A man has been left 'horrified' after discovering a dead fox snared to his garden fence and said it could 'easily' have been someone's pet.

Warning: A photo of the fox caught in the snare is included below. 

The man, who only wanted to be identified as Peter, found the animal in his garden in Wyke Regis, Weymouth and said he spoke to both the police and RSPCA about the incident.

The fox was found hanged on Peter's fence having been snared and seemingly caught on the fence.

Police are encouraging people to report 'cruel' items such as snares following the incident.

Peter said: "It was incredibly distressing to find: I was horrified to say the least. The snare is not just a piece of wire but it looks like it has been designed so that it tightens and cannot be opened once attached to an animal: it was clearly designed to kill something.

"It's a horrible way for the animal to die, absolutely horrible."

He added: "The animal has suffered greatly: whether it was intentional or not (to catch a fox) it is absolute cruelty to have these snares out. My great concern is what the snares were in place for, given the size of it, and if it carries on it could very well be a matter of time before a domestic animal, someone's pet, is caught in one of them."

South West Farmer:

  • Snare found in Weymouth garden in which the fox was found hanged, inset

Dorset Police are asking for those with more information about who set the trap to come forward.

"This snare has been located around the neck of a dead fox in the Wyke Regis area," Weymouth and Portland said.

"A snare is a cruel item intended to catch wild animals. We do not know where this snare was set as the fox was able to pull the snare free of it moorings before it became trapped and died.

"It is a dangerous item that is indiscriminate and may catch any animal such as a dog.

"We ask the public to be vigilant in and around public spaces such as woodland in the Wyke area and report any such items.

"If you know who set this snare, please call us or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting occurrence 55220201594."

Issuing advice on their website, the RSPCA said: "If the fox is still alive contact us or report it to the police.

"Never try to free an animal from a snare or trap - you risk hurting yourself and the animal, and it could be an offence if the animal was legally caught Stay back to avoid stressing the animal Call us immediately with the location "We're opposed to the use of snares, but some types are still legal."

The use of snares is regulated by law and traditionally used for pest control purposes. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to set a snare which is intended to cause bodily injury to any protected species.

'Self-locking' snares are considered unlawful under the 1981 Act: a self-locking snare is described as one where the metal loop continues to tighten in a ratchet action as the animal struggles.