded in Scotland between 1992 and 2022.
Scientists observed increasing rates across all such species, with some showing steep increases in their strandings.
Common dolphins and baleen whales particularly showed an “exponential increase” in strandings, suggesting these species are facing unprecedented pressures in Scottish waters, researchers said, warning that the scale and consistency of the rise indicates a “genuine cause for concern”.
They found that the stranding rates of these two species remained consistently low during the first two decades of the study, but rose sharply from 2010.
Researchers also found a disproportionate rise in strandings among juveniles of both species, indicating that younger animals could be particularly vulnerable.
Based on these findings, marine experts call for prioritising conservation efforts of common dolphins and baleen whales.
“By identifying where and when species are most at risk, we can target monitoring and conservation efforts at the critical times and locations needed to best safeguard the health of these ecosystems,” said Andrew Brownlow, Director of the SMASS.
In the research, harbour porpoises accounted for more than half of all the strandings, followed by pelagic dolphins at 24 per cent, common dolphins (10 per cent), and baleen whales (9 per cent).
Trends in annual frequencies of single strandings shown in five species groupings (Scientific Reports (2025) via University of Glasgow)Overall, there were no sex differences spotted in the annual stranding rates, but there were distinct seasonal trends observed for each group.
Such events were widespread across Scotland, but strandings of different species were clustered in certain areas.
Almost all species strand on the northwest coast, with porpoises predominantly stranding along the east coast around the Inner Moray Firth, the Outer Moray Firth and the Forth and Tay, and the southeast in the Clyde, according to the study.
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In 2014 I posted this
Now I am not going to mention names or the institutions, however, everything is documented and my colleague LM has been privy to the responses.
For The Red Paper 2022 Canids I had a number of photographs of "fox masks" (masks being the trophy head of a fox killed in a hunt and with starving hounds it is usually all that gets left) on shields (wood plaques with dates and locations of the kill. Some were quite obviously not foxes -there were jackal like heads and the most obviously odd were those that were clearly coyote or wolf like.
That I believed that these were jackal, coyote or wolf does not matter. What I needed to get was confirmation from experts who knew these canids. I learnt from my first attempts to get jackal heads identified that as soon as you stated "Killed by a hunt in England" things went very quiet. So what I asked people who are experts and deal with wolves and coyotes on an almost daily basis is whether they could confirm that the masks were coyote or wolf -no deception just asking for their professional opinion.
I got all of the masks confirmed as wolf or coyote and one possible Eastern Coyote. One mask I was told looked coyote like...but slightly fox like and was "odd". That mask was sent by accident and was a jackal head so it would seem odd to them.
I had all the confirmation I needed from 4-5 experts at well known institutions. When asked where the masks came from I explained and as soon as I stated England... back pedalling was so fast, confused and even contradicting their own statements! I did offer full information and even sent copies of the mask shields with the details on them but no one was talking any more -although one brave soul DID stand by his identification.
Why the sudden reversal and denial of their own opinions? It was explained to me by someone who would know that it was probably out of fear of rocking the academic boat. They don't want to upset their colleagues in the UK over this as it might have those colleagues responding angrily or making cooperation difficult and a lot of people from different universities cooperate on papers.
That is highly believable. Their statements are on the record so why cause problems -maybe one day they will come around or even accept a copy of The Red Paper Canids as offered?
My policy is still to ask other experts for confirmation of an animal and I have always done that via museums, etc.. It is just a pity that academia is so butt clenching when it faces up to dogma or things their colleagues have just never bothered looking into.
I am quite sure that there must be some people reading this blog who have questions. Ask them because if I can't answer them I doubt anyone can (49 years of experience, research)
The painting depicts "A Fox Stalking a Brace of Partridges" by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a renowned 18th-century French Rococo painter celebrated for his animal depictions Note the lack of muzzle black "tear stain","black socks" and other red fox diagnostics which would make this a good historical depiction of an Old European fox type.
Pennants British Zoology 1771 p 74
P 75
There are three varieties of foxes found in the mountainous parts of these islands, which differ a little in form, but not in colour, from each other. These are distinguished in
P 74
In warm weather it will quit its habitation for the sake of basking in the sun, or to enjoy the fresh air ; but then it rarely lies exposed, but chooses some thick brake (hedge), and generally of gorse, that it may rest secure from surprise. Crows, magpies, and other birds, whoi consider the fox as their common enemy, will often, by their notes of anger, point out its retreat.
Pp 71-72
The fox is a crafty, lively, and libidinous animal : it breeds only once in a year (except some accident befalls its first litter ;) and brings four or five young, which, like puppies are born blind. It is common received opinion, that this animal will produce with the dog kind.
P 72 -73
The fox sleeps much in the day, but is in motion the whole night in search of prey. It will feed on flesh of any kind, but irs favourite food is lambs, rabbits, hares, poultry, and feathered game. It will, when urged by hunger, eat carrots and insects ; and those that live near the sea coasts, will, for want of other food, eat crabs, shrimps, or shell fish….
In
P 73
When the fox has acquired a larger prey than it can devour at once, it never begins to feed til it has secured the rest, which it does with great address. It digs holes in different places, returns to the spot where it had left the booty ; and (supposing a whole flock of poultry to have been its prey) will bring them one by one, and thrust them in with its nose, and then conceal them by ramming the loose earth on them, till the calls of hunger incite him to pay them another visit.
P 73
Of all animals the fox has the most significant eye, by which it expresses every passion of love, fear, hatred, and so on. It is remarkably playful, but like all other savage creatures half reclaimed, will on the least offence bite those it is most familiar with.
It is a great admirer of its bushy tail, with which it frequently amuses and exercises itself by running in circles to catch it : and in cold weather wraps it round its nose.
It has been said that all we know today about the greyhound/mountain fox is down to my research work but I think that is taking too much credit. My colleague, LM, has not only found and purchased Old fox taxidermy including the famous Colquhoun mountain fox killed circa 1835 but others. LM has also drawn my attention to other snippets and it was LM who pointed out this children's book from the 1970s (which I find that I actually have but have not read in many years).
Not just the fox on the cover grabbed LM's attention but also a paragraph within. Therefore LM deserves credit for pointing this all out.
The book was written by John Leigh-Pemberton. This cover was painted by John Leigh-Pemberton and were that muzzle black "tear stain" missing it would be an Old type British fox. In fact, I do wonder whether he based this on an old taxidermy he had seen as it would be right for a mid-1840s Old-New hybrid.
Remember that I do not get every dead fox (those that are seen) reported to me and that Bristol City Council under both Labour and Green P...
