The Geneva Fox Protocol (2019)
The Geneva Fox Protocol is the principal bilateral agreement governing fox-human relations in the United Kingdom. It was negotiated over 9 months across three locations: Bristol, Bath, and a shed in Leamington Spa.
The foxes insisted on the shed. The humans agreed because the foxes had, at that point, “made their position on negotiations quite clear.”
Background
Negotiations began in January 2019, building on the foundations established by the Bristol Bin Night Accords earlier that year. The process was conducted across three venues, each selected for its symbolic importance to one or both parties.
Bristol was chosen as the primary venue in recognition of its status as the birthplace of modern fox-human diplomacy. Bath was selected for its neutrality — the city had no outstanding fox-related incidents at the time, a distinction it has since lost. The shed in Leamington Spa was not selected by the humans.
Talks were conducted through a combination of formal plenary sessions, working groups, and what the minutes describe as “extended periods of mutual staring.” The human delegation numbered 14. The fox delegation's exact number was never confirmed, although at least 6 distinct foxes were identified and one animal that may have been a very confident dog.
The negotiation process was almost derailed by what participants describe as “the cheese incident” during the third round of negotiations. No further details are available. The subject has been raised at every subsequent review meeting and has been struck from the minutes each time.
Key provisions
Article 1: Sovereignty
Under Article 1, foxes acknowledge human ownership of bins but maintain “traditional access rights.” Humans acknowledge that foxes “will probably get into the bins anyway.”
The article represents what diplomats describe as “the most honest clause in British wildlife treaty history.” Both parties reportedly agreed to the wording within minutes, making it the fastest-resolved provision of the entire Protocol.
Article 2: Noise regulations
Article 2 limits screaming to between 11pm and 2am on school nights, with extended hours until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. The Protocol includes special dispensation for January, which the foxes describe as “their month.”
The human delegation initially proposed a 10pm curfew. The foxes responded by screaming at 10:03pm. The curfew was revised to 11pm. The foxes have never acknowledged this as a concession.
Enforcement of Article 2 rests with individual householders, who are advised to “close the window and accept that some things are beyond the reach of legislation.”
Article 3: Territory
Under Article 3, garden boundaries are respected. A fox may pass through your garden. A fox may sit in your garden. A fox may assess your garden. A fox may not establish a permanent structure in your garden, although a fox in Stratford-upon-Avon has challenged this provision and the matter is under review.
The Stratford-upon-Avon fox, who has constructed what the Corps describes as “a loosely defined earthwork” in a flower bed on Willow Road, contends that the structure is temporary. The homeowner contends that it has been there since August 2023. The Corps has visited the site three times and has declined to issue a ruling on each occasion, citing “the complexity of the issue and the intensity of the fox's eye contact.”
Article 4: Waste management
Both parties agree that “waste is a shared responsibility.” Foxes agree to “attempt neatness.” Humans agree to “stop buying bins that foxes can open, given that this has not worked as a deterrent even once.”
The article further stipulates that “waste dispersed during the course of legitimate foraging activity shall not constitute littering,” a clause that the fox delegation insisted upon and the human delegation agreed to after seeing the alternative wording.
Article 5: Dispute resolution
Disputes are mediated by the Urban Fox Diplomatic Corps. Both parties agree to abide by the Corps' decisions, except when they don't, which is often.
The dispute resolution process operates on a three-tier model: informal mediation, formal mediation, and “whatever happens after formal mediation fails,” which the Protocol does not define. To date, no dispute has progressed beyond the second tier. The Corps has described this as “a testament to the process.” Others have described it as “a testament to the foxes' refusal to engage with tier three.”
Article 6: The Cat Clause
Cats are not party to this agreement. Cats were not consulted. Cats do not recognise this agreement. The foxes have described the cats' position as “entirely predictable.”
Article 6 was added at the request of the fox delegation, who stated that they “did not want any confusion about where cats stand on this.” When pressed on where cats do stand, the fox delegation declined to comment further. A representative of the cat community was not available for comment. A representative of the cat community is never available for comment.
The human delegation initially questioned the necessity of Article 6, noting that no cats had been involved in the negotiations. The fox delegation reportedly stared at the human delegation until the article was approved.
Article 7: Review
The Protocol is reviewed annually. The most recent review took place in a community centre in Bath. Minutes are available on request but are “mostly screaming.”
The review process requires both parties to send delegates, assess the previous year's compliance, and agree on amendments. In practice, the human delegation presents a written report, the fox delegation presents “a series of behaviours that the Corps is required to interpret as a response,” and both parties agree that the Protocol is “broadly working, in the sense that nothing has got significantly worse.”
The next scheduled review will take place in Leamington Spa. The shed has been reserved.
Addendum
The Protocol was almost derailed by what participants describe as “the cheese incident” during the third round of negotiations. No further details are available. The cheese is not discussed. Minutes from the relevant session have been sealed for 50 years. The lead human negotiator has described the incident as “the single greatest threat to inter-species diplomacy I have witnessed.” The lead fox negotiator has described it as “Tuesday.”