For those of us who detest foxhunting, this is great news. A spokesman for the Atherstone Hunt said that hunting activities would cease with immediate effect. The reason appears to be the attritional effect of a long-running battle with hunt saboteurs which has made fox hunting untenable.
The saboteurs said that the decision marked an historic moment and claimed that the group had faced harassment and extreme provocation and violence from those involved with the hunt. Saboteurs claim that many hunting groups break the law which banned fox hunting in 2004.
“We witnessed them kill numerous foxes in front of us but that only made us more determined. Fox hunting is cruel and barbaric and has no place in the 21st-century.”
David Graham of the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs.
David Graham said that they had caught the hunt killing foxes and vowed to shut down more hunts. Chris Packham, the TV presenter and naturalist said:
“Good riddance, top work. Let’s move onto the next one.”
Chris Packham
Videos have shown activists and hunt saboteurs brawling in a country lane. There have been other rather unpleasant interactions between saboteurs and hunt participants. The saboteurs gained the upper hand and a piece of British history has come to an end – and about time too. It is an outdated pastime founded on animal cruelty. There is no place for it in the 21st century as stated.
