THE founder of a wildlife rescue centre has said she is outraged at a parish council’s plans to cull rabbits.
Penny Little, of Great Haseley in South Oxfordshire, is the founder of Little Foxes Wildlife Rescue, and spoke out previously in March 2017 when her parish council culled rabbits on the recreation ground and left some of their carcasses there.
Now she is furious at the council's plans to carry out another cull.
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The new plan was revealed in the minutes of a Great Haseley Parish Council meeting.
A member of the Playing Fields Committee spoke about the proposed rabbit cull at the Recreation Ground, saying that rabbits were doing a great deal of damage, not just to the cricket field but the whole area including around the tennis courts and play area.
They said that the damage could be dangerous for all users.
It was therefore agreed that the Playing Fields Committee would proceed with the latest cull.
Great Haseley playing field
Ms Little, however, is in complete disagreement.
She said: “To claim the rabbits have done a lot of damage is simply ridiculous, there is no justification, it is just plain cruel. Just leave the poor rabbits alone.”
She added: “I am very pro-wildlife, and I am fed up with this attitude we have in the village that nature must be controlled all the time. These days we hear that we must protect nature because it is diminishing rapidly.”
Some villagers support Ms Little, and she has even received an anonymous note through her door which originally alerted her to the planned rabbit cull.
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The note said: “Dear Mrs Little, I have noticed that on the Great Haseley Parish Council’s agenda that the culling of rabbits is up for discussion. this must be stopped we need your help. Many thanks (we are counting on you.)”
The wildlife supporter does not see any reason why the rabbits should be culled and also explained that rabbit populations are managed by predators.
She said: “We live in the countryside. Rabbits live in the countryside, is it actually acceptable that rabbits could be killed because they dig a few scrapes in the ground? Management of rabbit populations can safely be left to the natural predators like foxes and buzzards”.
Rabbit cull at Great Haseley recreation ground in 2017
No date has been released for the cull yet.
Great Haseley Parish Council said: “At its recent meeting, the parish council agreed in principle to a cull of the rabbits at the playing field, in line with its statutory duty to control rabbit numbers on parish council property, and in the light of the damage being caused and the risk to users of the playing field.
“The issue was publicised on the agenda, having been raised by a user of the playing field. No-one spoke against the proposal.
“Any cull will be carried out in line with Government guidelines.”
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