Bad News for HuntS
Essex Farmers Hunt cancelled their meets for 04/03/23 and 6/03/23 The Community Protection Warning, recently issued by Essex Police, prevented their usual law-breaking activities. Suffolk and Essex Hunt Sabs and North London Hunt Sabs worked alongside the police to achieve the CPN.
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Manchester Hunt Sabs paired with the Staffordshire Hunt Sabs to pay the final sabbing visit not just for this season, but forever, to the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt. It seems to be a generally held view that this hunt is now finished forever. Its demise has now finally been confirmed by BBC news. Strange that it should go with scarcely a whimper. 230 years of history consigned to the bin.
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The demise of the Renfrew and Lanarkshire Hunt was announced and Glasgow Hunt Sabs give a very good account of its long but continuous decline.
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All these hunts are no longer with us.
Renfrew and Lanarkshire
Fife Foxhounds,
Avon Vale,
Meynell and South Staffordshire.
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The Hunting Office (renamed as the BHSA) ejected two men from their organisation after they were videoed releasing foxes in front of hounds from the Avon Vale Hunt. The release of this video signalled the end of this hunt. It would appear that the senior master of the Avon Vale Hunt (Mike Smith) has also been disciplined by the BHSA and he too has now been permanently banned. Mike Smith has been hunting for over 60 years.
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For various reasons (all bad from the hunts point of view), Norfolk & Suffolk Hunt Sabs were able to say in very bold letters, “no hunts out in Norfolk today.” These sabs have worked with the police, and are grateful to the Norfolk Rural Crime Team.
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The National Trust has decided not to renew the grouse shooting licence at Park Hall in Derbyshire. That should deny the shooting industry of about 1600 acres of Moorland.
Police
Essex Police have issued a Community Protection Warning against the Essex Farmers Hunt.
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In a week that was already charged with significant developments, Cheshire Hounds had an unpleasant surprise on Sat 04/03/23. The police were present at their meet with three cars, three scrambler bikes and a drone. The scrambler bikes did indeed go off road and the police witnessed for themselves, and almost certainly had it on their own cameras, a fox being pursued by hounds that were as close as 20 feet behind it. It dived into a sett in the nick of time and its life was saved. Sabs guarded the sett instantly. Perhaps with encouragement from the police, the hunt packed up at about 14:45, somewhat earlier than expected.
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Northamptonshire Police have issued a Community Protection Warning to a supporter of the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt. She has also been given a Conditional Caution for the offence of section 5 Public Order. She was using her car in an aggressive manner and blocking the road.
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Wiltshire Hunt Sabs organised a demonstration outside the Wiltshire Police headquarters in Devizes. It was well attended and peaceful. They were protesting that Wiltshire Police had officers that engaged in criminal activity. (ie, hunting).
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The petition that you were asked to sign last week has reached 25,000+ signatures. If you haven’t already signed please do so. Wiltshire Police really do need to know that their interpretations of “standards” is not acceptable. Once again, here is the link.
https://www.change.org/p/protect-wiltshire-wildlife-rural-crime-officer-has-links-to-the-hunt?
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Herefordshire Hunt Sabs report that a quad was seized by the Warwickshire Rural Crime Team. It would appear the quad was associated with a hunt.
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On Saturday (11/03/23) Cheshire Police were called to the Wynnstay Hunt. They turned up with cars and drone and spoke with support vehicles and quads and, we understand, Lord Daresbury too. (This is in marked contrast as to how the police handled the recent Mendip Farmers Hunt which met at the home of Mr Rees-Mogg.) The hunt managed half an hour of hunting before they left the area in peace. This may be the first time a hunt has been thwarted purely by police intervention, and with no participating role from sabs or monitors.
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Convictions, prosecutions and investigations
On 05/09/20 Chris Mardles, the whipper-in with the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt, rode down a sab leaving them with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, broken collarbone and a shattered shoulder blade. Mr Mardles was charged with section 18, Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH). He denied any guilt until his court case this morning (Tuesday 14/03/23) when he changed his plea to guilty. Sentencing will occur on 25/04/23.
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Sarah Bliss, huntswoman with the Cotswold Hunt, pleaded guilty to boarding dogs at her home address without a licence and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. A dog was neglected and subsequently died from heat stroke. She was fined £2000.
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Stewart Masters, a member of the South Dorset Hunt, attended court on 15th March 2023 where he was found guilty of careless driving, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident. Sentencing will be carried out next month. On 12th Feb 2022, he deliberately ran into a sab from Weymouth Animal Rights with his vehicle.
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Three men are due to appear in court in connection with an allegation of illegal fox hunting in North Dorset. It follows an investigation by Dorset Police Rural Crime Team into an incident involving the Portman Hunt on Thursday 15 September 2022. Tom Lyle, Marcus Boundy and Mark Pearson, all from the Blandford area, must appear in Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 7 June 2023 for an offence of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.
Hunt Behaviour
Herefordshire Hunt Sabs report that two quads, probably from a hunt, collided on 4th March. Drink-driving may have been the cause. Terriers were retrieved from one vehicle before the drivers and passengers fled the scene. The police retrieved both of the vehicles, which were overturned on a road. An investigation has begun.
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On 4th March, the Burton Hunt (Lincs) lost control of their hounds and they ran straight onto the busy A46 road.
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On 4th March, members of the Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt smashed the windows of West Kent Hunt Sabs’ vehicle.
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Phillip Hague is a member of the BHSA (formerly the Hunting Office), the board that issued advice that terriers work should not occur until a review had taken place. Mr Hague was present at a joint meet of the Vale of White Horse Hunt and the Cotswold Hunt, and they were using quads with terriers. BSHA board members do not follow their own advice.
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MOD have clear rules concerning dogs on Defence Estate land. The rules, there to protect ground nesting birds, are regularly ignored by the Royal Artillery Hunt. Ben Wallace (Minister of Defence) facilitates the RA’s use of the Defence Estate. He had hoped that the RA could continue to do whatever they liked on MOD land, (once he’d seen off the League Against Cruel Sports and their pesky Memorandum of Understanding), but Wiltshire Hunt Sabs were there and witnessed this selfish and rule-breaking behaviour anyway.
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Rees-Mogg
Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg hosted the Mendip Farmers Hunt along with the transferees (Ben Pethers and Stuart Radbourne) from the Avon Vale Hunt at his home (Gournay Court) in West Harptree. There is a photograph of one of his children out with the hunt. When questioned about it by a consituent, Mr Rees-Mogg advised that it’s best not to challenge hunts in case we make things worse. What he meant by that is a complete mystery.
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Sab Successes
New Sab Group
There is a new group affiliated to the HSA. It is the Salisbury Plain Hunt Sabs. Welcome to the fold.
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Sabs got wind of the fact that the Ilminster Beagles had organised a week long hare coursing festival. The festival did not run as smoothly as the organisers hoped. Need we say more!
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Northants Hunt Sabs report that at the end of the day, the East Essex Hunt laid what was probably a genuine trail. The hunt had hoped that the sabs would stop the hounds, and then they could claim aggravated trespass. However, the ruse was spotted and the plan failed.
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West Cornwall Hunt sabs continue to post their hilarious Sh*t Reports. After their fine, the Western Hunt are being forced to clear up after their hounds. On 4th March, hounds repeatedly relieved themselves along the same stretch of road, and twice, the huntswoman had to get off her horse and deploy a poo bag. with the sabs watching and laughing from their vehicle. Sadly, she ran out of poo bags, and when the hounds once again obliged, the hunts woman used her hands and a very large carrier bag.
Thank you for reading. If you spot any errors, or would like to add anything, please contact Pip on info@actionagainstfoxhunting.org.
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To see a round-up of all Prosecutions, Convictions, Investigations and Bans, click here.
