Abandonment of Animals Act 1960
It is an offence
under this Act for a person having control or charge of
an animal to deliberately and without good cause abandon
it permanently or otherwise in circumstances likely to
cause unnecessary suffering.
Because of the
definition of "animal" in this Act, non-domestic animals
which have been taken into captivity are covered by this
legislation.
Therefore, an offence may be committed under section 1
of this Act if a released rehabilitated wild animal does
not have a reasonable chance of survival (i.e. a chance
similar to its non-rehabilitated peers).
This may include
release of foxes at an unsuitable site, in the wrong
territory, unfit, not having learned to hunt, at the
wrong time of year etc.
Whilst advocating both town and country
foxes we realise that fox can and do cause
problems. Problems can range from householders having
their flower beds dug up, foxes fouling on their lawns
and setting up home under garden sheds. More serious
problems can include foxes taking livestock and pets ie
rabbits and Guinea pigs. Hopefully the following will
help resolve many of the problems mentioned and also
allay any concerns regarding health issues.
One of the most common complaint we
receive is from people wanting advice on how to
discourage foxes from fouling on their lawns and digging
up the flower beds.
Renardine - now
banned in the UK
|
Legal Notice regarding the banning of
Renardine: |
|
Renardine was the
only legally permitted chemical deterrent which was
effective against CATS, DOGS, RABBITS, FOXES, MOLES
and BADGERS . As from the 24th March 2006, Renardine
has been banned. Importantly, ALL the approvals for
Renardine have now expired. This means that: |
|
* Renardine can no
longer be advertised for sale. |
|
* Renardine can not
be bought from any shop, wholesaler, mail order,
agricultural supplies merchants, internet or by
private sale. |
|
* Renardine may no
longer be supplied, sold, given away or swapped. |
|
* Renardine may no
longer by used. |
|
* Renardine may no
longer be stored (so any stocks you have must be
disposed of). |
|
RenCoco ( Renardine-
impregnated cocoa shells) has also been banned. |
|
For more information
see the PSD's web site at
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/approvals.asp?id=1567 |
Other ways to discourage foxes from
digging would be to avoid using bone meal around the
garden. When foxes find an abundance of food, rather
than waste it they bury it. When they come across the
smell of bone meal around plants they assume wrongly
that food has been cached so dig down. Also avoid putting food out for birds or
hedgehogs as any food source will be taken readily by
the foxes.
If you suspect that foxes are living under your shed and
you don't want them there these are the steps to take.
Step 1) To ensure foxes are using the underneath of your
shed make sure to locate all the holes. Foxes invariably
have two holes, a front door and a back door if you
like.
Step 2) On discovering all the holes and on the basis
there are two holes get two bundles of rags. Loosely
block both holes with the rags. If the rags haven't
moved for two - three days, you can safely assume that
nothing is going into the hole and nothing is coming
out. It is therefore safe to fill in.
Most vixens will be looking to set up home under a
garden shed possibly in January. This is in preparation
for when she will give birth usually in March. Deterring
the vixen before giving birth to her litter of cubs will
be far kinder and easier than when she has. If you have
a shed in the garden and know foxes frequent your
garden, and you don't like the idea of having a litter
of cubs under the shed, be vigilant in the early part of
the year and look fot any signs of digging around the base of the shed.
