NEWS AND OPINION-UK: This news item has just been released. It shows once again the brutality of foxhunting which has been banned in the UK but which is sometimes circumvented using illegal practices by some foxhunting groups. At this moment this is an allegation please note. But there is video evidence.
The Cotswold Fund has been suspended from the British Pound Sports Association while the police investigate the footage that you see on this page. It shows a female fox, a vixen, that was possibly lactating at the time, being rescued from a bag.
The bag had been buried in what appears to be a specially prepared hole of some sort. It is believed that the fox was in the hole in preparation to be turned out or released during a hunt meet.
In other words, the vixen had been buried alive while possibly lactating. The very height of animal cruelty if it is proved to be true.
The video clip was sent to Channel 4 News. It was captured on the grounds of the Miserden Estate. The video shows wildlife rescuers pulling the live fox from a bag that had been buried as mentioned.
The fox was found, according to The Times report, after a member of the mounted hunt called hounds away from the area on March 18 this year.
The fox was sodden with urine (and some blood) because of stress as reported by the Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch.
It is believed that the vixen was trapped underground for at least many hours or possibly days.
An immediate investigation has been started by the British Pound Sports Association which represents the sport’s governing bodies.
A spokesperson for that organisation said:
“If there is any evidence of illegal activity or a breach of the BHSA’s core principles, the matter will be referred to the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority.”
Comment: that sounds like a cover-up to me. It is the organisations policing themselves. That’s not going to do for me.
You might know that foxhunting was outlawed in England and Wales by Tony Blair’s Hunting Act 2004. Since that time there has been 430 prosecutions.
Foxhunters are meant to use trail hunting as a substitute in which the dogs and the riders follow an artificial scent. Animal advocates and anti-fox campaigners claim that trail hunting is a cover-up for real foxhunting with dogs.
The owner of the 3000-acre estate referred to, Nicholas Wills, said:
“The Cotswold Hunt were allowed onto the estate with the strictest understanding that they hunt within the law. We will assist with any subsequent investigation and if found guilty the hunt will no longer be welcome on the estate.”
Gloucester police are investigating the incident.