It's A Fox...They Say

  I have mentioned the fact that the Study has a huge photo data base and that includes of taxidermy since we are not funded we cannot afford to buy specimens that are of extreme interest.  If you read The Red Paper: Canids (very few have) you would have seen the masks (mounted heads of foxes) of supposed "foxes" released and killed by hunts that were anything other than foxes. Jackals, coyotes, wolves et al were all kept and released to hunt -newspapers of the 19th Century feature many news reports and features on jackal hunts.

Some taxidermies we traced but new owners refused to cooperate in a study. However, it was quite obvious that certain 'fox' masks were either mistakenly labelled by hunts which is not likely, or they were just called this by antique dealers -another group that constantly refuses to cooperate in any way. Many of the plaques/shields do NOT say "fox" but just give the duration of the hunt (the important part to them) and start-end locations.

I have noted before that experts in wolves and coyotes clearly identified masks as such but when they asked where the masks originated from and "England" was given most started spluttering and trying to back-track. Why? Who knows.

Take this one: "Vale of Clifttwr Hunt June 1963 "

The Vale of Clettwr (also spelled Cletwr) is a rural geographic area located in Mid Wales primarily within the county of Ceredigion.  It stretches across a lush, hilly region between the towns of Lampeter, Llandysul, and Tregaron, roughly following the path of the Afon Clettwr river.

Chunkiest 'fox' I have seen. What do you think?

(c)2026 British Fox and Wild Canid Study

The Old and The New Fox: Comparisons

 New Fox refers to the thousands of foxes imported into England from Europe each year from (at lest) the late 16th century on. Even though they,too, faced extinction events from hunting. The descendants are the "native fox" we see today.

Points to note:

1 The back of the ears are black

2  The muzzle is longer and pointed and has a clear black "tear stain"

3  The legs end in black "socks"

4  The underside is white but grey is also common these days -as are grey coats which indicate melanism.

5  The tail can end in a white or black tip and very light/white underside as well as dark grey can be found.

6  The coat varies from "cherry red", orange, a brownish and a darker "salt and pepper" colour (indicating melanism). White and black foxes are also noted showing a mix of descendents of imported foxes from around Europe.

7 When it comes to height I have recorded foxes standing at 13-14 inches (33.2 to 35.56 cms). Domestic cats have been measured at the same size and foxes, like pet cats, can very in size from small 11 inches (27.94 cms) or 9 inches (22.86).

Old Fox refers to the true fox of the British isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) that were stranded here after the sinking of Doggerland (estimates 8-12000 years ago). Pictorial evidence from history indicates that this type was also in Western Europe which makes logical sense.  There were three variations (not different species as argued back and forth in the 19th century):

The Mountain/Greyhound fox was the largest and seems to have filled the niche that coyotes in the United States and jackals elsewhere fill. 

The Hill or Mastiff fox which was of "muscular, robust" build but not quite as tall as the previous mentioned fox. It lived on hills and valleys.

The Common or Cur fox was the smallest and lived around/near human habitation where food would have been far more plentiful for them.

Whether these were the species Vulpes we do not know as that would require DNA work which as volunteers we cannot afford.

1  back of ears brown

2  No black "tear stain" but slight brownish colouring

3  Underside is dark and not white or grey

4  "socks" are brown in colour when found

5   coat is brown. We do know from taxidermy examples that Old type foxes could be found with white-yellowish white fur but there are no references to melanism. This fox was killed at a time of spring molting and there are some indications in text sources that mountain/greyhound foxes could look bulky and have much whiter fur during winter. Normally, as found by my colleague LM, the Old fox had a brindle look to its fur.

6  Tail was a uniform brown and occasionally white tips were reported but in other cases no tip colour.

7 The jaw seems shorter and quite distinctive -there is also something about the setting of the eyes and face shape that is noticeable.

Re Height: These mountain/greyhound foxes were large and this is always noted in old accounts.  It was stated by Colquhoun that this was a perfect example of a mountain fox. Others agree on this which shows why these were hunted  as they would also put up a fight at the end. An adult coyote taxidermy was placed in front of this fox but the coyote had to be raised up slightly for the photograph. The fox was still a head taller than the coyote!

New and Old Foxes side-by-side comparison

As Colquhoun had been killing foxes all of his life this one he chased and shot between 1834-1836 (the full account is given in The Red Paper 2022 Canids) was what he considered to be a perfect example of a mountain fox and others agreed on that matter. Here we see rather patchy fur but this is because the fox was killed during spring molt -Colquhoun notes removing his jacket as it was warm so the lighter colour could be a winter coat or there may have been variations, although it could just be bad recording by 'sportsmen'. Take for instance this 19th century fox killed in Chechia which resembles the Colquhoun fox and shows that it was an Old Western European fox surviving longer than they did in the UK. 

We have gathered enough documentary evidence as well as taxidermy examples, or photographs of taxidermy examples along with historical images to show that the Old foxes did exist but were just ignored as dogma was taught and passed along and we can pinpoint that dogma as having started around - / + 1900.   

We need to learn the lessons from the past and look at collections in the UK (museums say they have nothing pre 1900) and Europe so that we can document this lost species and also look at whether the Old fox had three distinct types in Western Europe or whether those were unique to the British Isles.

Above all else: we need DNA work.

(c)2025 Terry Hooper

Sadly, in the UK, No one Has Learnt

 Apart from a while living in Germany I was born and raised in Bristol. From an early age I had an interest in wildlife from the smallest insect to the largest mammal. I think it amused my gran when I used to pick up worms from her garden in St Werburgh's and just hold and examine them.

St Werburgh's was great as we lived in Sevier Street with the brook and Mina Road Park to our rear. The odd owl landing on the window sill at night was "fun" (huge glowing eyes outside the window); I interacted with a pretty smart jackdaw and even observed a large caterpillar that after all of these years (I was about 10 years old at the time) I have never been able to identify what species it was.

In 1975 whilst walking to work down Pennywell Road I saw by first fox out in the daylight (it was around 0630) -not far behind it was a pursuer: a chunky black and white tom cat that looked determined to teach "that damned dog" a lesson for coming into its area. A year later I set up the British Fox Study here in Bristol. I also looked into wild cats and badgers. In 1977 I was rather accidentally drawn into exotic animals and spent 1977-2018 acting as a UK police forces wildlife consultant (and later as part of the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime -PAWS).

Yes, I did get interviewed in newspapers 9national and regional) and even on local, national and non UK (Australia and Forces Radio Europe) on my work.

So I started out all those decades ago and tried as best I could to avoid publiciity while I also helped people build wildlife pounds, remove the odd adder that had wandered into their garden and tried to persuade local authorities (Conservative, Labour and currently the very non Greens) to help do more for the environment and help conserve our rapidly dwindling wildlife.

I had the first ever post mortem study into fox deaths set up in Bristol which yielded some interesting results. Outside the UK I am known for my research on canids and felids -particularly extinct ones and I managed to identify which fox inhabited Hong Kong before hunting drove it extinct -something naturalists there had been unable to do.

In 2000 I wrote a paper that clearly stated there WAS a genuine Corsican wild cat (aka "fox-cat") -science caught up with me about five years ago!

I have researched and discovered what the original British fox looked like as well as the wild cat -al archived and published for posterity.

British academia's response? "You aren't with a university are you?" which is their way of saying "you ain't part of the club". Far more interest outside the UK.

The question I keep getting asked by people who wonder WHY I still do all of this with no financial reward or official recognition (I liked it when someone pointed out that a lady who was a public toilet attendant for 30 years got an MBE for her work but "You just get tones of ------ thrown at you!" -it stops any ego developing)

From the 1970s when things were bleak -the Energy Crisis and power cuts- to the 1980s when people seemed to be trying to at least do something to save the environment and wildlife we have seen, since the late 1990s, a downward spiral of not many caring about all of the UK species going extinct, all the trees being cut down and Green Spaces grabbed for selling off.

Local authorities and national governments all have the same mantra: "**** wildlife and the environment -there is money to be made!"

When I am gone very few are going to even know about the work I have done. The UK as a whole doers not care what is going on outside of TV or on the internet. Otters, badgers, foxes and deer are all piling up on the roadside (former wildlife track) but build under or over passes for wildlife to cross? No. That would cost money -it's just wildlife after all.

Red Paper 2025: Wild Menagerie -Britain's New Native Species

 Please Note that the price of this book is currently set at a low price but will increase to £20 at the end of March 2026

96 Pages

Print Book: A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm), 

Standard Color, 60# White — Uncoated, Paperback 

Perfect Bound, Glossy Cover

Price:£12.00 GBP

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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.

The Red Paper 2022 Volume II: Wild Cats, Feral and New Native Species

 Set cover price increase later in March 2026

226 pp

Paperback

Interior Color and Black and white

Dimensions  A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm)

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£25.00

In 1896 Scottish naturalists and zoologists declared that the true Scottish wild cat had become extinct by the 1860s. What we see today is nothing more than a wild tabby cat. In this work the true history and destruction of wild cats from England, Wales (where hybrids clung on into the 1940s) and Scotland is explored and after decades of research the true look of the wild cat is revealed. The "English Tiger" and "Highland Tiger" truly lived up to that name.

Dogma is finally thrown out.

There is also a look at the "New Native Cats" ranging from Asian Golden Cats, Lynx, Puma and others and the evidence leading to their being so designated.

No silly press or media stories just solid facts backed up by evidence.

The author acted as an exotic species wildlife consultant to UK police forces from 1977-2015 as well as cooperated with university projects on the subject.

Island cats as well as feral cats their lifestyles and problems mare also covered .

Fully referenced and including maps, illustrations and very rare photographs -some never before seen in print- make this a book for amateur naturalists and zoologists.

The Red Paper 2022 Volume I: Foxes, Jackals, Wolves, Coyotes and Wild Dogs of the United Kingdom and Ireland

 Over 45 years of ongoing research the cover price has been kept low but will increase later this month to £30

361 pp

Paperback

Interior Color & Black and white

Dimensions A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm

£25.00

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 When the Doggerland bridge flooded the British Isles became separated from

Continental Europe and its wildlife developed uniquely. The British Isles, for the purpose of this work includes Ireland, and isolated the wolves on both became what would be island species not affected by the usual island dwarfism. These wolves, after millennia. Became “unwanted” and forests and woodland was burnt down or cut down for the specific purpose of lupicide; the killing of every and any wolf –and there was a bounty for “a job well done”.

At the same time there also developed three unique island species of Old fox from the coyote-like Mountain or Greyhound fox, the slightly smaller but robustly built Mastiff or Bulldog fox and the smaller Common or Cur fox –the latter like today’s red foxes had a symbiotic relationship with humans.

These canids were mainly ignored until it was decided that they could provide fur and meat and those things earn money. From that point onward, especially after all other game had been killed off, the fox faced what writers over the centuries referred to as vulpicide –extermination through bounties paid, trapping or hunting and despite all the hunters noting that the Old foxes were nearing extinction they continued to hunt until by the late 1880s the Old were gone and replaced by the New –foxes imported by the thousands every year for the ‘sport’ of fox hunting and this importation also led the the UK seeing the appearance of mange (unknown before the importations).

The travelling British sportsmen went coyote, wolf and jackal hunting and on returning to England wanted to bring a taste of this to “the good old country”. Wolves, jackals and coyotes were set up in hunting territories from where they could learn the lay of the land and provide good sport later. Some hunts even attempted to cross-breed foxes, jackals and Coyotes.

Then there were the legendary –almost mythical– “beasts”; the black beast of Edale, the killer canids of Cavan and the “girt dog” of Ennerdale.

In more recent times raccoon dogs and arctic foxes have appeared in the UK; some released for ‘sport’ while others are exotic escapees long since established in the countryside.

If you thought you knew what fox hunting was about prepare to be woken up by a sharp slap to the face and the reality that, by admissions of hunts themselves, this was all about fun and sport and nothing to do with “pest control”.

Swedish Wolves