06 October 2023 , 19:49
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A thug who caught a fox cub in a trap before killing the animal with a poisonous chemical has been sentenced.
Richard Rosen, 65, caught the three-month-old female in the metal trap which was filled with a chemical known as dichloromethane, sometimes used in paint stripper. He placed the trapped animal in a wheelie bin outside his north London home and when he checked half an hour later, found she was still breathing.
He then placed the contraption inside a sealed bag and put it back in the wheelie bin where the young vixen was found dead half an hour later, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard. A concerned neighbour called the RSPCA and Inspector Jack Taylor attended with animal rescue officer (ARO) Nicola Thomas, who found the fox’s body inside a small metal trap.
The bottle containing the chemical found near the bin (RSPCA)Inspector Taylor said: “This was a cruel way for this poor animal to die and could have been completely avoided had the young fox simply been released from the trap. Rosen was advised not to euthanise the fox by a vet when he made an initial call to them to say he had caught a fox in his trap, but still he decided to poison the fox and then slowly let the cub die over a period of an hour or more.”
The court heard how the vet report stated that the “fox pup would likely have been distressed by being closed in the bin as well as the irritant properties of the chemical to the lining of her throat and airways.” It added: “If still conscious when the trap was transferred to the smaller bag this may have caused further fear and distress, and the possibility she died of suffocation rather than due to the chemical. I do not think the actions taken were reasonable.
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“I think release would have been the reasonable response to a fox cub accidentally caught in a trap. Risk of a bite could have been mitigated by wearing gloves or by tipping the trap so the cub was at the bottom and opening from the top.”
The trap was placed inside a wheelie bin (RSPCA)Exposure to the chemical is similar to carbon monoxide poisoning and could involve depression of the central nervous system resulting in lethargy and eye and respiratory tract irritation. High concentrations can cause swelling of the lungs, irregular heartbeat, convulsions, coma and death.
The vet added: “The animal was deliberately placed within an environment containing this chemical agent which would have caused this animal to suffer via mechanisms of eye and respiratory irritation for a period of several minutes, probably longer. In my opinion, the fox would have died as a consequence of suffocation either as a direct effect of being placed within a seal bag impermeable to air, or as an indirect effect of the chemical agent also placed within that sealed environment. Suffering will have been caused via mechanisms of fear, respiratory distress and restriction of normal breathing for a period of several minutes, possibly longer.”
Sentencing Rosen to a conditional discharge of 12 months, as well as paying costs of £12,000 and a further £3,879 in central funds, Judge Denis Brennan said: “There is ample evidence here the fox cub was caused unnecessary suffering by the combination of inhalation of dichloromethane in the confined space of the closed wheelie bin and suffocation within the bag within the bin. It was clearly in the bin for at least 40 minutes before being wrapped up in the builder’s bag. It did not die instantaneously … and would have suffered due to the effects of the chemical and the lack of oxygen.”