A CONCERNED former park ranger is urging council bosses not to harm any wildlife when resolve the issue of molehills at Kilwinning Cemetery.

The Times told two weeks ago how the council promised to deal with the mess at the cemetery caused by molehills.

But former Eglinton Park ranger Bryan Morgan, 29, was so concerned about the issue, he contacted the Times to voice his fears.

He said: “I fully understand the need to manage wildlife such as deer destroying woodlands to the problems the grey squirrel brings to the native red squirrel.

“However, I also respect wildlife and indeed I volunteered for many years at Eglinton Country Park where I was a park ranger where the now park manager Cameron Sharpe passed onto me a great deal of information.

“How can one shoot the fox but yet disagree with snaring them?

“I have no time for the setting of snares and regard it as the shame of the countryside.

“I commend Parliament’s steps to improve this area, namely that the snare must have a tag to ID the person setting it.

“By setting the snare, it does not give a guarantee that the intended species will become snared.

“The idea of dealing with moles because they create a mess is surreal in the context of small piles of earth within a cemetery.

“I for one would be against the local authority submitting funds to bring about the mole’s death.

“At what point does the authority say enough is enough?

“You can’t stop moles due to their nature of being underground animals."

He added: “The traps I understand to be expensive and trapping still seems to be the suggested option.

“Before the grass is cut, a simple shovel off the soil and then proceeding is a better solution rather than setting mole traps.

“People should look at the piles of soil and see it as a sign of a healthy environment and indeed be glad we provide the space for such wildlife.

“Not being a destructive human and destroying an animal all because of small piles of soil inside the grounds of a cemetery.

“I will add here that I have family members buried in the cemetery.”