Hundreds of suspected illegal fox hunts took place in UK over month, group says

Hundreds of “bloodthirsty and shameful” suspected illegal fox hunting incidents took place across the UK in just over a month, according to an animal welfare charity.

The League Against Cruel Sports said new figures show there were 303 combined incidents of hunt havoc and illegal hunting in just five and a half weeks between November 1 and December 7.

The group said the figures, released to coincide with the Boxing Day fox hunt parades, the biggest day in the hunting calendar, show the “negative impact” the practice has on wildlife and rural communities.

Fox hunting was banned in England and Wales following the introduction of the Hunting Act 2004, which came into force a year later.

But drag hunting, where hounds are trained to follow an artificial scent, is permitted under the legislation.

However, the group said there were 78 reports of a fox being visibly pursued, with eight reported kills and three suspected kills in November and the first week of December.

The counties with the highest combined totals of suspected illegal hunting and hunt havoc were Dorset (39), Yorkshire (30), Somerset (22) Warwickshire (21) and Gloucestershire (19).

In Yorkshire, there were nine reports of suspected illegal hunting, and 21 incidences of hunt havoc, with groups using railways and busy roads, as well as worrying livestock.

Emma Judd of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “People will see the hunts out today in Yorkshire and not know that behind the finery is a so-called sport that sees public lives endangered on roads and railways and livestock worried by out-of-control hounds.

“Our figures released today evidence the negative impact hunting has on rural communities and show clearly that it is time for change. Only by strengthening the law on hunting can communities, wildlife and rural values be protected.”

She added: “The bloodthirsty and shameful ‘sport’ of fox hunting is massively unpopular with the Yorkshire electorate who want to see hunting laws strengthened, and it’s time Government came on board with public opinion.”

More than 200 hunts are to parade routes through high streets up and down the UK as they have done for hundreds of years on Boxing Day, with meets taking place at 10.45am before following artificial trails laid across the countryside.

Polly Portwin, the head of the Countryside Alliance’s Campaign for Hunting, said the meets offer an important day of trade for rural businesses and trail hunting was part of the fabric of rural life.

She said: “The League Against Cruel Sports has spent the last 20 years making ridiculous claims about hunting in a bid to justify its existence, yet nearly every time it makes allegations to the police or a court they are found to be false.

“There have been hundreds of thousands of days of legal trail hunting carried out by hunts since the Hunting Act came into force.

“Only someone with extremely warped priorities could think that with the country facing a cost of living crisis, the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and political instability that now is a good time to start discussing hunting legislation.”