Prior to 2004 (when Fox hunting was banned) a rough estimate of around 20,000 Foxes were killed annually by organised hunting.
However, more than a staggering 33,000 Badgers were culled in England and Wales in 2017.
It is well documented that Foxes do a lot of harm to farm animals and fowl. I myself once had a whole Chicken-run-full of birds killed over night; I think I lost 20-ish, and was not happy!
Badgers, on the other hand do no direct harm to animals; they are mostly veggies. There are, of course, serious arguments about Bovine TB, but it is far easier to inoculate herds of cattle en masse, than it is to hunt down individual Badgers.
Why, therefore, do we still see hoards of urban snowflake anti-hunt saboteurs out in the fields trying to cause trouble for riders who are simply following the trail of some stinking sack? None of these so-called animal lovers seem to bother about the daily shootings, and poisonings, of innocent Badgers.
Could it be that the people who ride-out on horseback whilst wearing smart clothes, are the REAL target of this transparent class hatred? As I mentioned above; the actual hunting of Foxes is now banned, so there is no real reason for the saboteurs to be there.
These 'friends of Le Corbyn' obviously prefer to protest about a group of people riding-out together, than to wave their copies of The Morning Star at those who slaughter Bill Badger and his ilk (which is probably undertaken by 'working class comrades' in cloth caps and gumboots).
Yet another example of urban v rural socialist hypocrisy.
I agree with you but would like to add that fox hunting is a day out for the unwashed SJWs. Hunts did breed foxes which was a bit silly. Your badger looks like road kill to me. Gay marriage and culling badgers were a couple of Cameron's greatest achievements. The referendum was his finest and his swansong.
ReplyDeleteBreeding their own Foxes sounds both ridiculous and pointless. Much of the point was to reduce the population by taking-out the old and infirm. Out here the hunters breed their own Pheasants, let them go, then shoot them still on the ground, all in one morning.
DeleteSums up the state of Britain when we find ourselves identifying the two greatest achievements of a government being gay marriage and culling of badgers.
DeleteThe reason the hunt saboteurs are still active is because fox hunting continues despite it being illegal. It is a 'sport' loved by the wealthy who have the local law enforcement in their pockets. I understand farmers needing to protect their livestock but detest it being done for fun. It sickens me. (That also goes for dog fighting at the other end of the social scale.)
ReplyDeleteThe followers of the hunt are not hunting 'for fun'. The Master and The Whipper-in are the two people who organise the actual hunting on behalf of farmers who invite them onto their land; the others are all simply there to ride-out with each other. There are many misconceptions about hunting.
DeleteBalaclava clad louts with weapons, hunt saboteurs. The fox means nothing to them.
DeleteThey are there to express their anger (towards the world in general). Mistakenly, hunting offer a perfect opportunity.
DeleteIsn't rather a lot of cruelty involved towards foxes during a hunt? I can't imagine the terror produced by being pursued by hounds and in the back of their minds, their young. If the number of foxes is out of control, then humanely cull them. They are not much lower on any scale than our domesticated dogs. Oh, and Comrade, I thoroughly approve of the harassment of those in hunting pink. Your point about badgers is apt and what happened was outrageous. I am disappointed to learn that it is clearly still happening.
ReplyDeleteHunting Foxes is now banned in the UK (since 2004). Previously a Fox was killed in a couple of seconds; being usually either old or infirm. Culling by other methods is often very cruel. I'm not sure why anyone should 'harrass' the horse riding community; I guarantee they wouldn't try it at The Grand National.
DeleteWe (inadvertently) saw the Boxing Day hunt at Petworth the other week. It was quite a visual and aural spectacle. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I have been hunting once in my teens well before it became a political act. I was invited and lent a horse and thought it would be an experience and it was exhilarating and exciting, But then I've catapulted rabbits to skin and eat and caught wild salmon in Scotland in my wild foraging days. In my garden in the Surrey Hills I have regular visits from badgers, foxes and roe deer and roe deer in particular are becoming a real problem at the allotment and dividing opinion. At the beginning of my allotment career (almost 20 years ago) there were several oldies with shot gun licences (including the local butcher) who would shoot. This no longer happens, partly because the fields behind our allotment site are now used for "horsiculture". We visited the Ditchling museum of Arts and Crafts the other day and I bought a small woodcut made and printed by a local artist titled "Dashing Fox". It epitomises everything I love about foxes - surely one of our most appealing wild animals.
ReplyDeleteWatching the hunt go by was part of my Surrey upbringing. The people who followed on horseback were not blood-hungry sadists, just ordinary folk who enjoyed a day out riding with others. I am very much wildlife friendly, but even I understand that certain wild animals need to be 'managed' for their own good. I'm afraid that many of the saboteurs are very blinkered in their attitude.
DeleteI know the master of a big hunt in Oxfordshire. His father-in-law told me that he continued to hunt actual foxes ever since the ban, and has been prosecuted for it twice on the rare occasions that hunt sabs were in the right place to witness it. He just paid the enormous fines and carried on hunting. He is extremely wealthy and hunts on his own land. I would not ever go hunting for pleasure, mainly because I would find it too exciting, not relaxing. Whenever a fox kills all the chickens or pheasants in a pen, it is always the human's fault for not fox-proofing it. If foxes were really clever, they would return every night for one more bird, but they are not programmed for that.
ReplyDeleteMy Chicken run was extremely Fox proof. The wire netting was buried a foot underground, and the sides were about 6 ft high. The wee bugger just climbed over the top.
DeleteI love the pageantry of the Hunt. I would be sad to see it disappear but I don't approve of any live animal being hunted down for sport.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the 'upper class pageantry' that they don't like, now that the actual hunting has been banned.
DeleteI'm afraid you are slightly wrong about badgers,whilst I would never condone culling, their numbers are so high sometimes that they are just as dangerous to poultry as foxes are
ReplyDeleteI believe they have to be extremely hungry to eat 'meat'.
DeleteFox hunting may be banned on paper, but reality is it goes on as before!. Treated as a jolly hockey sticks outing, to kill a trophy fox as a sport!. Land owners don,t care hardly ever get caught. Fines are just pocket change to those that hunt!.
ReplyDeleteDrag hunting 'theoretically' should be exactly that, but a few hounds will always chase a Fox if they pick up the scent. My own dog chases Deer and Wild Boar almost daily.
DeleteEven in the best hunts in the land like the Quorn they would hunt and never see a fox.
DeleteIf you listened to a saboteur, you'd think that Foxes and their Cubs where being torn to shreds every few seconds. They love to perpetuate the myths,
DeleteReading through all these comments Cro just makes me realise that the arguments will run and run - nobody will ever agree. So I shall continue to enjoy seeing our local hunt - they rarely catch a fox anyway - the fox is a wily creature.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing we can all agree on, Weave, is that you'll never hear a saboteur criticising the Fox for killing Hens or Lambs.
DeleteA word of warning. I was roundly criticized at Christmas dinner by my 15 year old granddaughter for using the word "snowflake". I can only use it to describe the weather.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a modern, vaguely insulting word, that describes the seemingly 'do-gooder' lefties that turn-up everywhere that shows a hint of Toryism. I agree, it's a horrible word, and I shan't use it again.
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