Killruddery House and Gardens (Co.Wicklow)

“Welcome to Killruddery. The biodiverse landscape includes painterly 17th-century Gardens, flowering woodland, a working farm and heritage settings for immersive experiences, family activities, farm-to-table dining, and slow shopping.” No mention there of the mass killing of foxes, but in May 2026, sickening photos surfaced, showing the rotting remains of foxes who had been shot on the grounds of Killruddery House and Gardens. The Bray People (25 May 2026) reported on “a macabre collection of fox carcasses on the estate, including what was described as a mound of skulls at the base of a tree”. When asked about wildlife management at the estate, Anthony Brabazon of Killruddery House and Gardens told the Bray People: “Predator control does take place where necessary, and any shooting is carried out at night, when the estate is closed to visitors.” What he didn’t mention was why: because Killruddery runs a pheasant shoot. A website section dealing with “annual Killruddery Membership” tells visitors that “there is strictly no access to the farm roads on Wednesdays and Saturdays from the beginning of November to 15th February during the shoot.” So that’s why the estate slaughters foxes – to protect pheasants long enough for shooters to kill them. Biodiversity Bray condemned the “at least 100 fox skulls, neatly stacked against the hollow of a tree, like a macabre trophy cabinet” as “an outrageous and vile insult to the native Irish fox”. We agree…