Urban foxes 'dumped' in Wales

Country foxes are more wary of humans than urban ones

Urban foxes are being collected from towns and cities in England and dumped in rural Wales, an MP claims.

Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant claims the foxes - which have little fear of humans - then savage farm animals and pets.

"These misguided do-gooders have little perception of the damage they do to the livelihood and to the livestock which they slaughter," he said.

He plans to ask Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett what can be done.

The Conservative MP said he learned what was happening while in Snowdonia, north Wales.

"Nothing is more upsetting than seeing sheep bleeding to death after being savaged by these imported foxes," he said.

"Farmers tell me they are shooting and snaring an abnormal number of foxes in recent days."

Mr Nick Smyth of Pentre Bach, Llwyngwril, near Dolgellau, was so appalled at an incident he was told of that he wrote to his local newspaper.

"A van in a motorway car park was found by acquaintances of ours to be full of urban foxes," he said.

More foxes shot

"When questioned, the driver stated that the animals were being taken to a remote part of the country, where no-one lived and no-one - in London presumably - had ever heard of, where he said they would do no harm.

"The driver could not pronounce the name of our village."

Mr Smyth said that farmers had shot more foxes than usual recently - as many as 118 in three months.

"How would these people like to come down in the morning and find their pets in a bloody mess on their front lawns?" he asked.

"This situation is confronted by almost every stock farmer in the country at some time and, in this part of the world, very frequently.

"Somehow the ignorance of these town-dwellers and misguided do-gooders has got to be dispelled."