French Hunters Report Bovine Tuberculosis in a Fox Near Infected Badger Setts

Wildlife health surveillance in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in south-west France, has recorded a notable new finding: a fox has tested positive for Mycobacterium bovis, the bacterium responsible for bovine tuberculosis.

According to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departmental Federation of Hunters, it is the first case detected in this species in the department.

The animal was part of a surveillance operation carried out in Soule. The federation said two foxes were trapped near a badger sett that had already been identified as carrying the bacterium. Laboratory tests confirmed that one of the foxes was infected. The case was later reported by French hunting media including Chasse Passion.

A finding that broadens disease surveillance

The positive result does not, on its own, mean that foxes now play the same role in disease monitoring as other more closely watched species. But it does add an important detail to local surveillance of bovine tuberculosis in wildlife.

In the department, the badger remains one of the key species monitored in connection with bovine TB. What makes this case significant is that the infection was found in an opportunistic species that may enter, occupy or reuse badger setts, creating a plausible route for indirect contact in contaminated areas.

The hunters’ federation noted that similar cases in foxes had already been observed in other departments of south-west France, including Landes, Gironde and Dordogne. The Pyrénées-Atlantiques case is therefore not an isolated occurrence in France, but it is a first for the department and reinforces the need to look beyond the usual cattle-badger framework.

Trappers, hunters and farmers involved

Monitoring of bovine tuberculosis in the department’s wildlife relies on a network of licensed trappers, hunters, farmers, laboratories and public authorities.

The Pyrénées-Atlantiques hunters’ federation said that in 2025, 145 communes were involved in surveillance and sampling operations. That year, 967 badgers were tested, of which 100 were positive. A further 33 foxes and 12 coypus were also tested, with no positive results in those species during that campaign.

Training for licensed trappers is another central part of the programme. According to federation figures, 158 trappers were trained in 2024, including 72 farmers; 178 were trained in 2025, including 107 farmers; and the figure reported so far for 2026 stands at 176, including 111 farmers.

The detection of a positive fox does not automatically change the structure of bovine TB control in the area. It does, however, provide a useful warning for disease management: infection hotspots should not be assessed only through the species that have traditionally received the most attention.

In areas with extensive livestock farming, badger setts, carrion and environmental contact between wildlife and farms, the epidemiological chain may be wider than expected and requires continued surveillance.

Any further epidemiological detail, including the exact municipality, strain identified, date of detection or official risk assessment, should be confirmed with the prefecture, departmental veterinary services or the relevant livestock health authority before publication as definitive information.