Warning: Distressing images.
A dead fox has been left outside the home of Chris Packham, the TV presenter has said, linking it to his outspoken views against hunting.
The BBC Springwatch presenter said the body of a male fox found close to his New Forest property showed injuries consistent with being snared, adding in his Twitter post that “unpleasant things happen” when speaking out about bloodsports.
The conservationist referred to recent media reports involving foxes, including traditional Boxing Day hunts with “foxes killed left right and centre”.
He also reminded viewers that prominent lawyer Jolyon Maugham clubbed a fox to death with a baseball bat on Boxing Day.
Packham said CCTV would be reviewed in an attempt to identify the culprit, adding that he had contacted the police.
On Boxing Day, Packham spoke out about a man alleged to be a hunt supporter who was filmed repeatedly using a dead fox to hit a van carrying animal rights activists.
He said: “It seems if you stick up for foxes, you get your comeuppance from people who still think it is a good idea to kill them.
“Wouldn’t it be good if we could just stop this fox hunting once and for all? It’s illegal but it still carries on and when you campaign against it, unpleasant things like this happen.
“Surely it’s time to put the whole thing to bed and move on to a more civilised society in this 21st century we’re living in.”
In April, dead crows were left hanging outside his home after he backed a legal challenge which resulted in a ban on shooting pigeons and other birds.