It’s 2020 but we still allow sociopaths to kill for fun
Who says money doesn’t rule the world?
Category: Hunting
Video shows hunting dogs mauling deer in Askham Richard
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See the video via this link:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-51045924
A video showing a pack of hunting dogs mauling a roe deer as it tries to escape has been released.
West Yorkshire Hunt Saboteurs recorded the footage on land north of Askham Richard in North Yorkshire on Saturday.
The group claimed the dogs were from the Badsworth and Bramham, Moor/York and Ainsty South hunting groups and were “out of control”.
A spokesperson for the hunt described it as an unfortunate incident, but blamed the saboteurs.
The video showed the deer being caught by the dogs and attacked three times before it manages to escape.
North Yorkshire Police said it had received reports of a deer which had been injured by dogs at about 13:45 GMT on Saturday.
The force said officers had attended the location and appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.
In England and Wales, it is illegal to use dogs to hunt foxes, hares or deer, unless it is defined as “exempt”.
The protesters, who posted the clip on their Facebook page, said the hounds “came across a deer, repeatedly bringing it to the ground, along with killing a rabbit”.
The group said “the dogs were not under the control of either huntsman or whipper”.
TV naturalist Chris Packham also issued a response to the post.
He said: “Distressing footage of some of the hound pack chasing and mauling a roe deer… It’s time for this to end.”
A spokesperson for the York and Ainsty South Hunt said: “We are aware of an unfortunate incident which took place on Saturday, 4th January, which happened purely as a direct result of the actions of the anti-hunting activists.
“These hunt saboteurs were blowing a hunting horn and distracting the hounds which took a few of them off the trail which had been laid for them to follow.
“It is desperately unfair on our hounds if somebody else blows a horn too.”
Intimidated by threats and harassment from animal rights advocates, an Upstate NY fire department has cancelled its annual coyote hunting tournament, a fundraiser for the department.
The Hancock Fire Department in Delaware County cancelled the hunting tournament Monday after an online petition opposing the event drew âinternational backlash,â reported dailystar.com. The contest was slated for Jan. 17-19.
âDue to the concerns for the safety of the residents we protect and concerns for the safety of our membership, we must cancel the tournament,â fire department officials noted in a statement released Tuesday.
This was the second year the tournament was to be held. Third Assistant Chief Blaise Bojo told dailystar.com that âa decent amount was raised last year.â
This year, though, the department and its members were subject to threats and harassment âfrom organizations and individuals for the protection of animal rights,â according to a statement issued by the fire department.
Bojo declined to comment on the nature of threats received.
A Change.org petition opposing the contest gathered more than 20,000 signatures. Petition organizer Jennifer Christman accused the firefighters of âmurdering innocent, living sentient beings for a fundraiser.â
She urged signers to âbe the voice for the coyotes, we need to speak for them. They need us. Let them (the fire department) know that trophy hunting is cruel, heartless, vicious, monstrous, etc,. We need to strongly urge them to cancel this event and have a family friendly fundraiser.â
âThey treat these beautiful creatures like they are disposable. They post with the dead lifeless body of the coyote that they killed like they won an award or prize. Treated like a âthingâ instead of a soul instead of life. Beyond shameful. Beyond shameful. This must be stopped.â
The information accompanying the petition did not say where Christman lives or whether she represented any group. She did not respond to requests for comment, dailystar.com noted.
As part of the petition on Change.org, though, the names and contact information (either phone numbers or email addresses) of the fire departmentâs chief and assistant chief, the village mayor, the town supervisor and fire department Facebook page were listed.
Adding pressure to the situation, according to dailystar.com, was Village Mayor Carolann McGrath who called for the firefighters to cancel the event after she received several dozen emails describing the event as cruel and inhumane.
âThis harassment has gotten to the point where it is blocking us from being focused on our main mission, which is firefighting and saving lives,â (!!!) the fire departmentâs statement read.
The Hancock Departmentâs coyote hunting fundraiser is not unique and such hunting contests are legal. Other groups in Upstate New York also hold such competitions involving hunting coyotes, squirrels, crows, bobcats and foxes, among other animals.
Some downstate state lawmakers in the past have tried to get bills passed to ban these hunting contests, but with no success.
Coyotes are not native to New York State. They are larger than their western counterparts. Genetic research has shown the coyotes in this state are a cross between a coyote and a wolf.
They can be legally hunted from Oct. 15 to March 31. Itâs the longest hunting season in the state. They can be hunted day or night and use of bait and dogs is permitted. There is no daily bag limit.
And I mean…If the fire brigade’s main mission is to save life, then annihilating the lives of others is not appropriate, because it is a crime.
If the firefighters’ professional ethics allow them to massacre coyotes to collect a “decent” donation, then we can assume that it will be our turn at some point!
We are pleased that we finally have the addresses, mails and photos of those who kill animals to accomplish their mission.
We know which one we can trust when it burns!
In the name of coyotes Many Thanks to the activists for this successful sabotage!
My best regards to all, Venus
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7851153/Poachers-slaughter-16-lions-hack-faces-claws.html
Poachers slaughter pride of 10 lions including cubs and two pregnant lionesses and hack off faces and claws to sell their teeth and claws for us in black magic potions in South Africa
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Sixteen lions have been killed by poachers who hacked the faces and paws off eight of the adults to sell their teeth and claws to be used to turn into black magic potions.
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Gert said: ‘They had hacked off 32 paws for the claws and eight of their snouts for their teeth after killing them with poisoned chicken which is a really agonising death for the lions.
Video:
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“Wild animals are also Refugees from terrorism”
The bloody war in the forest and fields every year kills over 5 million animals – often in the cruellest way:
-1,117,511 deer,
-854.324 wild pigeons,
-608,466 foxes,
-526,003 wild ducks,
-512,050 wild boar,
-470,459 rabbits and wild rabbits, deer, badgers, wild geese, swans, raccoons …
Every year
-ca. 300,000 domestic cats,
-ca. 35,000 dogs
as well as ponies and cows in the pasture, ornamental ducks, mini-pigs, llamas on a sanctuary, victims of hunters.
In 2004 alone in Germany over 40 people were killed by hunters and hunters weapons
Every year over 800 people are injured by hunters and hunting weapons, sometimes so severely that they have to be in a wheelchair or have their legs amputated
The traps that are set for animals – illegal – often give the animals an hour-long agony.
The shot loads of rabbits hurt the animals and make them cry like little children.
“Deformation bullets” are used with the purpose of tearing deers off the innards so that they leave traces for the “search” during the escape.
Half of the animals are usually not immediately dead and injured animals still suffer for hours or even days in agony
The hunters’ claim that these cruel massacres are necessary to regulate animal populations is an outrageous lie and propaganda that has long been scientifically and practically refuted.
I quote sections from the magazine “Freedom for Animals” [2, 2007, p. 12 f.]…” The confession of an ex-hunter”:
ÂťLadies and Gentlemen, fortunately we do not live in China and neither do we have Putin’sâ flawless democrat â. We have freedom of expression.
And my opinion is: Hunters are terrorists, killers and liars!
Terrorists because they spread fear and terror. Murderers because they kill out of sheer lust for murder. And liars because they pretend to be countless lies for their behavior.
I have decided to write in your magazine a letter that you can publish wherever you want (…). After 12 years I finally had the courage to quit the hunters (…)
The claim that hunters are environmentalists or ecologists is ridiculous, as is the claim that hunters spend many voluntary hours in the hunting district for the benefit of wildlife, animals and the environment.
Everything the hunter does in the hunting district is directly or indirectly connected to the hunt, i.e. the shooting of the animals or the social gathering (…)
The so-called environmental protection work largely consists of building or maintaining the hunting objects … The various cleaning campaigns … are … pure hunter propaganda.
The hunters with their high seats, vehicles and their presence are the greatest natural pests …! (âŚ)
Even more ridiculous is the claim that hunting is primarily about caring for game and that shooting is just one of their activities. The aim of the hunt is execution or killing, possibly the most beautiful animals as a personal trophy – and nothing else.”
And then this ex-hunter reports on perhaps the most outrageous of all hunter lies: that the hunt is primarily a Samaritan service on sick and injured animals:
“Ladies and gentlemen,
everyone can understand for themselves what is to be said of this frivolous lie by imagining what it would be like if the emergency services were organized for people like this alleged Samaritan service on animals!
Imagine: You are injured and call for rescue, but instead of an ambulance with a doctor, a tank comes with a firing squad!
This is what the hunter’s Samaritan field service looks like on animals”!
The ex-hunter concludes: “The hunting world is much worse than you can imagine.”
My best regards to all, Venus
Picture above:
Terrorism in Switzerland since 2010
Injured: 0
Dead: 0
Picture below:
Hunting in Switzerland since 2010
Injured: 5.437
Dead: 62
Every 29 hours there is an accident and every 3.5 months a death occurs due to hunting
As of: 2017 // https://wildbeimwild.com/die-liste/
My best regards to all and gut night, Venus
Well here we are again drawing this time to the end of another decade â and despite all the bad issues that we have shown on the site; after all, that is what we exist for; to inform people about the bad stuff; with the hope of change; looking back it has also been a very productive year in 2019 for the welfare of animals.
Looking back; the recent disaster at Midia which took the lives of so many innocent sheep is one issue that I cannot forget. The authorities want us to, but after many years involved with live export; it is an issue very much engrained in my âsystemâ; I hate it and will forever fight to stop it; all the way to the grave.
Animal Aid Unlimited in India are an organisation that I have so much respect for. Where do you start with them ?
23,550 calls requesting help for sick or injured animals in Udaipur. Each year more and more people in the city are becoming aware that they can do something when they see an injured animal, by a simple call for help, they are making their first step into becoming an animal protector.
9,384 animals were admitted in Animal Aid’s hospital to receive life-saving medical treatments for serious injuries and illnesses. About 26 new patients were taken in each day. We attempt to cover many of the stories here on WAV; just type in âAnimal Aid Unlimitedâ into the search box to get links to all the past videos.
In addition to the work back at base, AAU also provided 1,092 street treatments for animals who did not require full hospitalization. 1,317 dogs were spayed and neutered once they healed from their injuries. 3,728 incredible volunteers and visitors enriched the lives of animals, many of whom served the animals more than 2 weeks!
AAU also vaccinated 8,266 dogs against rabies both in their hospital and also directly on the street. Finally, 40 animal activists from across India have learned first aid principles and techniques from the intensive AAU First Aid Training Program.
Now that is something to be proud of, and we wish Erika and all the crew there an even better 2020 with their work.
Bloodbath
Also, 2019 can be viewed as the year in England when the Hunting Act of 2004 was given long term protection and we will never legally return to the old days of wild animals being hunted to death by those with nothing more than a ‘bloodbath’ blood lust.
We must never forget Jill and the team at âAnimals Asia; – it is probably best that we give their link as so many positives are covered. https://www.animalsasia.org/uk/our-work/ – with the young and a new positive view on how animals should be treated, we look forward to the day when bear bile farming and the dog meat trade in the Far East are confined as atrocities carried out in past times â rightly in history books where they belong.
The destruction of the Environment is a massive concern for every one of us. The deaths and suffering that is going on in Australia at this very moment, combined with recent events in Amazonia largely to increase space for cattle grazing at the cost of the indigenous peoples only shows that those in power there have one thing on their mind, and nothing else; and that is called âmoneyâ.
Circuses and sea life centres are really being shunned by the educated public now; and we very much welcome that. It is fantastic to see that some dolphins are even being returned to purpose built sanctuaries for them; where they can once again return to the type of lives that were cruelly taken from them in the past.
Turning to Serbia; it has been a positive year with regard the fur industry. We personally worked with the team at âRespect for Animalsâ http://www.respectforanimals.org/ in England, and with Slavica and Serbian activists, supplying lots of information and undertaking lots of research which led to getting the fur farming ban introduced at the start of 2019; saving tens of thousands of Chinchilla in the process – http://www.respectforanimals.org/serbian-fur-farming-ban-comes-into-force/
Chinchilla – Saved by the Ban.
In the United States, there have been some really positive moves; and we thank all our US visitors for the work they have done behind the scenes. California has become the first US state to ban the sale of animal fur products http://www.respectforanimals.org/history-made-as-california-fur-ban-becomes-law/ The new legislation, AB44, bans the manufacture and sale of new fur products across the state and is already considered to be the most ground-breaking moment for the anti-fur campaign for many years. We hope and look forward to other states following the example of California.
Staying in the USA, we have seen a lot of positives with regard âkilling contestsâ â where animals are deliberately killed for prizes etc. In recent months we have seen bans introduced in Massachusetts, Arizona, as well as Coyote killing contests in New Mexico.
Food has been a big issue in America; with many major food chains now providing plant based options as part of the menu. This is great news and reflects the huge amount of people that have decided to change to a plant based diet, thus contributing to cutting down on global warming which is an intrinsic part of the meat production system; and which is very much responsible for some of the huge fires that we have witnessed this year in Amazonia due to forest clearance to make more grazing area for meat cattle. Many of Americaâs largest food chains have now moved to producing Vegan foods for consumers as part of their range – https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/03/20/usa-americas-biggest-food-companies-are-moving-to-meatless/ .
We thank Stacey at Our Compass https://our-compass.org/ for working with us, and giving links to many issues and videos associated with a meat free Vegan diet. Thanks Stacey; and keep up the great work !
We also say âthankâ to our companion commentator Slavica; under the name “eparslavicaepar”, (we know who she is) for the faithful accompaniment (almost) for each article. Comments are a strengthening of our work, even if they are critical!
Whizzing over to South Korea, we wants to give thanks and credit to Korean Dogs.org https://koreandogs.org/ for all their tireless work aimed at stopping the live dog and cat meat trade. On the site given, you can find endless ways to give your support to their work, and we encourage you strongly to do that.
Back here in England, we need to highlight the huge amount of work being done by CIWF all over the world on so many different farm animal issues;Â Â https://www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns/ from the ban the cages campaign in Europe, through to helping pig producers in China to be more animal welfare considerate and change (improve) their methods of farm animal husbandry.
All in all; we have just skimmed the surface of what has been a very positive and productive year (in 2019) aiming at helping animals across the world. We cannot cover everything as it would take far too long, but we know that you, our friends and supporters are able to investigate a lot more about specific issues that may be of concern to you.
To try and give you a little assistance, we have provided on our site an A to Z listing of major animal welfare organisations, complete with their web site links, in order that you can hopefully find out a bit more much easier. Here is the link to this section:
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/03/31/animal-welfare-organisations-links-to-websites/
We wish you all a great year in 2020 campaigning for the rights of, and being a voice for animals all over the world. You usually find that animal rights people often have a big interest in human rights also; and we try to do a little here as well. Check out one of our links associated with the Amazon forest peoples https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/08/27/indigenous-ecuadorian-women-speak-out-to-support-the-brazilian-amazon-rainforest-people/
⌠and for me (Mark), I especially wish to give support to free Tibet from the current rule of China which is covered so fantastically by London based âFree Tibetâ – https://www.freetibet.org/
Be a voice and fight the fight â results are never immediate and campaigns can take a long time to win â just look at the League Against Cruel Sports (London) â formed in 1924; but it was not until 2004 that they managed to get Hunting with dogs stopped for wild animals – https://www.league.org.uk/about-us
You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide !
Happy New Year for 2020 â Regards Mark and Venus xx.
In memory of 2 great campaigners against live export:Â Sadly Missed.
Mike
and John.
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/04/25/england-another-terrible-loss-john-callaghan/Â
WAV Comment – There is nothing at all wrong with a woman wearing a pink nightie; sounds great and sexy; but a high court (male) judge; that’s real different ! – maybe he will be viewed very differently in future should he ever meet hunt sabs in court. The issue of a fox killing has sparked outrage with the Brits – now he is the hunted – Mark.
Lawyer admits clubbing fox to death
Jolyon Maugham said he was wearing wifeâs satin kimono when he beat animal to death with baseball bat
The RSCPA is investigating a prominent barrister who revealed he had clubbed a fox to death in his garden.
Jolyon Maugham QC, who is known for leading a series of legal actions over Brexit, provoked outrage by tweeting on Thursday: âAlready this morning I have killed a fox with a baseball bat. Howâs your Boxing Day going?â
He later reported himself to the RSPCA as he faced a growing backlash online.
The charity, which prosecutes cases of animal cruelty, confirmed it was âaware of a situation regarding a fox, and would like to reassure people that weâre investigatingâ.
The RSPCA had earlier described Mr Maughamâs account of killing the fox as âdistressingâ.
The lawyer said the animal had âgot caught up in the protective netting around the chickens at his home in central London and he âwasnât sure what else to doâ.
Faced with a deluge of criticism, he wrote: âNo one should relish killing animals â and I certainly didnât. But if you havenât been up close to a large trapped fox, perhaps reserve judgment.â
He later added: âSorry to those upset by my tweet. My chickens were very distressed by the fox â both before and after Iâd despatched it â and I wanted it out of the way quickly.â
Prominent lawyer sparks backlash after âkilling fox with baseball batâ
Mr Maugham also revealed he was wearing his wifeâs satin kimono and nursing a hangover when he clubbed to fox to death.
Government guidelines state cage traps and snares may be deployed to protect property from foxes and a person who uses them must âhumanely kill any fox you catch while itâs in the trap or snareâ.
An RSPCA spokesperson on Friday declined to say if investigators had spoken to Mr Maugham.
The animal welfare organisation said: âOur investigation is ongoing and we have a number of strict procedures to follow, which means that we cannot share the details with the public.
âWe appreciate that this is a very emotive issue, but we need to conduct our investigation in a confidential and professional manner.â
Matthew Scott, a lawyer who writes legal commentary on his website Barrister Blogger, said Mr Maugham âwill be in for a very unpleasant time indeedâ if the RSPCA launches a full investigation.
He wrote: âHe could be called in for interview. The foxâs cadaver could be recovered and sent to a pathologist. The baseball bat would be bagged up and carefully examined for fingerprints. His wife could find her kimono seized for forensic analysis. They would be looking for DNA from the fox and a forensic interpretation of blood spatters on the kimono.Â
âMr Maugham may or may not be a rich man, but he is not as rich as the RSPCA, and the RSPCA tends to throw money at prosecutions, no matter how trivial. Win or lose he will be out of pocket, even with his genius for crowdfunding litigation.â
Mr Scott said the âobvious offence to consider firstâ is a breach of the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act, which prohibits inflicting âunnecessary sufferingâ by beating.Â
The offence can be punishable with up to six months in prison, though Mr Scott said Mr Maugham could potentially argue killing the fox was necessary as to not do so would have âwould have meant the fox suffering on the wire for longerâ.
Mr Maugham said in a tweet: âTo those concerned I have broken the law, I called and spoke to the RSPCA and left my contact details.â
The barrister is the founder and director of the Good Law Project, which has brought a number of legal challenges to the Brexit process and was involved in the successful court action to stop Boris Johnsonâs unlawful prorogation of parliament.
A shocking video has emerged that hunt âsaboteursâ in Sheffield claim shows their car being violently attacked by a man wielding the corpse of a dead fox.
UPDATE, December 26: We have been given a name for the hunt supporter smashing the fox against the van window.
Cops and media will be informed in due course.
Today we decided to spread festive cheer across North Yorkshire with West Yorkshire Hunt sabs.
First, we stopped off at the Badsworth’s meet at Kirk Smeaton. Though they are now merged with the Yas and Bramham Moor, they still have separate Boxing Day meets. The Badsworth went for a bit of a trot.
The local scum were clearly unhappy not to see some actual hunting, so decide to be aggressive and block vehicles in and smash our window with a roadkill fox whilst also smashing bits off our vehicle!
Satisfied the hounds were packed away, we headed to meet the plucky York Anti Hunt League, who had been sabbing the Bramham Moor since they left the meet at Aberford. We helped keep an eye on the hounds as they drew a couple of large coverts, but it soon became clear they were heading back to the meet. Finally packing at 3pm.
Boxing Day hunts are among the UKâs most divisive traditions.
Fifteen years after the Hunting Act was introduced, hunts still take place across Britain every Boxing Day. The Hunting Act came into force almost 700 years after fox hunting first began in England and Wales. It prohibits the chasing of wild animals in England and Wales, including fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting. However, the Act does not completely ban hunting.
Drag hunting is still allowed, which involves a pack of hounds following an artificially-laid scent.
Itâs very common for hunts to be interrupted or sabotaged by protestors, who suspect that hunts are ignoring the ban and harming foxes anyway.
The RSPCA has warned that trail hunting is often used as a “smokescreen” for traditional hunting.
A shocking video has emerged that hunt âsaboteursâ in Sheffield claim shows their car being violently attacked by a man wielding the corpse of a dead fox.
The video shows a man (presumably a hunting supporter) repeatedly slamming what appears to be a foxâs body against their car.
Afterwards, animal rights activist Charlotte Smith uploaded photos to Twitter showing blood across the windows of the groupâs vehicle.
Hunt saboteurs, or âsabsâ, follow hunts and try to sabotage them if they suspect that animals are being harmed. It is unclear who the man who allegedly hit the car with a dead fox was, or if he was affiliated with any hunting group.
It’s also unclear how the fox was killed.
But this shockingly violeânt video will undoubtedly cause distress, and is a clear indication that this debate isn’t going anywhere.
https://www.indy100.com/article/man-hits-animal-rights-fox-boxing-day-hunt-sheffield-video-9261141
My comment:Â So far 3,981 people have seen this video, it has been shared 9,014 times and 3,145 comments have been posted!
This is our hope: to bring justice to a just verdict against these choleric violent criminals by public jerk.
Because the courts only cover the hunters’ criminals.
Obviously not much has changed in England in terms of the brutality and primitivity with which the hunter sabotages are treated by the hunters.
In his book, the well-known animal rights activist and founder of the “Association Against Animal Factories” Dr. Dr. Martin Balluch, entitled “In the underground”, describes the hunting sabotage in England, in which he himself took part between 1989 and 1997, in a very exciting and documentary manner.
At the time, animal rights activist Tom Worby was also killed in a hunting sabotage, in England. The perpetrator and hunter Tony Ball was found innocent by the court; the case was declared as “accidental death”. Shortly after the fatal attack, Tony Ball (the killer) was given a new identity by the state and went into hiding (page 155 from the book).
On the 3rd April 1993, Tom Worby, a 15 year old hunt sab was crushed under the wheels of the Cambridgeshire Foxhounds hound van.
No action was taken against the 53-year-old Huntsman, Tony Ball.
And so we see how closely and confidently justice and hunters work, everywhere.
The “hunter-friendly” country Germany, should also learn from the example of Geneva, where there has been no hunting since 1974; there is only professional wildlife management. With excellent results for the wild animal population.
That means: the hunters in Geneva have the task of redeeming only injured animals and to ensure peace and compliance with the law in the forest; Not to massacre animals on behalf of corrupt politicians, like in Germany.
A special message to activists around Britain and beyond who are protesting or sabotaging fox hunts đŚ!
Keep up the great work, frends! Good luck and thank you!
My best regards to all, Venus
Above – Dave Spikey as part of the ‘No Joke. Campaign.
âBoxing Dayâ, or 26th December each year, is a recognised day when the blood lust hunts take to the local towns and villages in order to parade themselves and the hunting hounds.
Although the Boxing Day hunt parades take place up and down the UK, especially in England; it is also a day for those opposed to hunting to take to the streets and villages also to make their voices heard. Naturally, with pro hunt supporters and anti hunt demonstrators in the same vicinity, conflict is virtually guaranteed.
The vast majority of the British public (around 85-90%) are opposed to all hunting â and so the passing of a long fought campaign resulting in the âHunting Actâ of 2004 was widely welcomed by the vast majority.
The Hunting Act 2004
https://www.league.org.uk/hunting-actÂ
The Hunting Act 2004 is the official law (legislation) law which bans chasing wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales â this basically means that fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting are all illegal, as they all are cruel sports based on dogs chasing wild mammals.
The introduction of the Hunting Act followed an extensive and often exhausting campaign spanning 80 years, with the League Against Cruel Sports and our supporters at the forefront since 1924. In Scotland, hunting with dogs was banned earlier by a different law, the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.
Securing the Hunting Act was a key moment in the history of animal protection legislation in the UK and public polling consistently shows it is a popular law. Yet, since its introduction, the Hunting Act has been the target of considerable attack from the pro-hunt lobby which has waged an on-going campaign to try and undermine the Act with the aim of getting it scrapped or weakened, and defied the Act by developing and promoting methods to circumvent it in the form of false alibies or illicit exploitations of its exemptions.
This sabotage of the law continues today.
- âTrail huntingâ is an entirely new invention which purports to mimic traditional hunting by following an animal-based scent trail (using fox urine, according to the hunters) which has been laid in areas where foxes or hares are likely to be.
- Crucially, those laying the trail are not meant to tell those controlling the hounds where the scent has been laid, so if the hounds end up following a live animal scent the hunt can claim that they did not know, and so âthis is why they did not try to stop themâ.
- In drag hunting the trail doesnât contains animal-based scent, is never laid in areas likely to have foxes, and those controlling the hounds always know where the trail was laid.
- This is why in drag hunting, ‘accidents’ when live animals are chased are very rare, while in trail hunting they are very common.
The Case Against Trail Hunting
- Of all those prosecuted for illegal hunting under the Hunting Act, over half claimed to be trail hunting. (Around a quarter of prosecuted hunts claimed to âexempt hunting’ â see below).
- If the hunts really wanted to avoid chasing and killing animals, they would have converted to genuine drag hunting or to âclean bootâ hunting, which is similar.
- The hunts operate in exactly the same locations they used prior to the ban â areas which are known to contain foxes (or hares, deer or mink).
- Trail hunts are always accompanied by âterrier menâ â contractors who follow the hunt on quadbikes and with terrier dogs. In traditional hunting these dogs were sent underground to find a fox if it had escaped the hunt by, for example, hiding in a hole underground. Terrier men would place the terrier in the hole to force the fox out so the chase could continue. If trail hunts genuinely donât try to catch foxes â then why are they always accompanied by terrier men?
- Trail hunts very rarely even bother laying a trail. Having looked at over 4,000 hunt monitoring reports of over 30 hunt monitors from different organisations covering the majority of hunts in England and Wales (157), since the Hunting Act 2004 was enacted, these hunt monitors have reported witnessing someone laying a possible trail only in an average of around 3% of the occasions they monitored hunts, but they believed that only an average of around 0.04% of the occasions they may have witnessed a genuine trail hunting event, rather than a fake one.
- So, we think that trail hunting is not a genuine sport but a cover for illegal hunting, designed to deceive the authorities and make the prosecution of illegal hunters very difficult.
Fox hunting is illegal in England, Scotland and Wales. It is still legal in Northern Ireland.
Fox hunting was banned by the Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales, and the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland. But while these were both welcome and hard-fought pieces of legislation, overwhelming evidence suggests that both are being ignored or exploited by hunts on a regular basis.
Hunts in England and Wales invented the activity of âtrailâ hunting after the fox hunting ban came in. This claims to be a non-lethal sport where the hunt simply follows a pre-laid trail rather than searching for and chasing a fox. However, years of evidence shows that hunts are using trail hunting as a cover for illegal hunting by claiming to be following a trail but still carrying on and hunting foxes the way they did before the hunting ban.
Hunts in England and Wales also use âexemptionsâ in the Hunting Act. These were designed to allow certain types of âpestâ control or scientific research, but are being exploited by the hunts to give them an excuse to carry on hunting.
In Scotland, an exemption in the law allows foxes to be killed by âflushing to gunsâ, where a pack of hounds is allowed to be used to chase a fox from cover where it can be shot. However, evidence from League investigators shows hunts claiming to be flushing to guns â but without having any guns present in the right place.
Some argue that âhuntingâ should continue because itâs a grand old British tradition. However, bear baiting and bull baiting were also traditions hundreds of years ago, and they were rightfully consigned to the history books. Traditions are measured in more than years. They have to reflect the values and attitudes of a society, and the vast majority of the British people oppose hunting with dogs.
There was a (2019) General Election in the UK just a few weeks ago. In the past, the âConservative Partyâ were always regarded as the party which supported hunting. They were elected as the government a few weeks ago; but things have now changed very much. Many Conservative Members of Parliament (MPâs) are now also opposed to hunting with hounds; and they view animal welfare as a big issue, and vote winner !
The Conservative Party now has a âBlue Foxâ, or Conservatives against fox hunting section; of which many MPs are supportive. Here is a link to the site they operate:
https://conservativesagainstfoxhunting.com/
Very recently â November 2019, the Blue Fox made a Press Release in support of the omission of a free vote to repeal the Hunting Act 2004 in the new Conservative Manifesto.
With the omission of a âfree voteâ in Parliament; which if successful could have seen the Hunting Act removed and a return to hunting; the Conservatives have largely stated that they are fully in support of the hunting ban that has been in force since 2004 â good news for anti blood sport campaigners and even better news for the animals which could have been allowed to be hunted once again.
https://conservativesagainstfoxhunting.com/8118-2/
So â end of 2019 â we feel very confident that there will be no return to the old days and the mass hunting of animals such as fox, deer, hare and mink. Now with cross party support in Parliament, it is time for the pitfalls in the current legislation; and as described above; to be fully reviewed by Parliament and the law changed to clean up all the pitfalls which hunts currently use as excuses to allow them to continue to hunt wild animals in a law by passing way. Only when the law is changed to fully implement all the pitfalls which currently exist to allow hunting to continue in some form, can we unite in saying that for the UK, hunting has finally been recorded in history books as something which happened in the past; like cock fighting and Bull baiting.
We have now moved on and most citizens want this issue confined simply to the history books. It is now time for the political parties to combine and do what the vast majority of people want â a revised Hunting Act which gives complete and utter protection to all animals which have suffered at the hands of the hunts â bring it on !!
Regards Mark
With big thanks to the âLeague Against Cruel Sportsâ (LACS) who have provided invaluable assistance in the compilation of this WAV post.
Join the League; support them and become a member by visiting:
Founded in 1924 – https://www.league.org.uk/about-us
Animals the LACS protects – https://www.league.org.uk/Pages/Category/animals-we-protect
Shop – https://charitycardshop.com/leagueagainstcruelsports
How to Donate – https://www.league.org.uk/Pages/Category/how-to-donate
I took this picture many, many years ago; before the Hunting Act was passed, to kill the myth that foxes killed by hunting hounds die by a simple bite at the back of the neck. NOT TRUE, they are ripped to pieces and suffer immensely as a result. There is not need for this, and no need for the hunts all dressed up in their âPinksâ, or redcoats.
World Animals Voice 