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On 10 March, Chris Packham accompanied the Mendip Sabs  at the Mendip Farmers Hunt Meet, hosted by Jacob Rees Mogg. Chris paid his respects to all sabs that work in the field, at risk and at cost to themselves. In a Facebook post, Mr Rees Mogg described the hunt as a “Drag hunt”. Mr Mogg is wrong of course – the hunt is pretending to be a “trail hunt” and not a “drag hunt”. Drag hunts are entirely different.

On 4th March, Channel 4 News covered the secret protocol between the Warwickshire Hunt and the Warwickshire Police, posing serious questions about corruption. Chief Superintendent Matt Longman, who is the country’s lead officer on fox hunting, would not endorse the protocol, and the Chief Constable refused to comment. Matt Western, MP, is raising this with James Cleverley, Secretary of State for the Home Office (believed to be pro-hunt).  West Mids Hunt sabs report that “At a meeting involving Assistant Chief Constable David Gardner and Chief Inspector Steve Davis, it was decided to take all antisocial behaviour and road traffic issues out of the hands of the Rural Crime Team and split it up between different departments within Warwickshire police” … At the same meeting it was also decided that Warwickshire Police would no longer be accepting any footage of road chaos or criminality by the Warwickshire Hunt if it (had) been submitted by hunt saboteurs. Instead, they will only accept reports from local people.”

Weymouth Animal Rights report that members of the South Dorset Hunt tried to throw a lit flare into an occupied sab vehicle.

Hounds from the Albrighton Hunt invaded the playground of a school for special educational needs.

The Holderness Hunt are under investigation by the police for wildlife crimes on three separate occasions (reported by Hull Wildlife Protectors).

The Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt will close at the end of the next season.

Hunt Fails

On 24th February, Thurlow Hunt  were in disarray as police from the Cambridgeshire and Suffolk Constabulary showed up, much to the delight of North London Hunt Saboteurs. The hit report said, “You see, a hunt will only want the police present if they are confident of co-opting the officers as their private security – and those days are long gone for this organised wildlife crime gang.”

When sabs turned up at the Dummer Beagles (Gloucestershire) hare hunt, they packed up immediately. There is no smokescreen available to make hare hunting criminality look as though it is a legal activity.

London Hunt Sabs report that they sabbed the DeBurgh and East Essex Bassetts on 9th March. The Hunt did pack up, but not before one of the group of hare hunters attacked a sab and attempted to steal her camera. The police attended and are investigating.

Northants Hunt Sabs give a graphic description of the arrest of masked Cottesmore Hunt thugs by the Leicestershire Police. The police also seized the pick-up truck used by the thugs and by the hunt to tow the hound trailer.  Pleasing photos included the pick-up truck being removed and of a thug in handcuffs.  Later in the day there was another attack on the sabs, who report that the police reacted swiftly.

The Madresfield Estate in Wiltshire has banned hunts from their land.

The Southdowns and Eridge Hunt and the East Sussex and Romney Marsh Hunt have lost their Hunt Ball venue, after a great deal of public pressure. Pangdean Barn decided that they really didn’t want them tarnishing the name of the business.

The Fox Inn cancelled the Albrighton and Woodland Hunt’s end of season social. This came after pressure from West Midlands Hunt sabs and AAF Midlands.

On Tuesday 5th March, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Alexander Hamilton, a former game keeper, was found guilty of cruelty and received a 100 hour community service order. He pleaded guilty to trapping magpies in illegal traps in his garden. The birds were distressed and also deprived of adequate food, water and shelter.

On Saturday, a hunted stag escaped from the Devon and Somerset Staghounds and their followers, into the Baronsdown Sanctuary, owned by the League Against Cruel Sports. The stag was chased down the road, amid traffic, by a person on a quad bike. This, of course, is totally illegal.

Hunt Violence

On 2nd March, members of the Radnor Hunt slashed tyres on Herefordshire Hunt Sabs’ vehicle. A dash cam recorded the crime,  and the police are now involved.

Similarly, again on 2nd March, the Jedforest Hunt slashed a tyre on Glasgow Hunt Sabs vehicle.

Weymouth Animal Rights (WAR) report that members of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt not only attacked them, but “seemed to even square up with police”.  In their report, WAR explicitly thank the Dorset Police Rural Crime Team for taking the issues seriously.

Wiltshire Hunt Sabs videoed an attack on sabs by Beaufort Hunt riders and their kennelman. Police attended. According to the sabs “There was outrage on the faces of hunt support when they saw the police speaking to us. They should be worried, the tide is now turning for the hunts and their deranged supporters.”

A new group has formed –  Somerset Sabs. We wish them well.

More Hunt behaviour

On 28th February, the Catterick Beagles were caught being hosted by Aysgarth School, a private establishment.  A teacher and about 20 pupils watched the criminal hunting of hares. 

In last week’s Newsbyte, we reported on a hunt rioting through a field of pregnant sheep.  A further report has been received: “The ** Hunt did this yesterday resulting in the sheep to have a miscarriage and die… the photos are quite gruesome though. The farmer won’t report it to the police, though, as he rents the farm from the head of the ** Hunt.” (sic).”  The name of the Hunt involved has been deleted to ensure there is no come back on the farmer.

Campaigns

Do you live in a rural area? Let your MP, or election candidates, know that you live in the countryside and you don’t support hunting of any kind. Don’t let the pro hunting lobby get away with the lie that all rural people either go hunting, support hunting or make their living by it. it is CRUCIAL that we get the message out there. We’ll even send a postcard to your MP for you. It couldn’t get much easier. 

AAF Midlands are stepping up their campaign to stop pro-hunt Phillip Seccombe from being re-elected as Police Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire Police. He has been instrumental in the underhand “secret protocol” that has been agreed between Warwickshire Police and Warwickshire Hunt. Want to get involved? Send us a message. 

AAF are asking their followers to contact Natural England to ask them to take action against the Warwickshire Hunt which frequently hunts within Woolford Wood. Woolford Wood is an SSSI, and has special protections under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Thank you to all the saboteur and monitor groups whose hit reports we have used in our Newsbyte. Please let us know if we have made any mistakes – info@actionagainstfoxhunting.org