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1 comment
Folks, I don’t see this as a binary 1 or 0. A little tern or fox. The terns can be protected , as they were last year, with a lot less foxes shot. Just 5 foxes shot. This year provisionally 23. What I would like to know is the final figure ? The project ended some time ago so surely the final number is known. Please BWI tell us the final figure.
Also, the rabbit explosion explanation – I visited the site and spoke to locals. They don’t see this rabbit explosion (they reckon there’s more hares than rabbits in the area) and when you think of it why would there be an explosion in rabbit numbers? What could cause this explosion this year? In fact much of the land is swampy and as pointed out to me if a rabbit digs a burrow it fills with water. I don’t buy in to this explosion in rabbit numbers.
What i do believe is the foxes in the area were shot early on , then other foxes move in to fill the void, they are shot, then more move in etc etc and the slaughter continues. No way could this area contain 23 (likely more) foxes day 1. A quick google will show you this refilling is what happens.
I believe BWI got it very very wrong. Perhaps their hired gunmen were over zealous?
I also see on rte.ie were the Grey Partridge population is on the increase, good news for that project. They have an electric fence that works well against foxes, as it says “the fence doesn’t look the sturdiest contraption at all, but it’s more than enough to deliver a jolt of electricity to the snout of any fox or similar predator that comes snooping around”.
If it works for them, it can work for BWI. Indeed the BWI reply above shows it does work, as they say themselves when they removed it (i do wonder why they dismantled it in the final week when there were still tern fledglings there?) a fox got in.