Do You Approve Of Fox-Hunting ?

[Canary42]

Illegal hunts still take place in Dorset, and police appear to turn a blind eye to both the Hunt and to the violent intimidation of those who try to prevent it.

Please sign now to bring an end to this cruel so-called sport, and prevent these lovely creatures from being torn apart alive in the name of human pleasure. Such barbarism has no place in the twenty-first century.

https://chng.it/N9cM7pKZs4

[Arksided]

*want

[lankeela]

Whilst hunting with dogs is illegal (apart from certain exemptions for vermin control) trail hunting is not - what anyone sees when they see huntsmen in their red coats and followers on horseback and foot is a LEGAL gathering. Therefore this post is totally irrelevant.

[Arksided]

Wrong folk are allowed to share their disgust.

[webbo3]

No.

[andy-hughes]

This question crops up regularly, and the two camps line up and ignore each other.

'Country' folk accuse 'City' folk of not understanding their ways.

But personally, I would have more respect for the country set if they simply admitted that they hunt because they enjoy hunting.

Instead, they puff nonsense about 'keeping the fox population under control' which is arrant nonsense, given the pathetic success rate of their ludicrous behaviour.

As for the equally baseless nonsense that foxes are 'sadists' and 'kill for fun', that again is entirely wrong.

A fox, given a hen house with twelve birds in, will kill all of them, planning on burying as many as possible, and take one home for his family.

If disturbed, obviously he will bolt, leaving the dead birds, appearing to have killed them 'for fun'.

Animals don't 'kill for fun', only people like fox hunters do that.

Foxes are not bank robbers, they don't have oxytetracycline cutting gear.

If your hen house is built properly, foxes don't get in, it's not difficult.

[tomus42]

I agree with ttt. If foxes need culling, do it humanely an efficiently. What I don't understand is his point that it can't be policed properly. Organising a big meeting of horses and hounds to charge all over the place to kill a fox is not something you can do under the radar, so why does it happen?

[237SJ]

Andy hughes. I only have one friend who is into fox hunting and shooting animals. He is from Harrow. I`m sorry but you don't know what you are talking about.

[JimF]

It happens for the two reasons that have already been stated:

1) high-ranking police officers do not police it - I'm not suggesting that they are receiving back-handers, you understand;

2) the hunt masters are almost universally rich toffs, who pay thugs to make sure the hunt saboteurs "won't get in the way".

[Arksided]

So they can blow their own trumpets.

[gness]

I live in a field as do our neighbours. We take great joy each day looking at the videos of two foxes, a pine marten and other nocturnal visitors our wildlife camera records.
Our neighbours in many of the other fields raise hens, ducks and turkeys but do it properly and well. They too enjoy the antics of our visitors.
Sentimentalist, Jourdain? No. Just someone who can't understand blood thirsty folk or those who don't protect their animals. Where do you cull foxes? Just anywhere they live or near runs? But more will take over that territory so you keep killing?

237. If you live in rural Ireland and eat meat you certainly know how it's produced.

[sunny-dave]

"what anyone sees when they see huntsmen in their red coats and followers on horseback and foot is a LEGAL gathering"

If you believe that all hunt gatherings are Trail Hunts (and legal) then you need your bumps felt.

Some (possibly even most) are trail hunting, but a significant subset are hunting foxes 'like the good old days' - with the connivance of the police and judiciary.

[237SJ]

Gness-I come from rural Devon and our family farmed for 500 years so I know how it's produced

[andy-hughes]

237sj - In what way does your friend being from Harrow make my points incorrect, or myself unqualified to make them?

[237SJ]

Because you were making assertions about country folk re city folk and you got that wrong

[andy-hughes]

235SJ - you apparently missed the deliberate inverted commas around each group, designed to indicate generic labelling of cultural stereotypes.

Of course there are exceptions, that's because I do know what I'm talking about, thanks.

[lankeela]

sunny dave my bumps are just fine thank you - I am merely pointing out that signing a petition to ban something that is already banned is pointless and signing a petition to ban something that is legal is just as pointless. Why does any 'discussion' on hunting of any sort end up by accusing anyone who takes part of being a 'toff' - I have taken part in trail hunts and grew up on a council estate in north London and did a paper round to pay for my horse.

[Arksided]

Well respectable.
I have taken part in trail hunts and grew up on a council estate in north London and did a paper round to pay for my horse.

Did it have wheels and a long piece of string attached to it.

[Prudie]

I am not saying that report is untrue however I read the Dorset Echo every single day and if there were pro hunting masked criminals going round with iron bars, knives and threatening people and slashing tyres I think it would have hit the local press in a big way.

[lankeela]

The other side of the story:

https://www.countryside-alliance.org/news/2023/1/tim-bonner-policing-review-backfires-on-hunt-sabs?fbclid=IwAR1Pka0osKmiT_TjG2wDSCZYwLS_yu1hjQma3khfTEDaWkzWD95d0U6DIWs

[jourdain2]

Thanks, Lankeeler.

We had a situation last year (not foxes) where Canada Geese had to be culled. They had rendered the village green unusable and over 50 Geese can be very intimidating. It got out to the do-gooders. The Chairman of our Parish Council (lovely chap, had served for years, free-range pig-farmer who had sought out the kindest slaughterhouse for his pigs at some considerable expense)had his pods and 2 Range-Rovers trashed one night. Just saying.