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CHAINSAW Hounds from the Warwickshire Hunt knocked a man working with a chainsaw off his ladder (31 Jan)

HOUND DEATH North London Hunt Saboteurs report on the death of a dog from the South and West Wilts Hunt. The dog was kicked in the head by a Thurlow huntsman’s “jittery” horse (the SWW and Thurlow were having a joint meet). Its injury was catastrophic, bleeding from an eye, its nose and mouth. Having been knocked out, the dog was howling and conscious when the huntsman himself scooped the dog up, and they were driven away on a quad. The dog was then shot nearby, but out of sight. NLHS were joined on the day by Suffolk And Essex Hunt Sabs, Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs, Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs, and Suffolk Action for Wildlife.

HUNT VIOLENCE On 20/01/25, a huntsman from the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale rode his horse into a sab from the North Dorset Hunt Sabs, breaking her toe. The same day the BSV rode through a red light with loose hounds, who were also running about on A-roads, running through a pub car park and a garden. Hounds were also loose close to a train track. The sab whose toe had been broken was again attacked when the same huntsman, unmounted and gathering hounds, approached her and stamped on her foot. Luckily for her, it was not the foot with the broken toe.

ILLEGAL FOX HUNTING The Four Burrow Hunt (21/01/25) was caught on film by Kernow Sabs, Monitors and Animal Rights Team, along with West Cornwall Hunt Sabs.

 

FOX KILL The Wynnstay Hunt killed on 25/01/25, just one week on from a previous kill. The remains of the fox were thrown into traffic on the road. Both its head and tail were detached – just the sort of outcome that dogs, not traffic, inflicts. Moreover, a member of the public witnessed these remains being thrown into the road, and the incident has been recorded on dashcam. The images are horrific.

DEAD FOX Out with the Essex and Suffolk Hunt on 18/01/24, South Suffolk Hunt Sabs came across a dead fox in a field through which a fox had earlier been seen fleeing. A terrier man was trying to remove its body. Sabs found no bite marks and wonder whether it died of heart failure, having been hard chased.

DIG OUT On Tuesday 04/02/25, Mendip Hunt Sabs report that they stopped terrier men from the Mendip Farmers Hunt from digging out a fox from a badger sett. Police attended, collected evidence and have been furnished with footage taken from a drone and from handheld cameras.

HUNT VIOLENCE Two female sabs from the Welsh Border Hunt Sabs were ridden down and knocked to the ground by Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt’s Joint Master, Nathan Golding. One of the sabs’ vehicles was vandalised on the same day, 21/01/25

HUNT VIOLENCE The Cottesmore Hunt used a quad bike to drive at a sab. The Northants Hunt Sabs report that the Cottesmore “gave …maximum revs and drove their quad bike straight at one sab in a targeted attack. Our member had to dive for cover and had a very lucky escape.”.  Their terriermen later threatened another sab with, “I’ll knock you out”.

LOCAL NUISANCES On 22/01/25, One Elm Farm Shop in Witney pleaded for someone to collect the hounds which were “supposed to be nowhere near our land today but the hounds are causing havoc in our yard and stopping us from what we’re doing today”.

HUNT TRESPASS A farmer and conservationist near Lifton in Devon has chosen to speak out after five hounds from the Lamerton Hunt ran amok on his land. Derek Gow’s land is a 400 acre farm, home to a conservation project for rare and endangered native species. The press claimed the Hunt had apologised to Mr Gow. Mr Gow states this is “a pack of lies”.

ROAD CHAOS  The Cotswold Hunt caused traffic disruption on a blind bend on a 60 MPH A road.

INJURED HUNT HORSE The South Suffolk Hunt Sabs Group posted video of the Essex and Suffolk Hunt out on 18/01/25 with a horse bleeding from its nose. The video references another horse seen bleeding that day. The horse’s rider said it was berry juice

DEER KILLED North London Hunt Saboteurs’ report (25/01/25) that the hounds from Puckeridge with Essex Union Hunt terrified a herd of deer. One deer was forced into the road where it was hit by a car. A member of the public took it to a vet; outcome unknown. Many locals joined forces with the sabs in disrupting the hunt and giving sabs the ‘thumbs up’.

POLICE PRESENCE Police were present at the BSV’s meet on 21/01/25, the day after the violence mentioned above (when a sab had her toe broken). The police turned up just as a fox was being chased.

POLICE PRESENCE A report by the East Yorks Coast Hunt Sabs, out on a hit with the York Sabs on the Derwent Hunt on 25/01/25 (the Hunt having made a false allegation against the sabs), contains the following:
“the officer soon realised what was going on and who needed sorting out. Calling for back-up, two additional units attended, blues and twos, the lot! (..) One officer was trying to round up hounds himself, shocked and angry at the total lack of control and care for the poor hounds on the road.”

POLICE BIAS 01/02/25, instead of dealing with the activities of the Grove and Rufford Hunt, Humberside Police threatened the sabs with the offence of aggravated trespass.

DOGS AND QUAD SIEZED. On Tuesday 04/02/25, Northants Hunt Sabs report that police seized terrier dogs and a quad bike from the Cottesmore Hunt.

HUNT IN CRISIS West Kent Hunt Sabs report that the Kent Hounds are having a crisis meeting this week as they do not appear to be able to remain a viable hunt, due to lack of finance and lack of support.

DWINDLING HUNT NUMBERS Sabs outnumbered riders at Spooners & West Devon. It’s thought Spooners may be struggling.

HARE HUNTING FESTIVAL North Dorset Hunt Sabs and Weymouth Animal Rights appear to have thwarted the start of a hare hunting festival. Unusually, the hunt did not stop all proceedings when the sabs appeared. However, later in the day, they packed up early.

GUILTY The BBC report that David Conde, a member of the South Shropshire Hunt who admitted interfering with a badger sett, has been fined £845. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £330 and costs of £85. Two other members of the Hunt pleaded not guilty to the offence of interference with a badger sett and they are to go on trial at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 12/06/25.

CHILDREN AND HUNTING A grinning child weaponised his horse and mocked sabs from West Cornwall. Adults were not far away, but appeared equally amused.

BODEN Protect the Wild report that an ex-Etonian, John (or Johnnie) Boden, who gives his name to the fashion chain “Boden“, is a patron of the Portman Hunt and a supporter of hunts in general. His goods are sold in  John Lewis and elsewhere.

 

 

Campaigns and things to do (now)

CAMPAIGNS West Midlands Hunt Sabs and AAF Midlands are planning a community meeting to bring locals together to discuss the whole sorry situation concerning Warwickshire Police and the secret protocol and what action they can take.
https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/warwickshire-community-meeting/
Anyone who’d like to support getting an independent enquiry into the police’s behaviour regarding the Warwickshire Hunt can email Yvette Cooper via public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

AAF Outreach

Outreach is our business. We need to talk to people outside of Social Media. Standing in the street, talking to people about foxhunting is easier than you might think.  Please contact Alyson Rogers, Outreach Advisor a.rogers@actionagainstfoxhunting.org and she will help you with everything you need.

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