A scene of absolute horror at KILLruddery House and Gardens, in Bray, County Wicklow - the rotting remains of foxes and cubs who were shot on the grounds and dumped alongside a large pile of fox skulls.

In a front page exposé this week, the Bray People outlines that it obtained photos showing "a macabre collection of fox carcasses on the estate, including what was described as a mound of skulls at the base of a tree". The sickening scene was discovered by locals who walk in the area and they noted that some of the foxes were badly decomposed, while others appeared to have been killed more recently.

Killruddery is a privately owned estate, and has been home to the Brabazon family since the 1600s. It is open to the public through entrance fees and annual membership passes. It is a venue for festivals and weddings and has hosted RTÉ's Ireland’s Fittest Family programme and the Hell & Back endurance race.

According to the Bray People report: "Those who made the discovery said it was first noticed after detecting a strong, foul smell. The animals were found within relatively short distances of locations used for public events, including Ireland’s Fittest Family, and near footpaths used by members of the public. While the culling of foxes is legal in Ireland under certain circumstances, particularly in the protection of livestock or game birds, those who brought the issue to The Bray People’s attention said they were taken aback by what they described as the scale of the killings. The area where the foxes were found is approximately a 30-minute walk from the main car park, but is accessible via established paths throughout the estate. Obstacles associated with the Hell & Back course are visible nearby, as is a section of terrain recognisable from Ireland’s Fittest Family." https://www.independent.ie/county/wicklow/shock-as-fox-carcasses-and-mound-of-skulls-found-near-killruddery-house-public-trails-in-wicklow/a/152014463.html

One of the individuals who witnesses the disgusting scene was quoted as saying: “Once there, the first thing to notice are the two dead foxes, half-decomposed, lying next to older, greying carcasses, almost indistinguishable from the leaves and tangle of growth you would expect on a forest floor. A closer look reveals what they are – fox carcasses, surrounded by bones of all sizes."

The pile of fox skulls was described in the report as "the worst sight", with one of those who saw it saying it was "deeply unsettling".

Another added: “Families come here, and they want to see this as a kind of a thriving environment for wildlife and so on. It’s just not going to go down well.”

When asked about wildlife management at the estate,  Anthony Brabazon of Killruddery House and Gardens told the Bray People: “Killruddery is a working estate as well as a place of public access, and we take our responsibilities around wildlife, biodiversity, animal welfare and visitor safety seriously. The estate is under significant predator pressure, particularly from foxes. This is a well-recognised issue in peri-urban and suburban areas, where fox densities can be many times higher than in rural landscapes (10 to 30). Predator control does take place where necessary, and any shooting is carried out at night, when the estate is closed to visitors. Our current procedure is that the locations of any fox carcasses are relayed to estate workers for collection in daylight. It appears that, in some cases, this has not happened early enough in the morning, and we accept that this is not satisfactory. We are tightening this procedure to ensure carcasses are located and removed promptly before public access areas are in use."

There was no mention of the recreational pheasant shooting at Killruddery estate. At estates where bird shoots take place, foxes are typically shot dead to prevent them from preying on the pheasants who are later shot out of the sky for fun by shooting parties.

The Killruddery website states: "Our farm consists of 800 acres of biodiverse landscape, comprising ancient forest, pine woods, grassland, mountain, scrubland and tillage fields. We keep cows, pigs, chickens and sheep. We rear pheasants for a shoot..."

A website section dealing with "annual Killruddery Membership" tells visitors that "there is strictly no access to the farm roads on Wednesdays and Saturdays from the beginning of November to 15th February during the shoot."

Reacting to the "grim  discovery", Biodiversity Bray on Facebook noted that "pheasants - a non native species -  is plentiful on the estate" and that "people pay to shoot pheasants as a recreational activity." https://www.facebook.com/biodiversitybrayofficial/posts/a-disturbing-but-unsurprising-article-in-this-weeks-bray-people-regarding-the-sh/1024703286564052/

Pointing out that "the number of foxes in an area is determined by the availability of food - in this case - pheasants," it questioned if the release of pheasants for shooters is "making a contribution to an excess fox population".

Biodiversity Bray condemned the "at least 100 fox skulls, neatly stacked against the hollow of a tree, like a macabre trophy cabinet" as "an outrageous and vile insult to the native Irish fox"

ACTION ALERT

BOYCOTT KILLruddery House and Gardens until it stops hosting bird shoots and stops the mass killing of foxes, a native species which is part of the natural biodiversity of Ireland and plays an important role in the ecosystem.

Killruddery House and Gardens
Southern Cross, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
Tel: 01 286 3405 / +353 1 286 3405
Email: info@killruddery.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killruddery/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Killruddery
X: https://twitter.com/killruddery