Friday, 17 October 2025
Monday, 13 October 2025
Public Interfering When A wildlife rescuer is treating an animal
Public Interfering When A wildlife rescuer is treating an animal
A member of the public should not interfere with a rescuer who is treating wildlife in the UK. Interfering could be considered animal cruelty, as it may harm the animal and prevent it from receiving proper care. If you are concerned about an animal's welfare or think a rescuer is not acting properly, you should contact the RSPCA for advice and to report a potential issue
Reasons to not interfere
- Moving or touching a wild animal can cause it additional stress, injury, or pain. It can also expose the rescuer to injury or zoonotic diseases.
- The general principle is to allow the wildlife rescue to be handled by trained professionals to minimize human interference and ensure the animal's best interests are served.
- Interfering with a rescuer could be considered a form of animal cruelty, especially if the rescuer is in the process of providing care to a wild animal.
- A wildlife rescuer is trained to handle the animal and provide the necessary care, so a member of the public should not attempt to take over or disrupt their work.
What to do if you are concerned
- If you are concerned about a rescuer's actions, you should report it to the RSPCA for investigation.
- If you are not able to contact the RSPCA immediately, you should keep a safe distance and observe the situation without interfering.
- Unless the situation is critical and the rescuer is not responding, do not attempt to take over the situation yourself.
Sunday, 12 October 2025
"The English/Highland Tiger"
The illustration on the left is a painting from around 1800, showing a Scottish wildcat being hunted by a pack of dogs. You will note the yellow colouration and stripes -hence the "English wild cat" becoming "the Highland Tiger".
Another thing to note is that there is a version from later on colourised a grey-brown but the colouring here is the original.
Note the size of the cat and size of the dogs. Also note that the cat is going for the hounds neck -serious wild cat hunters equipped their hounds with metal studded leather collars to stop them being attacked that way. You will also note that the cat is holding off the pack and the 'hunter' holds back with an axe to despatch the cat if it does not get away.
The fierceness of these large cats was such that even humans could fall victim to their attacks. These cats did not go out of their way to attack people but if you have someone with hounds hunting and cornering you or trying to force you out of a cave (one case notes a hunter who fought he was getting a fox from a cliff side cave (Wales 1880s) but was confronted by a large wild cat -it did not end well) or tries to kill your mate and cubs then all bets are off.
Interestingly supposed zoologists and others writing in the field of 'cryptozoology' have all tried to suggest that the wild cat was an "unknown British species now extinct" or that a real escaped tiger was being described or -as with the Girt dog of Ennerdale- that an escaped (from a zoo or travelling menagerie) was being described because "No known cat in Britain has a yellow fur and stripes". Well, these people rarely do any research since their aim is to make money.
Wild cats are thought to have started breeding with feral domestic cats brought to Britain by the Romans and these imported cats would have been domesticated Felis libyca (North African wild cat). This could have started any time from the 1st century on although I would guess that it would have been much later as domesticated cats would have been more isolated in farming or town areas while the wild cats were still in forests and woods or other wild areas.
It is likely that interbreeding took longer in Scotland where, although merchants may have gifted cats, these would have initially been too few to spread out from towns. That would still give the cats, say, 100 AD to 1900 to interbreed as wild cats (male or female) looked for mates as hunting took its toll in areas. The "Kellas cat", as Di Francis described it, was a black domestic-wild cat hybrid and there are historical records of these showing that they existed for many centuries up until today
The Extinct Fox and Wild Cat Museum has specimens of wild cats c 1830s but it should be noted that the species was on the decline at that point due to hunting and so we are seeing possibly interbred end of species but there should be enough unique DNA to separate it from the "wild tabby" of today which is supposedly a European wild cat but as Europe had a much longer domestic-wild can interbreeding period those in Europe today are far from the original species type.
As with foxes and wolves in Britain becoming separate island species to their West European counterparts after the flooding of the Doggerbank link with Europe, so the wild cats in Britain should have been reflected in Europe. Unfortunately, the lack of interest in searching museum vaults and other collections means that the cat we see today is still considered the original.
The easiest way to find out more and define species we have lost in the UK and Europe is DNA study. As noted, no one is really interested in that and I have been trying to convince labs and universities for a good few years.
Saturday, 11 October 2025
Act FAST And Don't Wait Until It Is Too Late
When the environment and wildlife are under threat I have learnt after two decades that there are two ways to deal with authorities. The Left Hand and the Right Hand.
The Left is ever so polite and simply states facts trying to be as polite as possible.
The Right is the sledge hammer. I basically stop being "ever so polite" but am polite while showing my teeth. The Right Hand rarely fails.
I was alerted to a recent development but had no photos of badgers setts, no area plans showing where badgers were so as that stood I had nothing to back me up. However, I knew about badgers at the site in the 1970s and while people tend to be uninterested in them I am.
I found that BRERC had a record of badgers and though they would not give the exact location the term they used identified the spot.
The person from the old Avon Badger Group refused to allow me to see maps and info the group had gathered pre 1994 and told me "I shall proudly take them to my grave" -the logic there escapes me.
It happens that one person contacted me ands though unconnected to the group involved gave me a lot of info on badgers on the site in question.
THAT gave me ammunition.
I was polite for as long as possible but the council ignoring things I posted on all my blogs and social media, emailed and poked DEFRA, Natural England, and more for two weeks -even threatening exposure of the auction house (who claimed it was a Bristol company auctioning the site) trying to sell land illegally by not declaring badger setts.
I literally spammed several of the City Councillors who were involved with legalities and I posted here previously my "no more warnings" email to them.
Basically a couple weeks of morning until...morning and despite Chris Packham being seemingly uninterested (again) I tried everything.
I am now told that the auction is off. A little bird at the Council tells me I am a very unliked dirty word now. My big bow out fight back.
I am now awaiting the kick back ("they are going to be causing problems") as BCC do not like me and just lost £400K
Never EVER wait until it is too late to contact someone to help take action but if you do reach out you better make bloody sure you share the information you have.
Thursday, 9 October 2025
Is The Truth Really THAT Threatening To Zoological Dogma?
The documented evidence along with full references as to the Old British foxes and Old British wild cats along with photographic evidence (added to on this blog) is contained in the 2022 Red Papers. Interestingly, 'experts' have rejected offers to send them copies which seems very unscientific since we are all supposed to be studying the environmental and other factors from the loss of native species.
I have written articles summarising the work of the last 50 years -rejected out of hand. I suppose this is a case of "How dare you submit an article -you are not with a university or college!"
DNA labs have all greeted by proposal to carry out DNA work on the Old fox and wild cat species held at the Extinct Fox and Wild Cats Museum -which I can think of at least three angles for t technical papers - all ignored.
"Citizen Science" is another term for "You lot do all the work and we'll take the credit as the professionals".
DNA testing could reveal the long lost species that were not just living in Ireland and Britain after the Doggerbank submergence but also lived in Western Europe. That would, of course, smash dogma and rather than jump in and embrace any discovery (again, there are papers and possible funding in that) the attitude seems to be "If we ignore it and just keep pushing dogma our jobs will be safe".
Is Sabine Hossenfelder correct and science just can't be bothered and simply turn out nonsense papers -in zoology as in physics?
Is carrying out DNA work and studying the data that terrifying. Will it hit that many egos and challenge zoology and natural history and its dogma? It seems so.
I Am Definitely NOT Funded So It Is All Unpaid Work
Thing is that apart from one photograph of a badger killed by a car I have not provided with a layout map showing where the setts are and position of the fence to be erected or even distance from fence to badger setts. I have not been sent photos or video evidence of badgers there. It was only just over a week or so that anyone told me about the situation....a bit late in the day.
I have contacted BCC over the matter twice and they refused to respond which is the modern way of denying having been told anything.
I contacted the Badger Watch who told me what I already know and they offer no support in these cases.
I let Natural England know.
I let DEFRA know.
The fact is that to actually do anything I need vital information and:
- A map of where the nearest sett is to proposed construction and distance from construction.
- Photographs of the setts in question
- Photographs/video footage of badgers active near the setts to prove that they are still active.
- Copies of any communications with the council, local MP and Councillor along with their responses.
- Copies of emails/correspondence with the persons/company planning to authorise construction and
- Any communications with the actual construction company -in this case if they are told that they are breaking a law and too close to a badger sett they have to stop work especially if presented with evidence of badger setts. If all that is done and they begin construction the police must be contacted on 111 and informed of a wildlife crime taking place. While awaiting their attendance continue filming or photographing the work going on.
Any group wanting to protect badger setts from planned building or development need to bear all of this in mind and it really does come down to locals gathering the evidence because we know that BCC whether Labour or Green run do lie and the lying is blatantly obvious.
I should point out that other long term badger sites in Bristol are under threat and I am trying to deal with that but I am one person and definitely not funded (as my critic claimed).
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