The British Canid Historical Society was established in 2021 by @Terry Hooper / @Foxforum Basil, with the assistance of animal lover and equine expert Louise Sherrington and myself @Hayley de Ronde / @FoxForumAdmin.
The nations foxes are all that is left of our native canid heritage and despite being extensively studied, there remains little understood about their past or their vital role as part of our natural ecology and they remain a target for political sport to this day, influencing how we perceive and manage them.
Our forum aims to provide a platform in which to give a voice to the natural world and to the thousands of foxes who live with human ignorance daily by pushing for change, sharing their natural history and helping to shape a better world.
Forgotten Canids
Uncover our past canid diversity
The British Isles were once home to several canid species including at least three suspected subspecies of fox and the grey wolf. The golden jackal once bounded across our land also, which is recorded in historical texts documenting their importation for the purpose of releasing them for hunting.
While it is known the grey wolf and these introduced species were hunted to extinction, it is not commonly known that the red fox also faced extinction, but their populations were saved from this fate with the importation of foxes from Europe.
The Society aims to hunt down evidence that may suggest these extinct fox genetics still exist in lineages today and to establish at what extent.
Current Canids
Solving the mystery of foreign foxes
Recent research has established that the North American red fox is a divergent form of the European red fox, separated by 400,000 years of isolation. Historical texts document their introduction to the British Isles from at least the nineteenth century for the purposes of repopulation and then again in the twentieth century for the purposes of farming fur.
This new knowledge is important for understanding why there may be an increase of melanism, unusual coat colours and even 'self-domestication' in red foxes in the British Isles today.
The Society aims to identify evidence that suggests these novel genetics may exist in fox populations today and to establish at what extent.
Please help spread the world and join us on Social Media!
@BritishCanids and @britishcanids.co.uk
