Animal charities call MP Richard Drax cull comments 'ignorant'

Animals need more space in the landscape to flourish, Dorset Wildlife Trust said

Wildlife charities have criticised a Conservative MP after he said more wild animals should be culled.

Speaking at a debate on farming in the House of Commons on Monday, South Dorset MP Richard Drax suggested animals, such as deer and foxes, should be killed to control their numbers.

But Dorset Wildlife Trust said the UK was already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

Dorset Mammal Group called the politician's comments "ignorant".

Mr Drax declined to comment on the criticism.

MP Richard Drax said lots of wild animals in England have no predators and should be "controlled"

But during the debate, Mr Drax dismissed calls by conservation groups to end the badger cull, which was put in place to curb bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle.

He said: "Culling has proved to work. Rather than our talking about stopping the culling of badgers and introducing other species, may I suggest that all wild animals have to be culled?

"If they are not, their health deteriorates. Foxes, deer and badgers do not have any predators in today's world. We do not want to wipe them out, we just simply want them controlled."

He called the idea "pure common sense".

'Beyond belief'

Dorset Mammal Group, a conservation body, said it was "incredulous" at Mr Drax's statement.

The organisation encourages respect for all mammals, regardless of their traditional reputations.

"It is beyond belief that a Dorset MP should be so ignorant about nature and the wildlife of his own county as to advocate random culling of animals protected by law for no reason whatsoever," a spokesperson told the BBC.

More than 210,000 badgers have been killed since the cull was introduced in England, according to the Badger Trust

Brian Bleese, Dorset Wildlife Trust's chief executive, said 16% of species were threatened with extinction in the UK, including many wild animals in Dorset.

He said: "The real problem is that wildlife is marginalised and we are in the midst of a global and local ecological crisis - what we really need to do is make more space in our landscapes for wildlife to flourish.

"Wild animals and all wildlife make a huge contribution to our quality of life and well being."

The government refused to comment on Mr Drax's comments.

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