Fox cruelty in Rotherhithe

I've just posted this story on Recent News page the Friends of Russia Dock Woodland website and thought that it might be of interest to other Rotherhithe residents who don't visit that website. It is most unpleasent reading.

I really hate to report on something so horrific, but the facts of the matter do need to be communicated to the public so that we can all keep a sharp eye out on behalf of our local wildlife. Steve Cornish (Chair of the Friends of Russia Dock Woodland) has had the Wildlife Crime Officer down in the Woodlands this week and he agrees that this should be made public information.

Steve rang me last week and told me a terrible story about the torture of a fox in the Russia Dock Woodland. This is not hearsay - it was observed and has been photographed. A fox was found shackled in the undergrowth next to Lavender Pond. Local residents could hear the chain jangling for days on end but couldn't work out where the noise was coming from. Then it must have unshackled itself and was seen by a local resident in her garden with the chain hanging from its leg (the resident took the photo). She then called the Fox Project who contacted their local volunteer. She took four hours to find the fox which was shackled to the ground unable to move and in distress. She stated to the Wildlife Crime Officer that "the other end of the chain was buried into the ground and the earth replaced so that it couldn’t move. They had to dig down deep to remove the chain. The (fox cub vixen) was taken to the Fox Project headquarters in Tonbridge where they managed to save the foxes leg and released it into a woodland in Kent. A good ending to an horrific story.

I haven’t posted the photographs on this page in case children stumble across this page. You can, however, download a photo of the fox chained, with the chain pierced through its Achilles tendon by clicking here. It is not a pretty sight, but it happened and we need to be aware so that we are alert to other situations which might arise.

The recent articles in Southwark News and Sky News have highlighted other problems about foxes being trapped for the purposes of dog fighting. Whilst the dog fighting has not been confirmed independently, the capture of foxes recently has been witnessed. If you see anything that might be a problem please call the RSPCA Cruelty Line Cruelty line: 0300 1234 999.