A SHOOTING enthusiast says someone might have had a legitimate reason for killing foxes whose bodies were found in a supermarket car park.
But he condemned the dumping of the blood-drenched corpses in a public area.
Ian Braisbell, 45, of Caia Park, Wrexham, has been shooting since he was a boy and owns a number of licensed rifles and shotguns.
He is also a member of a local gun club.
He said: “Since the ban on hunting foxes with dogs was brought in a few years ago the number of foxes has rocketed, in towns as well as in the countryside.
“They are considered to be vermin and therefore it is legitimate to shoot them.
“But this has to be done properly and humanely.”
After the bodies were discovered by shocked shoppers near the recycling area of the Asda car park last Monday, the Leader arranged a post mortem examination by veterinary surgeon Denis Callanan, of Borras Park Vets.
He said he was surprised to find the animals – an adult male with a male and a female both under a year old – had been killed by powerful bullets which expand and splinter on contact.
Mr Callanan said he and colleagues had never seen such small animals slaughtered in this way, with the soft-nosed ammunition shattering the spines of two of the animals and ripping their bodies apart.
But Mr Braisbell claims there is nothing unusual about the way the foxes died.
He said: “If you are going to get rid of foxes the most effective way is to shoot them
with soft-nosed bullets, which kill them very quickly.
“To have this sort of ammunition you need to have a firearms certificate and a legal reason for using it.
“Killing foxes is a legal reason as they are classed as vermin. I doubt very much whether these foxes would have been killed on the Asda car park.
“It seems most likely they were shot elsewhere and then dumped there.
“But that is totally unacceptable to anyone who knows anything about guns and shooting.
“Whoever shot them and then left their bodies there like that should be found and hauled over the coals.
“When you kill a fox out in the countryside you always leave the body where it is so the local farmer can find it.”
He added: “I’ve been shooting virtually all my life but I’m against hunting foxes with hounds.
“However, there are now so many foxes about that something has to be done to control their numbers and shooting is the most humane way.
“So far this year I have shot and killed over 20 of them.
“But dumping their bodies like this puts everyone who shoots in a bad light.”
North Wales Police want to speak to anyone who has information about why the three foxes were killed and then dumped.
If you can help, call PC Eryl Lloyd on 101.