Why are Church of England Reverends wishing hounds ‘fruitful’ days of hunting?
At the end of 2024, a Church of England Reverend was witnessed blessing hunting hounds in Devon. Some weeks before this, another clergyman was photographed welcoming hounds to his church in Dorset. Protect the Wild asks, why doesn’t the Church practise the compassion that it preaches? On 28 December, South Devon Hunt Saboteurs reported that […]
South Dorset Hunt: men stalk and harass lone woman
The South Dorset Hunt is known for its intimidation tactics to try to shake off hunt saboteurs. Its supporters reached a new low on 4 January when men harassed female sabs, and stalked one lone woman as she tried to get to her vehicle. The hunt spent the day chasing multiple foxes, with Weymouth Animal […]
The Eggesford Hunt begins 2025 with a killing spree
Devon’s Eggesford Hunt has begun 2025 in the most barbaric way, killing a fox and a deer at two separate meets. These murders should be a stark reminder to the government to prioritise its promise to ban hunting with dogs. Devon County Hunt Saboteurs reported the killing of the fox, which took place on 4 […]
Hunting hounds left freezing and stranded in local shop
A Northern Ireland hunt left a number of its hounds stranded in freezing cold temperatures at the weekend. The news comes just days before a public consultation on hunting with dogs closes. You can fill in the consultation survey here, even if you don’t live in Northern Ireland. The South Tyrone Foxhounds lost several hounds […]
Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt ends 2024 with four days of carnage
2024 came to an end with the country’s worst hunt causing untold suffering over a number of days. In this guest article, Dorset Hunt Monitors and North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs give an eyewitness report of the terrors they witnessed on the ground over this Christmas period. Even by the appalling standards of the Blackmore & […]
Nails in hunting’s coffin: 2024’s guilty convictions
2024 saw numerous hunters in the dock, either for hunting-related offences, or for the violence they inflicted on hunt saboteurs and monitors. Protect the Wild takes a look at the year’s convictions, and what this might mean for the future of hunting with dogs. Despite there being a larger number of hunters or their supporters […]
Ten reasons why 2024 was a great year for wildlife
It’s that time of year again when we remind ourselves that 2024 was, in many ways, a good year for wildlife! The Tories were ousted, and the hunting industry is terrified that its days are numbered. Here’s ten reasons why this year was a positive one. 1. The argument has been won! Trail hunting IS […]
BOXING DAY: Here’s how YOU can gather much needed evidence against hunts
While we’re not wishing the holidays away, it’s a fact that Boxing Day is just around the corner. Hunts all over the country will once again be parading in towns and villages, keen to gather much needed donations and support from the public. Action Against Foxhunting (AAF) has outlined how you can collect evidence against […]
Are Community Protection Warnings worth the paper they’re written on?
West Mercia Police has issued four hunts with Community Protection Warnings (CPWs). Protect the Wild takes a look at what this means, and whether it will protect wildlife where the Hunting Act has failed. On 9 December, Action Against Foxhunting (AAF) announced that the North Shropshire Hunt, South Shropshire Hunt, Wynnstay Hunt and the United […]
EYES IN THE SKY: Drones increasingly reveal illegal hunting
Drones have proved to be an essential piece of kit for hunt saboteurs and monitors, enabling them to keep a closer eye on hunts. It goes without saying that hunts themselves do not like this – and there has been an increase in attempts to vandalise or steal the drones and to target their operators. […]
HUNT VIOLENCE: Phone smashed into sab’s face
This week saw yet more hunt violence as a saboteur was smashed in the face with a mobile phone and then trodden on by a horse. North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs were sabbing the infamous Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) on 10 December when they were faced with intimidation. The group reported: “A sab filming from […]
Another hunt down! Scotland’s Liddesdale Foxhounds folds
As 2024 comes to a close, Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs announced some great news: the Liddesdale Foxhounds has folded! The sabs reported on the Hunt Saboteurs Association website: “Little is known about the elusive Liddesdale Foxhounds despite them being one of the oldest fox hunts in Scotland. However, we do know that the Hunting with Dogs […]
Hunt saboteur headbutted and tyres slashed
On 7 December, Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs braved Storm Darragh and faced violence of a more corporeal kind as they sabbed the Grove and Rufford Hunt. The sabs’ vehicle tyres were slashed the evening before, and one person was headbutted during the meet itself. The group reported: “Despite finding the tyres for one of our vehicles […]
Warwickshire Hunt member hospitalises hunt sab
A member of West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs was taken to hospital on Saturday 30 November after a Warwickshire Hunt rider deliberately rode his horse at her. The sabs posted a video of the incident on Facebook, showing the hunt galloping through a field. They reported: “The rider can be seen riding his horse at speed […]
Listing the businesses that enable the Wynnstay Hunt
Based near Wrexham, the Wynnstay Hunt is one of the UK’s most lawbreaking hunts, regularly chasing and killing foxes. Many of its members and supporters have faced legal action, and the hunt is renowned for the violence of its staff and supporters towards monitors and sabs. Yet this notorious hunt is going out hunting several […]
Hunt sabs ask ‘What do the Kent Hounds have to hide?’
That time of year is coming up yet again, when hunts all over the country are gearing up for the annual PR stunt that is the Boxing Day meet. But East Kent Sabs has pointed out that one hunt seemingly has a lot to hide this Christmas. Kent Hounds is advising its riders not to […]
Beaufort Hunt issued with Community Resolution
Wiltshire Police has issued the Beaufort Hunt with a Community Resolution due to out of control hounds, just weeks after the Heythrop Hunt received a Community Resolution for the exact same issue. According to Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs, Beaufort staff are required to attend “awareness training” as part of the resolution – quite a come down […]
Hunting: new low as fox killed on school grounds
On Tuesday 26 November, Grafton Hunt hounds allegedly killed a fox on school grounds while pupils were in lessons. The hounds were spotted by witnesses as they chased the fox across a playing field of Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. The pack then killed the poor animal in an outbuilding on the premises. Grafton Hunt Watch, […]
Colin Tizzard: Famous racehorse trainer funding hare hunt
The latest hare hunting pack to emerge in the UK is the Dorset and Somerset Bassets. This hunt, which routinely breaks the law as it terrorises hares, is owned by famous racehorse trainer Colin Tizzard. Tizzard was a horse trainer from 1995 til 2022. Starting out as a dairy farmer, Tizzard’s Venn Farm then became […]
THUGS: Mendip Farmers Hunt terriermen beat up sab
A hunt saboteur was beaten up by Mendip Farmers Hunt terriermen on Thursday 21 November. She was taken to A&E for scans to rule out brain damage. The men also stole her handheld camera, as well as her body camera. The Mendip Hunt Saboteur was attacked by the terriermen as they attempted to dig out […]
HORRIFIC: South Dorset Hunt mutilates fox
Shocking footage, captured by Weymouth Animal Rights (WAR), is another stark reminder that hunters are driven by bloodlust and need to be urgently stopped by the Labour government. The sabs’ video clip, taken on 23 November, starts with hounds in brambles in a frenzy and ends with a heartbreaking closeup of a mutilated fox lying […]
GREAT NEWS! Scotland’s snare ban comes in to effect
It’s a massive victory for wildlife as Scotland’s snare ban comes into force on 25 November. The new legislation follows one year after Wales’ snare ban, while England continues to lag far behind both countries when it comes to the welfare of wildlife. Scotland banned snares back in March of this year as part of […]
Wynnstay Hunt using ‘dark and dirty tactics’ to bully monitors
It’s becoming an increasingly common scene – hired thugs employed by hunts to intimidate hunt saboteurs and monitors. The latest group to be targeted is Cheshire Borderland Monitors. They had already experienced various types of harassment over the past couple of hunting seasons, leading to convictions of people associated with the Wynnstay Hunt. In July […]
Hunt Havoc: Heythrop Hunt issued with Community Resolution
On 13 November, Gloucestershire Police’s Rural Crime Team announced that the Heythrop Hunt had been issued with a Community Resolution because of its out of control hounds. This is a small step for the police, but is significant because it shows that forces can take action if they are inclined to do so. The incident […]
LAMPING: Police share harrowing account of deer mutilation
Two men have been given a slap on the wrist at Lincoln magistrates court after a lamping incident in Lincolnshire. The men used a dog to hunt, maim and kill the deer in what police described as “a scene from a thriller”. Although relatively unknown compared with hunting with a pack of dogs, lamping is […]
Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hounds tear up fox in residential garden
Hunting hounds caused yet more havoc this week when the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale’s dogs ran rampage in a residential garden, chasing and killing a fox. The heartbreaking incident took place in West Camel, Somerset, on 11 November. Footage was captured on the home’s security camera and given to North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs. The […]
Scotland: Jed Forest Hunt kills fox in front of sabs
Hunting with dogs is, supposedly, banned in Scotland. Hunts, however, continue to sidestep the country’s 2023 legislation. The Labour government is considering new hunting legislation in England and Wales: it needs to take note of the loopholes that hunts are using to continue killing. On 9 November 2024, Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs witnessed a fox kill […]
Cottesmore Hunt thug pleads guilty after terrorising saboteurs
A hired thug who made life hell for hunt saboteurs pleaded guilty in court on 6 November. David Fildes faced multiple charges after weeks of violence against sabs earlier in 2024. He will be sentenced in December. Northants Hunt Saboteurs stated that Fildes is the Cottesmore Hunt’s “main hired hunt thug”. The sabs reported: “He […]
GUILTY: Wynnstay terrierman sentenced for interfering with badger sett
Wynnstay Hunt terrierman Ryan Brennan has pleaded guilty to interfering with a badger sett in Shropshire. Blocking badger setts is illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act. Like every man who is found guilty of offences related to fox hunting, he avoided prison. The incident took place in January 2024. Brennan was given a ten-month […]
Drivers forced to slam on brakes as hunts cause ‘carnage’ on roads
Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs reported two incidents of hunts causing carnage on roads last week, risking both dogs’ and drivers’ lives. This should be a stark reminder to the Labour government: the Hunting Act needs urgently changing to ensure that hunts are prosecuted for their reckless behaviour. On 6 November, the sabs reported that Worcestershire […]
Horrific: Dog forced to fight wildlife loses bottom of his jaw
A man escaped prison on 7 November, despite inflicting the most horrific cruelty on three dogs in his care. 35-year-old Peter Bewsher, from Egremont, Cumbria, received a 12-week suspended sentence after forcing his dogs to fight wild mammals. Bewsher’s property was searched by the RSPCA and the police on 14 February 2024. What they found […]
Dorset vicar stands by hare hunters
Protect the Wild’s Blood Business website lists hundreds of businesses, organisations and land owners that are connected to hunting with dogs and/or shooting birds or mammals. Our latest entry, a church in Dorset, may surprise many people. St Peter’s Church is located in Purse Caundle, and the vicar, Reverend Canon Richard Hancock, was photographed this […]
Philip Seccombe: pro-hunting Police and Crime Commissioner wants your opinion!
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Seccombe wants your opinion on his “plans for strengthening policing, safeguarding people and protecting communities in Warwickshire.” The PCC needs to take a look at his own record on hunting, while Warwickshire Police needs to take a look at its dire policing of wildlife crime. Seccombe’s office is conducting […]
GUILTY! Burton huntsman convicted under Hunting Act
Yet another hunter has been convicted under the Hunting Act. On 28 October, 59-year-old Neil Burton, huntsman of the Burton Hunt, was found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs. This conviction is the first of its kind in Lincolnshire. Damning footage of the incident, which took place on 27 January 2024, was captured […]
‘Traumatising’: Gruesome footage shows Seavington Hunt tearing up fox
Two Counties Hunt Sabs have published gruesome footage from the Seavington Hunt’s opening meet, which took place on 26 October. The video shows a fox being caught by hounds and torn up, while the huntsman watches closely. A rider then throws the fox’s body into a nearby stream. (WARNING: Video shows a fox being killed) […]
Matt Western MP takes on the Countryside Alliance
It has been almost two years since Warwickshire Police issued the Warwickshire Hunt with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) for causing road chaos. Controversially, in August 2023 the force suddenly dropped the CPN, saying it had come to a private agreement with the hunt. MP Matt Western called it a “super scandal”. And now he […]
HAVE YOUR SAY! Northern Ireland launches consultation into banning hunting with dogs
It is still completely legal to hunt wild mammals with dogs in Northern Ireland. But the Alliance Party is trying to ban the barbaric practice – and it wants you to have your say. Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) John Blair has launched a consultation (which runs until 13/Jan/25) into his plan to use a […]
Harrowing photos show hunting hound plummeting off bridge
Hunt saboteurs have captured the moment a hunting hound tumbled off a railway bridge. As Protect the Wild launches our new campaign to rehome the hounds, their photos are a clear example of how little hunts care for their dogs, despite their claims otherwise. The pictures, published by Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs on 17 October, show […]
GUILTY AGAIN! West Norfolk Foxhounds men lose court appeal
Two West Norfolk Foxhounds men appeared in court again last week, this time to appeal hunting convictions. To their dismay, their attempt at overturning their guilty verdicts backfired. Their convictions were upheld on 18 October. Back on 19 July 2024, a judge convicted huntsman Edward “Mikey” Bell and whipper-in Andrew Egginton on two counts each […]
BOXING DAY: Winchester Council to close road enabling Hampshire Hunt to parade
Wildlife defenders campaign every year to try to stop Boxing Day hunt parades, but Winchester City Council has announced that not only will it close a road for the Hampshire Hunt, but that police will be deployed to protect the parade. It is astounding that in 2024, the archaic bloodsport of fox hunting is not […]
HUNTING BAN: Labour must learn from Scotland’s mistakes
It was a seemingly momentous victory when Scotland banned hunting with dogs. One year on, its legislation is failing wildlife. The Labour government has promised to properly ban hunting too – but it needs to learn from its neighbour’s mistakes. Campaigners described it as a “landmark moment” when, late in the evening on 24 January […]
NORTHERN IRELAND: serial offender shows how court system failing animals
A man from Northern Ireland has been charged yet again with animal cruelty. His case is a prime example of how courts are failing to stop those with a bloodlust for killing animals. 36-year-old Neil Pinkerton didn’t show up at Newtownards court in County Down on 13 October, but his barrister told the District Judge […]
Mark Tiffin, man behind ‘Rose’ crowdfunder, is notorious badger baiter and terrierman
A recent GoFundMe crowdfunder to rescue a little dog called Rose captured the hearts of the public. Within hours, people had donated to save Rose, who was stuck 26ft inside a cliff. The current amount raised stands at a whopping £17,564. But the beneficiary of this money is a man called Mark Tiffin – a […]
Rehome the hounds!
Protect the Wild is launching an exciting new campaign to re-home the hounds! Hunting is on its last legs. To try and save it, the hunting industry is parroting the false narrative that its dogs would have to be put down if the bloodsport were made illegal. But the UK is a nation of dog […]
Hunt loses control of hounds, causing mayhem in village
On Monday 7 October, hounds caused chaos in the community of Oake, Somerset, as the Taunton Vale Harriers lost control of its hounds. This is yet another clear example of how hunts can not be trusted to take care of their dogs. Oake Parish Council issued a warning on Facebook to residents, saying: “AVOID OAKE… […]
Hunt kills a fox, then huntsman grabs a hare to throw to hounds
The Puckeridge and Essex Union Hunt killed a fox, then seemingly threw a hare to hounds, in one morning. Footage shared by East Herts Sabs will make any animal lover feel both sick and distressed. It shows huntsman Rhys Matcham getting off his horse, grabbing the hare, and riding off with her as hounds follow […]
Pro-hunting PCC commissions review into Warwickshire Police hunting bias
A review into the behaviour of Warwickshire Police and its policing of fox hunting is underway. But pro-wildlife campaigners already have little confidence in the process, particularly because it has been commissioned by pro-hunting Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe. The review was launched on 30 September in response to the way the force has […]
Hunt member spared prison after sexually assaulting child
On 25 September, Devon County Hunt Saboteurs reported that a hunt member has been convicted of sexually assaulting a teenager, as well as sending sexual messages to a person who was pretending to be a child. The sabs wrote: “Andrew Webber, who owns Bartridge Farm in Umberleigh, regularly hosts and supports the Torrington Farmers Hunt […]
Hypocrite: Prince William issues ‘urgent call’ to ‘make peace with nature’
The Royals are one of the UK’s most wealthy and well-known shooting families. And so new calls from Prince William to “make peace with nature” stink of hypocrisy. The mainstream media has reported William’s plea – made in a video message played at the General Assembly of the United Nations – without any hint of […]
Government adviser tries to intimidate charities defending badgers
Government adviser Natural England has been accused of intimidating both the Badger Trust and Wild Justice as both charities take legal action against the badger cull. Back in May, Natural England approved yet more badger cull licences. It granted nine new Supplementary Badger Control licences and authorised 17 existing licences in 2024 – which were […]
GOOD NEWS! Businesses and council turn their backs on hunts
Protect the Wild has some exciting news! A number of businesses – and a council – have listened to calls to from the public and have made the decision not to host hunts. Public opinion matters. When we tell companies, landowners and councils what we think about their support of hunting, we can have a […]
Portman Hunt: Two men convicted of fox hunting crimes
Two men from the Portman Hunt have been convicted under Section 1 of the Hunting Act. They were found guilty on 20 September, despite insisting that it is normal to lay a scent trail through barbed wire! The Portman Hunt’s Tom Lyle, who is huntsman and master, and Marcus Boundy, who is whipper-in, were filmed […]
