Fox shot by Sussex County Cricket Club (From The Argus)
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Fox shot by Sussex County Cricket Club
1:00pm Tuesday 13th April 2010 in News By Emily-Ann Elliott
A marksman was hired to shoot a fox at a cricket ground.
Residents living near Sussex County Cricket Club in Eaton Road, Hove, called police after hearing shots in the early hours of Sunday.
Officers later told them that a licensed gun was being used to exterminate foxes.
Club bosses said they had called in a pest control expert after persistent problems with one fox.
But animal lovers have reacted with anger at the killing.
Nigel Furness, 60, was at The Sussex Cricketer pub in Hove when he heard three shots just after midnight.
He said: “I thought, ‘there’s something wrong here, what on earth is going on?’ “It’s a big open space so it can be quite creepy at night.
“Then about five minutes later a police car came up. I asked the officers what was going on and they said there’s nothing to worry about, the cricket club is just shooting foxes and it is all legitimate.
“But there really is no need to shoot foxes. They are completely harmless and destroy a great many pests like slugs and snails and we are absolutely appalled.
“It is also extremely alarming that we were never told what was going on.”
Dave Brooks, the club’s chief executive, said: “We have had foxes frequently on the ground for many years but this particular one over the last few months has started to cause problems by scratching around on covers and acting oddly. It was probably not particularly healthy because of its behaviour.
“We went through all of the different processes we could consider, such as rehousing it, but we were told that we were not allowed to do that, so the only alternative we had left was to have the fox killed by a licensed company.
“We really didn’t want to do it but it was a last resort. We have never had to go to these lengths before and we hope we won’t have to do it again.
“Foxes have been here for many years and I am sure they will continue to be here for many years to come.”
Comments(46)
jbhove
says...
1:27pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Number Six
says...
1:30pm Tue 13 Apr 10
You lost me. Where do the upper class (upper class in Hove? whatever next) come into this
Rostrum
says...
1:30pm Tue 13 Apr 10
They also can't be captured and released into the country side as this may result in prosecution under animal cruelty legislation or the Abandonment of Animals Act.
corruptive
says...
1:39pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Rostrum
says...
1:47pm Tue 13 Apr 10
You seem to be very twisted-up over this.. What would be you solution?
Oh and by the way - Cricket is enjoyed by all types of people all over the world.
sean ellis
says...
1:57pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Number Six
says...
2:00pm Tue 13 Apr 10
corruptive wrote:Logic obviously isn't a big thing on your home planet, is it.
If only a few cricketers could have been shot, then we might have had a bit of justice! But oh no, that's probably against "Health and Safety". Pathetic. Really, is it any wonder we have feral children stabbing each other to death on a daily basis if this is the sort of example Tory-voting cricketers set them!
How does shooting cricketers bring justice? Justice for what, exactly? And where's your evidence that cricketers vote Tory? I personally have no knowledge of any cricketers political views
Security word: blue-mark. Honestly
Spanners
says...
2:06pm Tue 13 Apr 10
voiceofthescoombe
says...
2:25pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Silenced weapons are perfectly legal nobody would be whining
corruptive
says...
2:39pm Tue 13 Apr 10
UglyAmerican
says...
2:51pm Tue 13 Apr 10
corruptive wrote:Think globally, act locally.
Yeah I like the way foxes have devastated our countryside, leaving only about 1% of the land forested, eradicating thousands of miles of hedgerows, planting GM mono-culture crops everywhere, making all kinds of mammals and insects extinct, and generally engaging in agricultural depravity! Good thing humans don't do stuff like this, or we'd be living in an ecologically raped mess that means we have to import most of the food we eat from overseas.
.
If you don't have the nerve to remove yourself completely from the mix, at least get your reproductive organs removed to save the rest of us.
Rostrum
says...
2:54pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Uge
says...
3:02pm Tue 13 Apr 10
corruptive
says...
3:32pm Tue 13 Apr 10
UglyAmerican wrote:Actually I favour gayness as an environmentally sound alternative to breeding :)
corruptive wrote:Think globally, act locally.
Yeah I like the way foxes have devastated our countryside, leaving only about 1% of the land forested, eradicating thousands of miles of hedgerows, planting GM mono-culture crops everywhere, making all kinds of mammals and insects extinct, and generally engaging in agricultural depravity! Good thing humans don't do stuff like this, or we'd be living in an ecologically raped mess that means we have to import most of the food we eat from overseas.
.
If you don't have the nerve to remove yourself completely from the mix, at least get your reproductive organs removed to save the rest of us.
Number Six
says...
3:34pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Uge wrote:I remember that from when I lived around there. Somedays you couldn't move for posh folk carrying 12 bores. All over the place, they were. Now I suppose that they've been replaced by gun hungry drug dealers. Place has gone to the dogs.
Haha!!! Another case of gun hungry posh folk!! Go on the pier and shoot some plastic ducks!!!
salty_pete
says...
3:36pm Tue 13 Apr 10
BringBackGoodGrammar
says...
4:05pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Andre Spooner
says...
4:11pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Thank goodness, I am hardy in battle, and my Mighty Horse is nimble upon his dainty feet. We escaped to slay vulpines another day! Spooner rides again!!
Wow, my security word was "stoat-with-a-gun"!! You couldn't make it up, Argus!
jbhove
says...
4:46pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Number Six
says...
5:09pm Tue 13 Apr 10
jbhove wrote:The article tells you that they tried but weren't allowed
Why wasn't it humanely trapped and transferred to the likes of a wildlife sanctuary?? Why kill it??
KeefyH44
says...
5:23pm Tue 13 Apr 10
salty_pete wrote:Did anyone consider that it's "Odd" behaviour might have been because it was a vixen in cub 'Nesting'? Still seems a bit overkill to me.
Legally I understand that the fox is categorised as vermin. So we are all entitled to kill it any way we please, except with fox hounds. Though you will have to be registered to use a firearm. So we can all poison and gas fox's at will. Just goes to show what a completely bonkers piece of legislation the ban was to stop hunting with hounds, but it did show how spiteful the Nu-Liebour government can be against minorities ie. country folk.
boblat
says...
6:32pm Tue 13 Apr 10
stan bailey
says...
6:59pm Tue 13 Apr 10
jbhove wrote:Actually that would be very cruel, urban foxes are not used to killing rabbits and chickens, they prefer discarded burgers. They are usually more infested with mange and fleas than their rural cousins. they do not generally adjust well to living in the country
Why not just trap the fox and move it out to the country? Why was it killed? Why resort to guns? It seems like a huge over-reaction to a minor problem.
another village idiot
says...
7:46pm Tue 13 Apr 10
TheInsider
says...
8:15pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Managing foxes in this way tends to be ineffective, except for the company taking on the work.
UglyAmerican
says...
9:42pm Tue 13 Apr 10
corruptive wrote:Oh, likely excuse.
UglyAmerican wrote:Actually I favour gayness as an environmentally sound alternative to breeding :)
corruptive wrote:Think globally, act locally.
Yeah I like the way foxes have devastated our countryside, leaving only about 1% of the land forested, eradicating thousands of miles of hedgerows, planting GM mono-culture crops everywhere, making all kinds of mammals and insects extinct, and generally engaging in agricultural depravity! Good thing humans don't do stuff like this, or we'd be living in an ecologically raped mess that means we have to import most of the food we eat from overseas.
.
If you don't have the nerve to remove yourself completely from the mix, at least get your reproductive organs removed to save the rest of us.
.
Say, doesn't that count as agricultural depravity?
micky adams
says...
9:48pm Tue 13 Apr 10
McKenzie
says...
9:51pm Tue 13 Apr 10
Mr. Logical
says...
10:23pm Tue 13 Apr 10
boblat wrote:Are you serious, ever done some gardening??
I'd like to know when SLUGS and SNAILS became a pest. Kinell!
Also referring to the silencer, it wouldn't work for a high powered weapon, the bullet breaks the sound-barrier, a bit difficult to suppress it half way across a field!
And folks, read the whole article before commenting, they tried other options...the only other realistic and uncruel option would be to get it to a sanctuary, whether there is even one open to foxes nearby I don't know, but it was only one fox, I certainly don't have any problem with it being shot.
saveHOVE
says...
11:08pm Tue 13 Apr 10
andsyd
says...
3:27am Wed 14 Apr 10
Tye
says...
7:54am Wed 14 Apr 10
hypocrits one and all!
BringBackGoodGrammar
says...
9:01am Wed 14 Apr 10
tombraider59
says...
11:12am Wed 14 Apr 10
KeefyH44 wrote:Quite right Keefy - we have a number of foxes who visit us regularly and yes, it is the right time for cubs at the moment. I hope this hasn't left lots of little ones starving to death!
salty_pete wrote: Legally I understand that the fox is categorised as vermin. So we are all entitled to kill it any way we please, except with fox hounds. Though you will have to be registered to use a firearm. So we can all poison and gas fox's at will. Just goes to show what a completely bonkers piece of legislation the ban was to stop hunting with hounds, but it did show how spiteful the Nu-Liebour government can be against minorities ie. country folk.Did anyone consider that it's "Odd" behaviour might have been because it was a vixen in cub 'Nesting'? Still seems a bit overkill to me.
BringBackGoodGrammar
says...
12:08pm Wed 14 Apr 10
tombraider59 wrote:I'm sure the badgers will soon make short work of any leftovers ;)
KeefyH44 wrote:Quite right Keefy - we have a number of foxes who visit us regularly and yes, it is the right time for cubs at the moment. I hope this hasn't left lots of little ones starving to death!
salty_pete wrote: Legally I understand that the fox is categorised as vermin. So we are all entitled to kill it any way we please, except with fox hounds. Though you will have to be registered to use a firearm. So we can all poison and gas fox's at will. Just goes to show what a completely bonkers piece of legislation the ban was to stop hunting with hounds, but it did show how spiteful the Nu-Liebour government can be against minorities ie. country folk.Did anyone consider that it's "Odd" behaviour might have been because it was a vixen in cub 'Nesting'? Still seems a bit overkill to me.
compaq1
says...
12:14pm Wed 14 Apr 10
COUNT ME IN FOR THE DEMO AT THE GROUND TOMORROW (THURSDAY)
AND SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB CAN COUNT ME OUT OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP. SHAMEFUL.
Norma Snockers
says...
12:23pm Wed 14 Apr 10
Number Six
says...
1:39pm Wed 14 Apr 10
Nothing like foxy-woxy to bring out the intellectually sterile. I'm surprised no one has used the word "toff". Isn't that the standard cliche?
porkpie
says...
3:59pm Wed 14 Apr 10
Spanners
says...
4:34pm Wed 14 Apr 10
compaq1 wrote:are you for real?! And is there really a demo? Are there that many eco-mentalists and people who can't understand the difference between a pet and a pest out there? I am truly shocked at many of the comments here. If it was a rat, a rabbit or a mouse that had been shot no one would care about it or its babies (sorry very vague potential hypothetical might possibly exist babies). Whats with people and foxes ? Does everyone think Basil Brush and family have been executed without trial? Go demonstrate against something important, or give your time to a worthwhile cause, or learn to play the saxaphone or anything else really. If you are at a demo about this then you seriously need to rethink your prioirites in life.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. AND I'M A SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB FANATIC. AT A TIME WHEN FOXES ARE FEEDING CUBS THIS SORT OF 'RESOLUTION' TO A 'PROBLEM' OF 'COVERS BEING SCRATCHED' IS A DISGRACEFUL OVERREACTION. COUNT ME IN FOR THE DEMO AT THE GROUND TOMORROW (THURSDAY) AND SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB CAN COUNT ME OUT OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP. SHAMEFUL.
Spanners
says...
4:34pm Wed 14 Apr 10
compaq1 wrote:are you for real?! And is there really a demo? Are there that many eco-mentalists and people who can't understand the difference between a pet and a pest out there? I am truly shocked at many of the comments here. If it was a rat, a rabbit or a mouse that had been shot no one would care about it or its babies (sorry very vague potential hypothetical might possibly exist babies). Whats with people and foxes ? Does everyone think Basil Brush and family have been executed without trial? Go demonstrate against something important, or give your time to a worthwhile cause, or learn to play the saxaphone or anything else really. If you are at a demo about this then you seriously need to rethink your prioirites in life.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. AND I'M A SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB FANATIC. AT A TIME WHEN FOXES ARE FEEDING CUBS THIS SORT OF 'RESOLUTION' TO A 'PROBLEM' OF 'COVERS BEING SCRATCHED' IS A DISGRACEFUL OVERREACTION. COUNT ME IN FOR THE DEMO AT THE GROUND TOMORROW (THURSDAY) AND SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB CAN COUNT ME OUT OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP. SHAMEFUL.
Spanners
says...
4:34pm Wed 14 Apr 10
compaq1 wrote:are you for real?! And is there really a demo? Are there that many eco-mentalists and people who can't understand the difference between a pet and a pest out there? I am truly shocked at many of the comments here. If it was a rat, a rabbit or a mouse that had been shot no one would care about it or its babies (sorry very vague potential hypothetical might possibly exist babies). Whats with people and foxes ? Does everyone think Basil Brush and family have been executed without trial? Go demonstrate against something important, or give your time to a worthwhile cause, or learn to play the saxaphone or anything else really. If you are at a demo about this then you seriously need to rethink your prioirites in life.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. AND I'M A SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB FANATIC. AT A TIME WHEN FOXES ARE FEEDING CUBS THIS SORT OF 'RESOLUTION' TO A 'PROBLEM' OF 'COVERS BEING SCRATCHED' IS A DISGRACEFUL OVERREACTION. COUNT ME IN FOR THE DEMO AT THE GROUND TOMORROW (THURSDAY) AND SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB CAN COUNT ME OUT OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP. SHAMEFUL.
BringBackGoodGrammar
says...
7:23pm Wed 14 Apr 10
Spanners wrote:Hear hear Spanners. And i dont see how typing in capitals just to try and make yourself heard is going to do anything else than alienate yourself from the reader compaq1. I would hazard a guess, as this is such a hot topic for you, that you also get the email alerts.............
compaq1 wrote:are you for real?! And is there really a demo? Are there that many eco-mentalists and people who can't understand the difference between a pet and a pest out there? I am truly shocked at many of the comments here. If it was a rat, a rabbit or a mouse that had been shot no one would care about it or its babies (sorry very vague potential hypothetical might possibly exist babies). Whats with people and foxes ? Does everyone think Basil Brush and family have been executed without trial? Go demonstrate against something important, or give your time to a worthwhile cause, or learn to play the saxaphone or anything else really. If you are at a demo about this then you seriously need to rethink your prioirites in life.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. AND I'M A SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB FANATIC. AT A TIME WHEN FOXES ARE FEEDING CUBS THIS SORT OF 'RESOLUTION' TO A 'PROBLEM' OF 'COVERS BEING SCRATCHED' IS A DISGRACEFUL OVERREACTION. COUNT ME IN FOR THE DEMO AT THE GROUND TOMORROW (THURSDAY) AND SUSSEX CRICKET CLUB CAN COUNT ME OUT OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP. SHAMEFUL.
Mr. Logical
says...
7:49pm Wed 14 Apr 10
Baldseagull
says...
8:09pm Fri 16 Apr 10
Mr. Logical wrote:Relatives are advised to wear a bullet proof vest as the pest controller has several rounds left.
The fox will have a wake at the Fox Inn, Horsham on friday at 4pm, relatives are advised to arrive at least half an hour early.
VoodooGangbanger says...
1:16pm Tue 13 Apr 10
dont mistake me for a animal lover I just see this as upper class **** killing animals because they are a nusience and believe they are above the law in doing so.
Security word:Warm Lead.