The Scottish government’s advisory group just came out strongly for a snare ban

Snare found at Hilborough Estate

Snares are cruel and indiscriminate, raising “significant welfare concerns”, an advisory board to the Scottish government has just announced. As a result, the board is recommending a blanket snare ban in Scotland. On 9 December, the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) published its position paper on using snares to trap wildlife. The evaluation was based […]

Hare hunting: what is it and how is it stopped?

Hare in the foreground with two harrier hounds chasing in the background

Hare hunting is less common and less well-known than fox hunting. However, it still occurs across the UK every week. Hare hunting is distinct from coursing in its use of scent hounds such as beagles and harriers; coursing uses sight hounds such as greyhounds and salukis. So what is hare hunting and how is it […]

Another public landowner has just wised up to hunting’s criminal activities

Badger at the entrance to a sett

North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) recently announced that hunts are no longer welcome on Levisham Estate. The move comes after hunt saboteurs caught terriermen digging out a badger sett on the property. East Yorkshire Coast Hunt Sabs said on 4 December that NYMNPA had decided to “not… allow hunting to resume on the […]

What is a bagged fox?

Black and white photo showing a fox running from a man that's just released it from a bag

On 26 August 2022, ITV News published footage showing what appeared to be a ‘bagged fox’. The video showed a group of terriermen associated with the Seavington Hunt pulling a bag from a quad bike before dumping whatever is inside onto the ground. Huntsman Benedict Hood is then seen encouraging a nearby pack of foxhounds, […]

The government has finally given a date to debate a ban on snares

Free-running snare

Government ministers will debate a ban on snares following a successful petition. The news comes just weeks after the Welsh Assembly agreed to outlaw snares throughout Wales. The UK government recently announced that it will undertake a debate on criminalising free-running snares on 9 January 2023. It is the result of a petition on the […]

Huntsman found not guilty after video dropped ‘at the eleventh hour’

Wynnstay Hunt hounds running in a line across an open field towards a line of trees on the left hand side of the image.

Wrexham Magistrates’ Court found Chris Woodward not guilty of illegal hunting. Woodward, huntsman of the Wynnstay Hunt, was filmed behind a pack of hounds chasing a fox. But monitors say that the not guilty verdict came after the CPS dropped this evidence from the trial “at the eleventh hour”. Dropped and shocked Cheshire Monitors published […]

Police investigation launched into footage of hunting hounds killing a fox

A rider and terrierman stand with a pack of hunting hounds that have just killed a fox.

Police confirmed they are investigating footage published online that appears to show hounds killing a fox. The incident occurred at Charleton Horethorne, Somerset, during a meet of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt. Police investigation On 26 November, hunt monitor group Wildlife Crime Action published a video showing hounds huddled together, ragging something on the […]

What is the ‘research and observation’ loophole used to hunt deer?

England has three remaining staghound packs, two of which claim they carry out ‘research and observation’ as a cover to continue chasing and murdering deer. This is a smokescreen. But it’s permitted thanks to a glaring loophole in the Hunting Act. Schedule 1.9 of the Hunting Act is commonly known as the “research and observation […]