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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Antony Thrower & Jerry Lawton

Royal family asked foxhunter to kill beast after it pooed on Prince George's toys

The Royal Family once hired a fox hunter to shoot one of the creatures when its poo was found smeared on one of Prince George’s toys.

Bruce Lindsay-Smith said business is booming as some people are fed up with the nocturnal animals roaming their streets.

Armed with a .22 Long Rifle with infrared, thermal telescopic sights and a silencer, he possesses an open firearms certificate and is free to open fire once he has informed police.

During his long shooting career he has been fired by pop stars, business tycoons and football clubs to rid stadiums of the vermin.

He revealed to the Daily Star he also once had a royal appointment.

He was called in when fox poo was found on Prince George's toys in the garden (Getty Images)
The gunman said the family did not want the children running around the garden covered in poo (Getty Images)

He said: “They were fouling on little George's garden toys and what have you.

"They didn't want the children running around on the grass with fox mess all over it. You can't blame them.

"I don't feel any remorse for shooting a fox, there are more than ever.

“When I go to look at people's places they've been wiped out of chickens.

Lindsay-Smith says his record for one night was 36 dead foxes on a golf course (scu)

“I've even been asked to bury people's cats."

Lindsay-Smith has been shooting since going rabbit-hunting with his dad as a youngster and added there are currently 150,000 urban foxes in the UK - more than almost any other country.

He has killed as many as 13 in a single garden and his overall record for one night is 36 on a golf course.

Despite the bloodshed, he has a pet fox named Charlie which he found as a cub being pelted with stones by yobs.

Critics have blasted his job by wildlife charities (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Rather than kill him he raised him alongside his Jack Russell dogs.

He added: “I do find them very interesting animals, you can learn things from them - their capabilities, their preferences."

"But I've never got too friendly with Charlie. He's never been a friendly fox."

Guidance on the Government's website, provided by Natural England, says people "can shoot free foxes using a suitable firearm and ammunition."

Several firms around the UK offer the service, although a check has to be carried out to ensure it is suitable in urban areas.

His job has been blasted by critics who say we should be looking at ways to live with urban foxes rather than killing them.

Trevor Williams, founder of the Fox Project and a leading figure in the animals’ conservation, believes that “nothing you can do will create a permanent fox-free zone”.

His body has moved on to medical care and the project treats about 1,200 foxes a year, funded by charitable donations.

Veterinary nurse Denise Humphries, who works with the project, said: “I obviously adore foxes.

“I find them such interesting animals - they have so many different personalities and you can tell quickly what they’re like, much like dogs.”

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