By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-30 13:06:14 | Updated at 2025-04-01 13:34:41
2 days ago
A north London golf club has sparked outrage after admitting to “unauthorised” fox shootings on its course.
Shocked people have called Enfield Golf Club “horrific”, “inhumane” and “cruel” after it emerged that a fox cull took place there on Wednesday night.
Multiple residents living near the course, located one mile west of Enfield town centre, reported hearing gunshots.
After contacting the police, one resident was informed that the authorities had been "legally informed" about the shooting and that it could continue until 2am on Thursday morning.
Shocked people have called Enfield Golf Club “horrific”, “inhumane” and “cruel” after it emerged that a fox cull took place there on Wednesday night
ENFIELD GOLF CLUB
Enfield Golf Club, which promotes itself as "the friendliest golf course in North London" on its Instagram account, has apologized but explained that "internal management" had brought in "an external group to conduct an unauthorized culling" on its 18-hole course, without the committee’s approval.
Fox cubs are normally born at the beginning of Spring, and depend on their mothers for milk during at least six weeks.
Culling adult foxes would mean any surviving cubs would die of starvation.
Foxes in England are not protected for conservation purposes. While fox hunting is banned, they can be shot or caught in traps and killed “humanely” under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Animal welfare organization Moonstone Rescue, operating in London and Hertfordshire, has accused Enfield Golf Club of disregarding several offers to assist any fox cubs left stranded on the course after Wednesday’s cull.
Matt Stone, a co-founder of Moonstone Rescue, told Metro: “We were made aware of this very early on Thursday morning. Two offers to assist the fox cubs, one on Thursday and another on Friday, were made but have been ignored by the golf club.”
“Sadly, the results of delayed help will mean further deaths.”
Resident Ali Quantrill, who lives close to the course, has said she received abuse from the golf club’s management after she contacted them to ask about the incident.
Foxes in England are not protected for conservation purposes
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She was told members had complained about foxes biting their golf bags.
“Everyone’s in uproar about it and the way the club have reacted,” Quantrill said, “When the general manager called me back he was so aggressive, he asked why I rang the club and accused them of this.”
She claims the manager called her a “stupid woman”, and told her “how dare you ring me about this”.
Labour MP for Enfield North Feryal Clark also hit out at Enfield Golf Club’s “unacceptable” and “incredibly cruel” conduct.
She said: “I am deeply disturbed and appalled by the idea of fox culling on a golf course in my constituency. It is not only an awful act but, frankly, incredibly cruel.”
“Foxes are a protected species in the UK, and it is unacceptable for anyone to think that killing them on our doorstep is in any way justifiable.”
She added that a golf club should not be involved in culling and said she would be following up on the incident.
Enfield Golf Club finally allowed an animal rescue team on the course to carry out a search on Saturday, however no cubs were found.
Stone said some of the 15 dens were sprayed with paint, which he claimed suggested that cubs were also killed
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Stone said some of the 15 dens were sprayed with paint, which he claimed suggested that cubs were also killed.
“They’d marked it either to come back or go there initially to say, ‘yes, there are cubs here, there are foxes here’. All of the dens that have been checked are empty, or at least to what we can find, are empty, which would suggest that not only adults were killed, cubs were killed,” he said.
In a statement, Enfield Golf Club described their actions as “terribly poor,” adding: “Enfield Golf Club unreservedly apologises to Enfield residents following a recent incident on the course concerning foxes.”
“We can assure the community that this was an incredibly poor decision by internal management to allow an external group to conduct an unauthorised culling. This was not sanctioned by the Club Committee.”
“The Club and its members are extremely disappointed that this happened and can guarantee it will never happen again. We are a club that supports the local community and provides an excellent place for all, we are saddened by these events and regret any distress this has caused in our local community.”
