A 7-YEAR-OLD girl has been left distraught after her pet rabbit was eaten by a fox.
The rabbit was found with its head bitten off in Park Street, Grimsby, after the fox had managed to climb over the wall and get into the pet's locked cage.
Mum Amanda De Ste Croix, 30, said her husband made the horrific discovery after hearing a noise outside.
"The fox somehow managed to open the rabbit cage door," she said.
"It got the rabbit out and took its head off. That's how my husband found the rabbit when he went outside after hearing a disturbance.
"The fox was still in the garden and just watched him from the garden wall.
"My husband took our other three rabbits inside to make sure they were safe.
"We do not want to put the rabbits back outside now, as we cannot guarantee their safety.
"These rabbits are my four children's pets and they love them.
"My seven-year-old daughter, Courtney, was distraught when I told her what had happened.
"The fox keeps coming back looking for the other rabbits.
"We saw it yesterday morning on the wall, just looking at us."
She claimed several foxes had been spotted in the area in recent weeks.
"Family and friends have said they have seen foxes about in the day and night just walking down the street," she said.
"How do we know that our children and other pets, such as cats and dogs, are safe?
"I think the council needs to do something before it's too late."
Councillor Ray Oxby, portfolio holder for environment and housing at North East Lincolnshire Council, said there are suitable steps residents can take to keep foxes away from their homes.
He said: "Foxes are opportunistic animals and in urban areas, they eat a diet of scavenged food scraps, berries, plant bulbs, worms, garden insects, birds and the occasional small mammal, including rodents, as well as pet rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens where they can.
"The most humane and long-term solution to discourage foxes from entering gardens – and to make sure it is not attractive to them in any way – is by keeping food and rubbish in secure containers, keeping the garden clear and making sure there is nowhere for them to make a den or take shelter.
"The fox will usually move to a site where the local environment is more favourable."
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