Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue encouraging through knowledge a natural balance

fox hunting

FOX HUNTING AND US
Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue is totally opposed to "dogs killing wild mammals" for human pleasure. We do encourage the humane sports of drag hunting and lure coursing to retain all its traditions without the need for cruelty.

THE HUNTING ACT 2004 AND THE PROPOSED REPEAL

Foxes
Foxes in Your Garden
Foxy Deterrents
The Hunting Act 2004
Foxes in Urban areas
Giant Fox

LINK TO HUNTING ACT 2004 IN FULL

Extract from Lord Burns report
"The registered packs are estimated to kill some 21,000-25,000 foxes a year. About 40% of the foxes killed by the registered packs are killed in the autumn/cub hunting season. In Wales and other upland areas, a high proportion of foxes are dug out, using terriers, and shot. Outside the registered packs, many more foxes are dug out and shot or are killed by people using lurchers or other "long dogs". Some of these activities are carried out by farmers, landowners and gamekeepers. Others involve trespass."
Nobody was more please than us when the “Hunting Act 2004” was passed not because we rescue animals but because it outlawed the practice of the most heinous and savage death of wild animals by putting an end to “Cruel Sports” a concept we felt most decent people would support.
Extract from Lord Burn's report
"The evidence which we have seen suggests that, in the case of the killing of a fox by hounds above ground, death is not always effected by a single bite to the neck or shoulders by the leading hound resulting in the dislocation of the cervical
vertebrae. In a proportion of cases it results from massive injuries to the chest and vital organs, although insensibility and death will normally follow within a matter of seconds once the fox is caught. There is a lack of firm scientific evidence about the effect on the welfare of a fox of being closely pursued, caught and killed above ground by hounds. We are satisfied, nevertheless, that this experience seriously compromises the welfare of the fox"

I personally found it strange we would need an act to enforce the ban on “Cruel Sports” surely every decent person would uphold that without the need for a law. But I was wrong.
We have never understood where the chasing of one animal by often fifty hounds and seventy riders could be classified as a sport. Foxes are never aggressive and will always flee danger unfortunately this makes them perfect for chasing. Their speed, agility, endurance and cunning make the chase long and hard. They are worthy opponents in any chase but not when the odds against them are not only stacked but are non existent. I can only assume in some dark age of ignorance this practice evolved and grew into the hideous sight that was in our countryside until recently. Along with badger baiting, cock fighting and dog fighting the sport of fox hunting in his most basic form should clearly be outlawed and is repulsive to any descent person. Drag hunting is the perfect alternative with all the traditions and enjoyment of a hunt without the painful death of a fox

LINK TO FULL LORD BURNS ENQUIRY REPORT

Even if, in some strange way, you could ever try to justify the chase how could any decent human being condone the tearing apart of one animal by another under human guidance, supervision, training and control.
Ok. Yes ……..We rescue wildlife and straight away you have us as tree huggers, as irrational people, as do gooders with little knowledge and a big hole in our life.
Well I am none of the above. I love life and have a very full one. I believe in balance and control and rescue wildlife to address that balance.
At our wildlife rescue we simply give wildlife a second chance. We give talks within schools to encourage the preservation of our planet and help young children to grasp the concept of conservation and value our wildlife.
None of the above clouds my view as to what is right and what is wrong.
We have given advice on the humane removal of foxes on many occasions and are well aware of and support the balance being maintained in both directions. We do not support the torture of an animal for the pleasure of man.
We also, as a rescue, understand foxes and know that hunting doesn't actually control numbers. If you remove a fox another will take its place, they are territorial and the size of their territory depend only on the food supply.
A fox hunt doesn't reduce the number of foxes. In the 2001 outbreak of BSB when fox hunting stopped the number of foxes didn't rise, a survey was commissioned by the RSPCA and published in Nature confirming this. It is not an acceptable, realistic or even a successful form of fox control.
The Hunting Act was passed in 2004 and was very clear........... No "Cruel sports". Since then it seems that hunts have chosen to interpret it in many ways to continue their practice.
It clearly does ban fox hunting in its primitive form and I believe few decent people would argue with that. Just like Badger Baiting, CockFighting and Dog fighting its a "cruel sport".
It doesn't ban the ability to control the fox population just a control that is cruel.
Prior to fox hunting holes are routinely blocked up by the hunt to prevent them being used by a fleeing fox. In theory with sticks and material. These holes can belong to badgers and the lack of air can suffocate it occupants.
To say this is a country past time as a defence is ludicrous. 75% of our population are against the the torture of foxes in that way. Drag hunting can be used as alternative with no need for the torture of an animal. Foxes can be controlled in other humane ways, a courtesy affords all creatures by any decent human being. Gang mentality has no place in our society. Badger Baiting, Cock fighting and dog fighting were all country sports but are not acceptable in this day and age. Other tradition include the village stocks, public hanging and even highway robbery!
The “Hunting Act 2004” was introduced on 18th November 2004. It received Royal assent when the speaker invoked the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. The bill didn't have approval of the House of Lords, as they preferred an act that regulated hunting dogs so it was passed without them.
The act was never policed it needed lengthy investigation with little chance of prosecution. A successful prosecution was however bought about by the League Against Cruel Sports. It was the first in England against a fox or stag hunt under the Act. They obtained video footage to support their case.
The hunt clearly didn’t adhere to the law and its seems the only uncertainty in the act is of those who seek to find loopholes to carry on this unacceptable wildlife control.
The act quite simply bans activities that parliament believe to be cruel sports.
The act does permit activities believed to be necessary for land management.
Parliament accepted rats and rabbits were pests and that hunting them was legitimate. Our MP's did not believe that there was any necessity to use dogs to hunt a mouse and believed that hare hunting was cruel, which is why these activities were not exempted from the Act.
The country side alliance would highlights this by saying the act is confusing......
"The act makes it an offence to hunt a mouse with a dog but not a rat, you can legally hunt a rabbit but not a hare. You can flush a fox to guns with two dogs legally but if you use three it's an offence. You can flush a fox to a bird of prey with as many dogs as you like."
They feel it is unclear but it isn’t it is very clear. It simple clarify's "No cruel sports".
In some areas foxes were flushed to break cover and shot. This activity is still permitted in Scotland under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002. However it was decided by our MP’s in England and Wales that this activity did result in unnecessary suffering. They stated that it would be difficult to control dogs in dense woodland.
On the 16th December the Hunting act has been challenged at the Europeans Court of Human Rights.
The hunting bans did not restrict Friend's right to assemble with other huntsmen, the judges said, and he remained free to take part in alternatives to hunting which did not involve live quarry.
"The bans had been designed to eliminate the hunting and killing of animals for sport in a manner causing suffering and being morally objectionable," the court said, announcing its judgment

LINK TO Full European Court of Human Rights decision here

The act allowed for the hunting of wild mammals with birds of prey. Something the hunts have used to their advantage as a way to carry on with the traditional fox hunt. Hawk experts doubt that it is either practical or possible to hunt with a pack and a bird of prey. Both the Golden Eagle or Eagle Owl’s currently used are unlikely to pursue a fox that is in turn being pursued by a pack of dogs. I agree.
In spite of this over 50 hunts have Golden Eagles and Eagle Owls saying that they are now complying with the law. No one has filmed these magnificent bird catching a fox.

Underground hunting is when nets are put over an earth and a terrier is sent in to chase out the fox .
The act requires that any hunting below ground must comply with several conditions.
Activities must be "for the purpose of preventing or reducing serious damage to game birds or wild birds which a person is keeping or preserving for the purpose of their being shot." (Ironic that these people are protecting birds from the fox that they themselves intend to shoot for pleasure!)
The person using the dog must have written proof that they own the land or have permission to be there. The permission must be available on request. Only one dog may be used underground at any one time.
Reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that the mammal is flushed as soon as found and that the mammal is shot as soon as flushed. It ensures the manner in which the dog is used complies with a code of practice and the dog must be under sufficient control so as not to prevent this, and that the dog is also not injured.
Drag hunting is still allowed, this is where you lay a sent for the hound to follow.
So all the tradition and ceremony of the hunt still - there just no blood.

The Drag hunts around the country are well supported.
If hunts continues to lay trails of fox blood and urine they will always stumble on foxes, if they lay synthetic scents and train their hounds on this scent we will not see the constant "apologies" from the hunts. So you see the Act is simple and clear it “prevents cruel sports” no if's and but's that what it does.
Whether you are pest control or wildlife rescue cruel sports and unnecessary pain and suffering to wildlife has no place in this century.
I defy anyone to say that pursuing a fox with a pack of hounds for sometime and then tearing a fox to pieces is not cruel.

It is quite clearly why the Hunting Act 2004 came into being banning cruel sports because unbelievably some people feel cruel sports has a place in our society...............It does not .
Please do not support a repeal of this act. This is a reality. Contact your local MP to see where they stand on the issue.
This is a real issue and Repeal is possible. We would like to see a public referendum as statistics show that most of our population are against it.

Anne Brummer
Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue