It is surprising how things can change quickly. It is also surprising how things come togethr on a case months later. On the 20th August, 2021 I was informed that two foxes looking to be in a good condition were found dead. The photographs sent caused concern because of the way they had been postioned and the tail angle looked as though they had been carried by them and placed.
I contacted Bristol City Council as they had stated they would cooperate with me on carcass collection. They said that they would get back to me but I had some concerns and so Zoe Webber and animal rescuer who collects dead foxes along with Emily Finnegan, drove to the site.
The carcasses were gone. She checked bins but there was no sign. we assumed that as this was a busy road a taxidermist had spotted and grabbed them. The evidence was gone.
Oddly, I was told by a local that the council had picked up the foxes. So they were safe and ready to be submitted for examination. Bristol City Council denied having collected the carcasses but I wondered whether the details had not been forwarded yet so contacted the head of the Street Cleaning team: "Oh yes. Got them. I'll go and check on them and get back to you".
Excellent.
You might think. The only response I got from BCC was "Its all road traffic accidents" in a very blunt "**** you" way. I politely responded but from that day on Bristol City Council refused to respondto emails.
One other fox carcass was stored at a council waste centre and marked "Not for Removal". On arriving the carcass was searched for and the manager was adamant that it was clearly marked -but it was gone. We were told there is no scheduling so different people turn up at any time unannounced so one of them might have taken it. This now sounds very suspicious.
I was asked my the member of one FB group whether I had gotten the two foxes from the council and what were the tesrt results? I explained what had happened and he responded that he had parked up to take photos of the foxes to send to me but the council workers were removing them.
Bristol Vegan group were today asked by a member if they had any information on foxes in Bristol to help the study. This comment was a slap in the face:
"I witnessed two foxes being picked up at the passage road and Brentry lane intersection by council staff this year. Just by a bus stop. They told me they often pick them up in that area. No obvious wounds. They were laid together, as in placed there, not crawled there after being hit. Very healthy looking, no mange. "
My mind was telling me "it can't be?" but this case was not reported on in great detail. I contacted Zoe and asked here what she thought and here response was that these were out two vanished foxes.
"they often pick them up in that area" is true. Emily had been called to a property just around the corner from where these two foxes were found; sadly the foxes were too far gone but it was another pair together.
We know that certain cases have been viewed as suspicious because of post mortem results. Yesterday we were alerted to another good condition fox that was seen to falter, fit and die in a school play area. And today a search was carried out for another fox that was familiar to a feeder that exhibited symptoms we noted before but it appears to have gone offto die somewhere.
Since June this is over 30 deaths in unusual circumstances. People in Bristol -Clifton and elsewhere where foxes were known and regular visitors- have noted the fox population declining. Foxes are just not being seen.
Bristol City Council is currently taking a pounding due to its fake environmental credentials and wanting to destroy old habitat and green space for housing. Its contractors have also destroyed fox and badger dens despite locals drawing their attention to these.
we are awaiting the new post mortem but one might expect "a few" foxes to die of secondary rodenticide poisoning but we are now talking very high numbers and the concern is (a concern I have ignored because no one has come up with solid evidence) that Bristol City Council is targetting foxes despite its policy of no fox control.
This might explain why the interest was initially shown by the Council to assist but as soon as they learnt we were suspecting rat poison was to blame they put the block on any assistance. I keep all my emails and the ones on this matter were shared witha research group to show what was going on.
Now we wait.
