Shocking traps put down to kill wildlife at Burgess Hill nature reserve

A dead robin was found on one of the traps at by a dog walker. Nine more were then later discovered.

Dominic Moore, chairman of Friends of Burgess Hill Green Circle Network (FoBHGCN), told the Middy: “I received an email from a dog walker on Sunday, September 30, telling me he had discovered a trap three feet above the ground on a horizontal branch with a very fresh dead robin in it.

“The information was passed to Mid Sussex District Council and Sussex Police. Officials from the council later found another nine of these traps, making a total of ten. They were all removed.

“It is pretty unpleasant. Especially that another nine were found. I suspect that they must have been trying to catch squirrels with peanut butter.

“I was pretty disgusted when I found out there was another nine traps. It is a completely unnecessary act of cruelty.

“We have had a very big response to this. People are in total rage – some have been quite outspoken.”

He added: “No one has any right to set up traps on public land, let alone on a nature reserve, where wildlife should be able to exist free from harm – even grey squirrels.

“Small children might also have caught their fingers in these traps. We can only hope that this is the last time such traps are set on Bedelands.

The dog walker, who discovered the dead robin on one of the traps, told Mr Moore he had no doubt it was ‘set up to kill wildlife’.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this was set up and fixed in order to trap and kill wildlife,” he said.

“It was a very new-looking rat trap, with what appeared to be peanut butter as bait. Whoever set this fixed it so it wouldn’t to fall off, wiring it to the branch securely.”

The Middy has approached Mid Sussex District Council and Sussex Police for a comment.

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