In this packed late July fox hunting news update, reports are coming in that some hunts have started cubbing and levereting (hunting fox cubs and baby hares) early. Meanwhile, wildlife defenders are busy organising against them, through direct action in the fields and via targeted campaigning too.
Our stories this time include:
– Action Against Foxhunting Dorset has launched an e-petition calling for the Charity Commission to strip The Swannery Trust of its charitable status due to regular hunting with foxhounds on the land it manages at Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve.
– It’s bad news for North Wales as the ex-whipper-in for the notoriously violent Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) hunt has moved to the Flint and Denbigh. In April this year, Connal McGrath was convicted under Section One of the Hunting Act 2004 for allowing the BSV’s hounds to tear up a fox at Pelsham farm near Buckhorn Weston in Dorset.
– On the other hand, there’s some bad news for the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt and the Portman Hunt which were asked not to take part in an annual parade of hounds because of their recent convictions for illegal hunting. We have included a handy list of hunt appearances at upcoming country shows too.
– And there are grim reports from Belfast of makeshift traps found by a local rewilding project. These cruel contraptions were likely laid by hunters to catch foxes.
Reports of early cubbing
Reports are coming in from sabs and monitors that hunts are cubbing (hunting fox cubs) and levereting (hunting young hares) early.
Summer cubbing rarely begins before August the first and usually doesn’t get underway until mid-August.
Nonetheless, North Dorset Hunt Sabs (NDHS) reported on 28 July that the Dorset and Somerset Bassets were levereting at Armswell Farm in Mappowder. They explained that levereting is:
“the hare hunter equivalent of cubbing where the dogs are set upon the baby hares to train the dogs. Hares mainly give birth between April and October so all ages are targeted from the moment they are born. Just vile.”
Sabs’ car targeted
The Beagles soon packed up and went home when they saw that they were being monitored by not just NDHS but also wildlife defenders from Dorset Against Blood Sports (DABS) and Wildlife Crime Action who were operating a drone. They didn’t want another court case on their hands, as their huntsman is currently being prosecuted under Section One of the Hunting Act 2004 courtesy of evidence provided by NDHS, who caught them hare hunting in Bagber last year.
However, the hunt couldn’t leave without some pointless violence, with one hunt supporter trying to ram DABS’ vehicle.
‘Hound exercise’
It’s not only in Dorset that hunts appear to be starting the cubbing ‘season’ early. On 23 July Surrey Hunt Sabs received several reports that the Surrey Union Hunt was out with at least ten riders in traditional autumn hunting tweeds from 4am to 7am. The sabs posted on Facebook:
“Why would you need to be sneaking about in the early hours, disturbing the neighbours if you were just on hound exercise??
This could well be the last season of ‘trail hunting’ so we suspect all hunts will be making the most of it.”
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The government has promised that there will be a public consultation on a ban on trail hunting later this year. Protect the Wild’s Rob Pownall commented that the suspected early start to the season is due to hunts knowing that their time may be running short. He said:
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This season could turn out to be a monumentally bad one for hunting. Let’s keep the pressure up until we see an end to this barbaric practice.
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Check out Protect the Wild’s page on ‘Cubbing’
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Donate to Surrey Hunt Sabs
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Support North Dorset Hunt Sabs
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Check out Dorset Against Blood Sports
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Send a donation to Wildlife Crime Action
Action Against Foxhunting Dorset has launched an e-petition calling for the Charity Commission to strip The Swannery Trust of its charitable status due to regular hunting with foxhounds on the land it manages at Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve.
Abbotsbury Swannery is a popular tourist attraction in Dorset’s Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve. It hosts the world’s only managed colony of Mute Swans. The Swannery is owned by Lady Charlotte Townshend, a former master of the Cattistock Hunt, and managed by The Swannery Trust.
Townshend was a patron of Dorset Wildlife Trust until she had to step down in 2013 after the public raised concerns about her connections to fox hunting and the badger cull. The Townshend family also own grouse moors in Cumbria.
Abbotsbury Swannery is understandably protective of the swans, prohibiting members of the public from bringing their dogs onto its land. This restriction is even applied to assistance dogs, which the Trust says is “due to the extremely sensitive nature of the site and the close proximity of visitors to a wild population of Mute Swans within the Nature Reserve”.
However, when it comes to the Cattistock Hunt, it’s apparently fine with The Swannery Trust for the Hunt to meet at the Swannery and hunt in the Nature Reserve. The Cattistock has been witnessed hunting with foxhounds within and adjacent to the Swannery where the hounds have been recorded in the reed beds where they could disturb the swans and other wildlife.
However, when it comes to the Cattistock Hunt, it’s apparently fine with The Swannery Trust for the Hunt to meet at the Swannery and hunt in the Nature Reserve. The Cattistock has been witnessed hunting with foxhounds within and adjacent to the Swannery where the hounds have been recorded in the reed beds where they could disturb the swans
Action Against Foxhunting Dorset is calling on the Charity Commission to withdraw The Swannery Trust’s charitable status. They wrote:
“It is clear that allowing hunting with foxhounds on land managed by The Swannery Trust is incompatible with the purpose of the charity and is a flagrant conflict of interest. We therefore call on the Charity Commission for England and Wales to withdraw the charitable status of The Swannery Trust.”
Protect the Wild contacted Abbotsbury Swannery for comment, but we received no reply by the time of publication.
Support AAFD’s campaign to strip The Swannery Trust of its charitable status. Sign the petition here at Change.org.
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Check out the Action Against Foxhunting website.
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Read more about Abbotsbury Swannery on our Bloodbusiness.info database
Blackmore and Sparkford Vale whipper-in to move to the Flint and Denbigh Hunt
Connal McGrath, whipper-in for the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt (BSV) is moving to the Flint and Denbigh Hunt in North Wales.
The BSV have a reputation for committing wildlife crime and violence against sabs, monitors and members of the public alike.
Earlier this year, four members of the BSV, including McGrath, were convicted of a Hunting Act offence after North Dorset Hunt Sabs filmed drone footage of the hunt cornering and tearing up a fox in a residential house’s garden at Pelsham Farm in December 2023. The shocking footage was aired on Channel 4 and got the BSV suspended by the British Hound Sports Association for the remainder of that season. McGrath was whipper-in at the time of the killing. It was clear that he could have called off the hounds, but he didn’t.
North Wales Hunt Saboteurs (NWHS) posted on their Facebook page:
“Mcgrath likes to block public roads with his horse and intimidate sabs“
A member of Manchester Hunt Sabs commented on the post:
“You would think after being convicted, the BHSA would ensure none of their registered packs would employ a known criminal…“
BSV rap sheet
Here’s the BSV’s inglorious track record of violence and wildlife crime:
- Earlier this year the Hound Sports Regulation Authority, the regulatory arm of the British Hounds Sports Association, ruled that the BSV’s behaviour should be put under “enhanced regulatory oversight” for the following 12 months. The panel “expressed concern” that the BSV’s “standards fell short” of meeting the regulatory body’s code of conduct. It also set specific conditions relating to communications with the public and the use of terriermen. However, it stopped short of suspending the Hunt, despite their obvious disrespect for the law.
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On 9 April 2025 four BSV members – Georgie Pierce, Connal McGrath, Freddie Osborne and Andrew Osborne – were convicted under the Hunting Act for illegally killing the fox at Pelsham Farm. They were fined close to £1000 each and ordered to pay court costs.
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Charlie Mayo and Kieron Bashford pleaded guilty to willfully obstructing the highway on 3 March. Mayo is a rider for the BSV, the son of Anthony Mayo who is huntmaster. Bashford is a BSV supporter and occasional terrierman. The two BSV members had tried to block sabs from protecting a fox. Back in 2024, Mayo had been convicted of causing Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) by hitting a sab on the head with his whip.
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In March 2025, a member of the BSV was filmed threatening a council worker with a spade, while causing havoc on the road.
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Dorset Police Rural Crime Team said that it was investigating two more reports of illegal hunting by the BSV in February 2025.
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Also in February 2025, police were called after a BSV member on horseback rode into a sab from NDHS while in pursuit of a fox.
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In 2024, Dorset Police arrested two members of the BSV over attacks on sabs from NDHS. One BSV supporter was convicted of assault and theft. The arrests related to an attack on two female sabs by three masked men in October 2023. On that occasion, the women were pushed and shoved and their cameras were stolen. This assault was followed by attacks on the homes and vehicles of several hunt sabs.
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In August 2023 the BSV was filmed allowing its hounds to kill a fox, and then tear up her corpse. BSV members didn’t intervene at any point.
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Also in August 2023, the Hunt was caught blatantly cubbing.
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In 2020, a monitor from Somerset Wildlife Crime was knocked down by another member of the BSV.
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In 2014, the BSV’s Mark Dogrell trampled hunt saboteur Nid Warren with his horse, leaving her with serious injuries.
With a rap sheet like that, you might have imagined that the Flint and Denbigh would have thought twice about hiring McGrath (although regular readers of our news updates frankly won’t be shocked at all).
It is sad but not surprising that the Flint and Denbigh Hunt would hire McGrath, considering that he was whipper-in for the BSV at a time when its reputation was so bad that it was even questioned by the British Hound Sports Regulation Authority and he has a conviction for illegal hunting. We need to end this madness once and for all, click here to support our call for a real ban on hunting mammals with dogs.
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Help North Wales Hunt Saboteurs buy equipment and pay for vehicle repairs so they can keep tabs on the likes of McGrath and the Flint and Denbigh.
VICTORY: The BSV and Portman Hunt get kicked out of annual agricultural show over illegal hunting
The Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Society (GSAS) has asked both the Portman Hunt and the BSV not to take part in their annual ‘parade of hounds’ at the Turnpike Showground in Motcombe. The move comes after years of campaigning by Protect the Wild and Action Against Foxhunting.
The move comes after the two hunts totted up six convictions for illegal hunting between them during the last season.
The Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show is definitely no opponent of hunting. In fact they are part of the BSV and Portman’s usual support base. The Society made the following statement that their action in asking the hunts not to attend was:
“a response to recent legal convictions and our responsibility to maintain the reputation and charitable aims of the show.”
The Show’s statement marks a major victory for campaigners, who have been pressuring the show for years to stop hunts from participating. Country shows like this one are a major source of funds for hunts. So we can raise a glass to one more nail being hammered into hunting’s coffin.
So how bad are the Portman really?
Here’s a little rundown of some of the Portman Hunt’s violent antics over the past ‘season’:
- The Portman’s huntsman and whipper-in were both convicted of illegal hunting during a meet in September 2022. The court found them guilty in September 2024.
- In November 2024 the Hunt was already up to its old tricks. Weymouth Animal Rights captured some very clear footage of the Portman actively hunting a fox on 2 November, just months after the court’s findings.
- In September 2024, Weymouth Animal Rights reported that a Portman Hunt supporter attacked sabs with a bone-handled walking stick. The attacker was later interviewed by the police, and given a 16 week Community Resolution Order.
- In October 2024, NDHS reported that domestic cats had gone missing after the Portman Hunt’s hound chased after them. This is a repeat of what happened in January 2023, when the hunt’s hounds terrorised kittens on a local farm.
- On 2 January 2025, according to Wildlife Crime Action, masked Portman Hunt supporters expressed their anger at being forced to give up their illegal chase of another fox by directing derogatory and ableist language at two 14-year-olds. You can view the video here.
Overall, sabs and monitors have documented the Portman chasing foxes and deer on at least ten occasions, in flagrant breach of the Hunting Act.
List of upcoming hunt appearances at upcoming country shows:
There are plenty more country shows coming up where hunts are planning to attend. We encourage our supporters to contact the organisers and call on them to cut their links with this cruel and violent ‘sport’:
It’s clear that even traditional supporters of hunting are starting to worry about the consequences of associating with the likes of the BSV and the Portman. This is down, in no small part, to the efforts of grassroots groups who are doing their best to ensure that hunts are too toxic for organisations to touch with a very long bargepole.
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Email the New Forest Show at info@newforestshow.co.uk, the Dunster Show at and the Bucks show at and tell them to cut their ties with hunting.
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The Portman Hunt has some pretty powerful patrons. Check out our expose of fashion brand CEO Johnnie Boden’s support for the Portman.
Makeshift fox traps found on Belfast’s Black Mountain
On 18 July the BBC reported that locals had found cruel home made traps on Belfast’s Black Mountain. A local group suspects that they have been laid to catch foxes.
The traps were made out of old shopping trolleys and one of them was baited with a dead magpie.
Aaron Kelly of Belfast’s Black Mountain Rewilding Project told BBC Northern Ireland that he was shocked to discover the makeshift traps. He suspects that local hunters have set them in order to catch foxes so that they can throw them to their hounds in order to give the dogs a taste for blood. He described the cruelty involved:
“What a terrible way to go, and I don’t know what sort of human could do that.
We’ve done a lot of work to bring wildlife onto this mountain and the last thing we need is any pressure from hunting.”
The group pointed out on its Instagram that the traps could easily catch other animals such as “badgers, hedgehogs, birds, feral cats, or even dogs.”
The Black Mountain Rewilding Project was set up after the Covid-19 lockdown to rewild one of the last green areas in Belfast. Kelly told the BBC NI:
“What we have up there is very special… it’s the last wild place in Belfast”
All the work we do is just to enhance the habitat and make it a better place for wildlife, so when people come up they actually see wildlife and they can enjoy it.”
We would like to congratulate the Black Mountain Rewilding Project for bringing the activities of the trappers to light. It does seem likely that the traps were yet another horrible example of hunters training their hounds to kill. At Protect the Wild we see hunting dogs as one of the many forgotten victims of the hunt, that’s why we started a campaign to ‘Rehome the hounds’ – find out more here.
Mute Swan picture via Hao Zhang / Unsplash, Drone footage of the killing of the fox at Pelsham Farm via North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs Picture from the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show via screengrab from Action Against Foxhunting video of the Portman Hunt entering the show ring. Black mountain fox trap via screenshot from Black Mountain Rewilding Project’s Instagram.