WIRRAL'S ranger service is on alert amid fears that a gang of wildlife hunters is on the prowl. Van loads of men with packs of lurchers have been spotted at the former brickworks in Moreton. Witnesses watched them as they swept on to the land in Hoylake Road, where they were thought to have been badger baiting or fox hunting. The land is home to a number of fox dens on the site and young cubs were seen earlier in the year. The ranger alert has been sounded in case the gang turn up on parkland in the borough. Malcolm Ingham, wildlife officer for the ranger service, fears it marks a worrying return of a trend they hoped had been almost eradicated. He said: "It sounds very suspicious. Five vans were seen at the site filled with men and hunting dogs. "We believe they were there for fox hunting or badger baiting. "They are sick-minded individuals that like to cause suffering to animals. Wirral used to be hammered by badger diggers and illegal hunters. "It was all too common a few years ago, but it waned after some high-profile prosecutions. "We rely on people who see anything suspicious to contact us or the police so we can put a stop to it." Two years ago a gang of men were jailed for six weeks for the "deliberate, cruel and vicious" hunting of badgers in the borough. The three men were found guilty of badger digging on farmland in Heswall. They had used sophisticated electronic scanning equipment, known as ferret finders, to track dogs underground as they hunted the animals. Coun Chris Blakeley, who alerted the rangers after a call from a member of the public, said: "Unfortunately nobody was caught on this occasion, however a very clear message needs to be sent to these people. "This sort of activity will not be tolerated in Wirral and anybody caught will face the full force of the law. In 2002 badger baiters in Heswall were jailed for this type of offence." Registration numbers of the vans have been passed on to the police for investigation. | 
News RSS Feed