Fox hunting incident ruins tourist’s holiday
Martin Shipton
A tourist had her holiday in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park ruined when she saw hounds from a fox hunt chase an exhausted and terrified fox.
The holidaymaker, whose first name is Susannah and who comes from near Windsor in Berkshire, witnessed the fox running for its life with hounds from the Sennybridge Farmers Hunt on its trail, by a set of holiday homes near the National Show Caves Centre for Wales, which attracts tourists from all over the world.
Although she didn’t see it, Susannah believes the fox may have been caught and torn apart by the hounds as she later heard the chilling sound of the dogs in cry, the noise they make when they go in for the kill.
Disturbed
Susannah said: “I was extremely disturbed when I saw the fox being chased by the hounds. The poor thing looked terrified and completely exhausted, its tongue hanging out – it didn’t look right at all.
“I don’t think it got away as I later heard the sound of hounds baying by the caves.
“This shows we need a proper national ban as otherwise fox hunting is never going away.”
John Petrie, senior campaigns manager for the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It’s time for change and for fox hunting laws to be strengthened, with so-called trail hunting banned, loopholes in the law removed, and custodial sentences introduced for those that break the law.
“In the meantime we need national park authorities across Wales and England to do everything in their power to prevent fox hunts from rampaging across our land.”
The incident, which has been reported to the police, took place early in the morning on Wednesday, September 25.
Cub hunting
The timing of the incident is consistent with the barbaric practice of cub hunting in which hunt hounds are taught to kill young foxes in preparation for the fox hunting season beginning in November.
A man belonging to the hunt who came in a car to pick up the hounds after the incident claimed the hunt was trail hunting.
Trail hunting has been described by Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, the most senior police officer in England with responsibility for fox hunting crime, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”. He also described illegal hunting as “prolific”.
Mr Petrie added: “Currently we are getting distressing reports from across Wales and England of incidents involving the barbaric practice of cub hunting, something which will horrify the vast majority of the public.
“The courts and police need new powers to tackle the brutal blood sport of fox hunting – the government needs to publish a timetable of when it is going to strengthen hunting laws and finally consign this sordid activity to the history books.”
“Fox hunting was banned when the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005 but the hunting world invented so called trail hunting, though this has become increasingly discredited and revealed as an attempt to deceive the public, police and courts.”
The incident was reported by Susannah to the League’s Animal Crimewatch service which enables the public to report incidents of animal cruelty.
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Another “it was an accident that is why we ride with hounds that have ones use but it was an accident. Honest officer” (one secret handshake later case dropped).
Ban riding out with the pack.
There are some weird people out there who get a buzz from being bloody nasty. Perhaps they should be turned loose once in a while and hunted to exhaustion by a pack of doberman or XL bullies. Should sharpen their sense of empathy.
The dogs bit was never going to work. They can still go for a ride on a Sunday and even dress up if they want. Just no dogs.
Surely this is something the Senedd could legislate on in Cymru? If it can legislate for a default 20mph speed limit in built up areas surely it could legislate for a ban on cruel sports?
Whatever is the case, it’s further evidence that Cymru needs more powers of primary legislation and devolution of the justice system in its entirety so that we can decide our own penalties for such crimes to be served in our own prison system, with this kind of crime among the more heinous and so deserving of a custodial sentence.
Our prisons are too full that luxury.
I’d be happy to see a prosecution, a hefty fine and loss of ability to keep dogs.
But the Police choose not to act and the CPS are incompetent
As Oscar Wild said “The unspeakable in full pursuit of the inedible”
They know what the law is, if they can’t control their dogs, the packs should be destroyed, like any other out of controll animal that worries sheep or attacks a smaller dog.
I thought fox hunting was now banned and against the law. So who are these people who get away with it?
I know. They are probably judges, magistrates, solicitors, high-ranking police officers etc. on horseback….. the untouchables.
Having been a magistrate for many years, I have never come across one who was a fox hunter. Please rephrase. But I’ve known magistrtaes who fell foul of the law in other ways and they certainly didn’t get off. If anything you get clobbered harder if you are a JP!
One of the distinctive problems around this issue, I suspect, is that senior police officers often mix socially with the sort of folk who like to ride with hounds, and that’s how certain transgressions get ‘winked at’.
Headline: “Fox hunting incident ruins tourist’s holiday”. What about changing that to “Fox hunting incident ruins fox’s life”.
Punishment should be that the offenders replace the foxes and are chased by hounds until they collapse from exhaustion and are torn apart. It seems only fair to me.
Anyone who participates in or supports fox hunting are disgusting individuals.
Croeso i gefn gwlad,y mechan i.
Geid di gadw e os fel’yn maen nhw’n ymddwyn. Barbaric and unwarranted. Tradition and debunked “control” are no arguments for keeping packs of dogs to kill wild animals. I thought we were better than this. I’d expect it from certain types in a country not far from here. But in Wales? In 2024? Cywilyddus.