Category: General Election 2015

British hunting atrocities going unpunished

24/4/2015

Op-Ed: On the 8th Nov 2014, the Fife fox hunt was involved in a disturbing and grisly dig out. The incident happened near their kennels just South of Ceres.

A fox was chased into a badger sett and a terrier was forced into the hole. As the fox was being dug out, the terrier still fastened onto the fox’s face was pulled out too. The terrier refused to let go. The Whipper-in was pulling on the fox’s back leg and tail so hard that part of the animal’s tail came off in the grisly tug of war. He then stood on the fox’s throat, and as the fox lay choking in its own blood the terrier was removed. The footage is horrific. Someone can be heard to say ‘shoot it in the belly’, and the fox was shot between the legs of the whipper-in. There is some dispute as to whether the fox was actually dead when it was thrown to the hounds to be torn apart. Sadly the hunt saboteurs were just too late to save this poor tortured animal from its horrific end.

A spokesperson for the saboteurs summed it up this way,

“With all the footage caught the police did not act on any complaints made as the SSPCA said the footage was 'harsh' but not illegal, letting this murder go unpunished as they are too scared to act.”

Judge for yourself, but be warned the footage is graphic. http://www.huntsabs.org.uk/index.php/news/press-releases/553-the-drawn-out-death-of-a-fox-by-fife-foxhounds

December 2014, and the Fife hunt again. This incident happened near Cupar. This time the hunt terrier men were involved in a potentially lethal standoff which was played out between the Grampian Hunt saboteurs and the terrier men who follow the Fife hunt. The incident took place on a farm where a terrified fox was chased into a hole by the mounted hunt. The bloodthirsty band of terrier men armed with spades was not far behind. Their intention was, as always, to end the life of a harmless fox by digging it out and shooting it. Fortunately the Grampian saboteurs were on hand to remind the men that it is illegal to dig into the active badger sett where the fox was hiding.

A bizarre standoff ensued, with the terrier boys attempting to bully the sabs away from the sett so that they could begin the grisly work of digging out the poor fox. Whilst the sabs were at the hole protecting the fox, one of their number was walking up the hill towards the others. Two separate videos show one of the terrier men snap his gun up and point it in the direction of the saboteur for a few seconds before storming off to join his friends at the hole.

The police were called and enquiries were made. It comes as no surprise to discover that after interviewing both sides, and in spite of the incident being captured on two separate cameras, the sabs were accused by the hunt of editing the footage, and the gun man was found by the police to have acted responsibly throughout. No charges were brought.

SURREY UNION FOXHUNT this time.
On the 31st of December the Surrey police were called by saboteurs about a fox kill following a drag hunt. And, true to form the police sided with the hunt. The Sabs had this to say on their Face Book page,

‘After years of not investigating assaults on saboteurs and doing nothing about constant illegal hunting, the Surrey police have sunk to a new low and without any investigation have issued a statement saying that the fox killed on New Year’s Eve accidentally crossed a false trail laid by the hunt, and the killing was accidental hunting.’

The saboteurs report as to their version of events has been copied in full,

“We started off with the hunt by Redhill plantation, with 3 vehicles and two motorbikes out we covered the area well. The hunt milled about in the area for a little while whilst sabs covered various exit points. One of the hunt buggies later tried to run a Sab down upon leaving the farm - this buggy had no front registration and was carrying passengers on a public road (illegal?) As the hunt left, so did we, unfortunately there wasn't a lot of public footpaths so we had to keep eyes on the hunt from a distance. We lost the hunt momentarily however a Sab heard the hounds in cry so notified us of the position at Hook Lane opposite New Barn Farm. As we arrived we looked down through the woods and seen 4 hounds, as we got closer one of the sabs noticed a fox laying lifeless on the ground with hounds still attacking (we have video evidence)We quickly moved down to retrieve the fox for evidence and to get the hounds off whilst the police were on route. We scouted around the area taking pictures of blood marks and fur that was scattered around, fur was found on fencing approx 100 meters from the kill with a clear struggle path which shows the fox was chased. The body was still warm and shortly after placing him/her in the land rover he/she released their bowels proving a fresh kill. Masked up terrier men arrived soon after to pick up the body of the fox (thus destroying evidence) without knowing we got there first.

From the post mortem: "The vet observed that the fox had been killed by a large mammal, most likely a large dog with numerous puncture wounds to legs, throat and flank - most significant was a massive trauma to the rib cage that had crushed it and separated it."

By this time one police officer arrived on scene and really wasn't much use, this officer refused to speak to the hunt. “

Is the SURREY UNION FOXHUNT and SURREY POLICE one and the same?

Perhaps we could be forgiven for thinking so. This is the same hunt that sabs say claimed in October last year, that a deer their dogs savaged, had not been attacked at all, but had torn its belly open on a patch of brambles after saboteurs had frightened the animal into running. The sabs told a very different story of the event, they said that the hunt hounds had in fact chased the deer, which was eviscerated by the dogs before they could get there to protect it. The police were called and the hunt were questioned and vindicated on the spot. No charges were brought and the evidence, in the form of the dead deer, was left with the hunters to dispose of as they saw fit. Two sabs were arrested for trespass at the time.

This is a report of just two hunts, two hunts and yet all of this mayhem. This state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. The police MUST do what they are paid to do and uphold the Law. There are many reports from monitors and saboteurs across the UK who are telling us the same story, that the police are acting as lackeys and body guards and the hunters are getting away with murder, literally.

Related
Use your vote to end hunting cruelty forever

Resources
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/fife/video-police-called-to-tense-stand-off-between-huntsmen-and-saboteurs-in-fife-1.753230

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Use your vote to end hunting cruelty forever

14/4/2015

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Vote to end the cruelty that is hunting forever

Hunting and shooting campaigners love to pretend they are the guardians of the UK countryside. They are supported in this claim by the pro hunting press and the Countryside Alliance. The latter also likes to pretend they are the voice of the countryside, speaking out for country people on all kinds of issues. The reality is somewhat different as their real and only remit is to bring back hunting with hounds by fair means or foul.

It’s not just our harmless wildlife that suffers, extreme violence is often used against those opposed to blood -sports too. People have been killed in the fight to save animals and many more have been beaten and even hospitalised by hunters and their brutish hangers on. So why you may wonder, would an MP wish to associate with such violent and unsocial characters? It’s a worrying trait indeed to think that those who may be leading the country are themselves affiliated to the dirty affairs of the blood sports enthusiasts.

The Countryside Alliance is locked in a battle they dare not lose if they wish to remain in existence in their present form after the election on May 7th. To date they have tried every trick in the book to persuade the rest of us that killing for sport is necessary and wholesome. Poll after poll has shown that the British people are against hunting, yet undeterred they keep going with the propaganda and the dirty tricks. The current ploy used by the pro hunting set is Vote OK. Vote OK is made up of hunters and shooters who have offered to deliver leaflets, and even canvass, for prospective Tory MPs. Sounds very laudable and public spirited doesn’t it, until you learn that they do this in return for a promise from that MP to vote for repeal of the hunting Act. What is even more underhand is that hunters don’t declare on the doorstep that they are doing this in return for a favour from the MP. It’s a kind of cash for questions situation although no cash changes hands, just a promise of you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours by voting to bring back your cruel sport in return for delivering my leaflets. It obviously matters not that 80% of us don’t want the Act repealed. This way of operating is deceitful at best, at worst it smacks of bribery and corruption.

That the hunters are desperate is obvious, as a letter which has been circulated to pro hunt groups on FaceBook shows. It is a rally call for Vote OK supporters to deliver leaflets for Neil Carmichael in the marginal seat in Stroud, where they hope their efforts will secure a pro hunt Tory win. It is one of many rally calls across the country for a huge effort in the marginals where there is chance of returning an MP who will vote for repeal.

David Cameron has already stated he will hold a free vote on repeal if the Tories are elected for a further term, and as Labour has promised to support the ban it’s no wonder the hunters are going all out to secure a Tory win.

Page 23 of the Tory manifesto states,

Disembowelled fox

"We will support countryside pursuits. We will protect hunting, shooting and fishing, for all the benefits to individuals, the environment and the rural economy that these activities bring. A Conservative Government will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government bill in government time."

This is not democratic in any way, it’s a conflict of interest, it’s the Tory blood sport enthusiasts in Parliament who are using their power and their privilege as MPs to repeal a legal, working Act which the majority of us want to remain in Law. What can those of us do who abhor the cruelty that is hunting? We can begin by challenging these doorstep pro hunting Tories. We can call them out on their underhand tactics and we can send them packing. The next thing we can do, and the most important thing, if we genuinely care about our foxes, deer, hares and badgers, is to vote Labour on May the 7th. Labour has promised to protect our wild animals, and Labour is the only party with the numbers to kick the bloodthirsty Tories out of office.

Resources
http://b.3cdn.net/labouruk/e1d45da42456423b8c_vwm6brbvb.pdf
http://www.league.org.uk/news-and-opinion/videos

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