Needless to say Cranfield University (or Cranfield Airport) never intended to have the great bunny-cull slung round its neck. For the record, here is the press release it issued:
“Cranfield Airport is required by law to ensure that the airport is run safely in line with all airports in the UK.
"The airport has some areas of overgrown scrubland, which reduces visibility of airport safety areas and also harbours various wildlife that are a potential hazard to aircraft. The airport has planned maintenance to clear areas of scrubland over the coming week.
"The University, as owner of the airport, recognises the threatened status of the brown hare and requested that the airport authorities avoid shooting any brown hares during this operation. The airport has confirmed there will not be any shooting during this operation.
"The University has also requested the airport to carry out a further study of the safety risks and population dynamics of brown hare at Cranfield Airport. The airport has confirmed that an independent study will be carried out and any appropriate action will be based on the recommendations of the report.”
PC reps met with university reps as part of a routine, twice yearly exchange of information and views. Although we talked about bus shelters and cycle track hares were the 'elephant in the room' and we did discuss the publi c controversy. We noted the problems they have with wildlife including rodents gnawing at lighting cables and, of course, deer running onto the runway and accepted the ‘duty of care’ to airfield users, which management and the university have. The airport manager stressed that they were taking advice from the Deer Initiative a “partnership of statutory, voluntary and private interests dedicated to ‘ensuring the delivery of a sustainable, well-managed wild deer population in England and Wales’.”
They were hoping to render the airfield "unfriendly to wildlife". Dense vegetation on the south side was accessible to rabbits, hares and deer and attractive to them. But there was no plan to ‘exterminate’ anything.
I understand scrub and vegetation clearing has gone ahead but there no plans to shoot any animals fleeing the big tidy up.
“Cranfield Airport is required by law to ensure that the airport is run safely in line with all airports in the UK.
"The airport has some areas of overgrown scrubland, which reduces visibility of airport safety areas and also harbours various wildlife that are a potential hazard to aircraft. The airport has planned maintenance to clear areas of scrubland over the coming week.
"The University, as owner of the airport, recognises the threatened status of the brown hare and requested that the airport authorities avoid shooting any brown hares during this operation. The airport has confirmed there will not be any shooting during this operation.
"The University has also requested the airport to carry out a further study of the safety risks and population dynamics of brown hare at Cranfield Airport. The airport has confirmed that an independent study will be carried out and any appropriate action will be based on the recommendations of the report.”
PC reps met with university reps as part of a routine, twice yearly exchange of information and views. Although we talked about bus shelters and cycle track hares were the 'elephant in the room' and we did discuss the publi c controversy. We noted the problems they have with wildlife including rodents gnawing at lighting cables and, of course, deer running onto the runway and accepted the ‘duty of care’ to airfield users, which management and the university have. The airport manager stressed that they were taking advice from the Deer Initiative a “partnership of statutory, voluntary and private interests dedicated to ‘ensuring the delivery of a sustainable, well-managed wild deer population in England and Wales’.”
They were hoping to render the airfield "unfriendly to wildlife". Dense vegetation on the south side was accessible to rabbits, hares and deer and attractive to them. But there was no plan to ‘exterminate’ anything.
I understand scrub and vegetation clearing has gone ahead but there no plans to shoot any animals fleeing the big tidy up.
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