Residents of Kings Hill in Kent have recently been shocked and saddened to learn that our Parish Council have an agreement that is allowing Foxes, Deer and Rabbits to be shot on Kings Hill Sports Park (Owned by Prologis) due to alleged damage to football pitches.

Kings Hill Sports Park is situated in a rural area and the land was historically wooded and agricultural. The site is located right next to Warren Woods Nature Park which is a popular place for residents to walk and take in all of Britain's rural wildlife. Residents here love their wildlife and take a lot of joy in seeing Deer, Foxes and Rabbits in their gardens and surrounding countryside around the sports park.

Many residents are concerned about their health and safety, as some have reportedly been shot at or been at risk of being shot at when walking public paths of Warren Woods whilst hunting has been carried out without warning.

It is unacceptable that the Parish Council and Prologis allows Shooters (operating for free, carrying out their blood sport for enjoyment alone) to wipe out all of these species from the landscape and have residents put at risk when doing so.

It is unreasonable to expect that football pitches can be maintained to visual perfection at the expense of Kings Hills wildlife when other methods of mitigation are available. There has been no attempt made to keep rabbits off the pitches with non lethal methods. The shooting of Foxes (which are a natural predator to the Rabbit) disrupts the local ecosystem and makes the potential for damage worse. With a balanced ecosystem, predators such as Foxes, Buzzards and Stoats would proliferate and Rabbit populations would be lowered naturally. 

Shooting of local wildlife is against the wishes of the community and in no way reverses the course of the biodiversity crisis that we face globally.

We ask, by way of petition, that Kings Hill Parish Council:

• Withdraws the Shooting Agreement
• Ceases all shooting of Wildlife on and around Kings Hill Sports Park
• Looks to take other measures to prevent or mitigate damage.

  Thank you

Friends of the Earth Kings Hill