The Vesteys: a multi-millionaire hunting family
The Vesteys are a wealthy aristocratic family with an empire built on meat, controlling several brands supplying supermarkets and high street retailers. The family – who used to be the UK’s second richest – are ardent supporters of hunting with strong links to the Countryside Alliance. They can be expected to lead the pushback against […]
Fox hunting news roundup Spring 2025
Protect the Wild is planning to write regular digests showcasing the latest news in the struggle against fox hunting. In this Spring 2025 roundup we have the latest on the sentencing of the ex-Essex & Suffolk (ESH) huntsman Sam Staniland; news on the collapse of one Scottish hunt and the amalgamation of several hunts at […]
Trail hunting: government reaffirms support for ban
On April 1st Perran Moon, the Labour MP for Cornwall’s Camborne and Redruth constituency, called on the government to ban so-called trail hunting and made a plea for jail time for hunters who are caught breaking the law. Currently, trail hunting – which supposedly involves hunts laying scent trails for hounds to follow, a scenario […]
Ghoulish pictures of the Thurlow Hunt’s ball
Ghoulish pictures have been circulating on social media about what the Thurlow Hunt (TH) got up to at their Hunt Ball. Smiling and dressed for a masquerade, guests are seen posing with a stuffed fox. In several images they are seen stroking the dead animal. In another photo, two ball attendees can be seen standing […]
GRAPHIC: Warwickshire Hunt whipper-in convicted under Hunting Act.
Benjamin Halsall of the Warwickshire Hunt has been convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs in breach of the Hunting Act 2004. ‘Whipper-in’ Halsall, from Shipton-on-Stour, was found guilty by a District Judge at Coventry Magistrates’ Court, after the court was shown footage of the Warwickshire Hunt’s hounds ripping up a fox on 9 […]
Two members of notorious BSV Hunt plead guilty to obstructing sabs
Charlie Mayo and Kieron Bashford of the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt plead 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 […]
Call to Action in support of wildlife defender assaulted by the hunt
Essex & Suffolk Hunt (ESH) supporter Tom Greig was filmed smashing hunt monitor Chantelle Leach’s phone and shoving her during the ESH’s meet in Little Bentley on 26 February. However, Chantelle told Protect the Wild that Greig’s assault continued after the film is cut. Police have been sent the video, but Chantelle says that their […]
Warwickshire Police’s secret Hunt deal disclosed
Warwickshire Police have been trying to hide the details of an agreement they made with the Warwickshire Hunt for years. After a concerted campaign it’s finally been disclosed. The protocol, which was in place during the 2023/4 hunting season, lists a number of arrangements that are shockingly hunt-friendly. One agreement, for example, stated that the […]
BSV point-to-point and the sponsors risking their reputations
The Blackmore & Sparkvale (BSV) Hunt has a reputation for animal cruelty, disregard for animal protection legislation, violence and general thuggery. But that didn’t stop a whole host of businesses from associating themselves with the BSV by sponsoring the hunt’s Point to Point (P2P) fundraiser in March 2025. Protect the Wild shines a spotlight on […]
CPS blunder: dismay as trial of Essex and Suffolk huntsmen collapses
The trial of whipper-in Jamie Price, huntsman Jack Henty and Hamish Golding of the Essex and Suffolk hunt collapsed on Tuesday 11 March at Ipswich Magistrates Court, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer failed to disclose a document to the defence. Wildlife monitors were dismayed, as the three men evaded prosecution. Price, Henty and […]
Cury Hunt shows violent disregard for dogs
On 26 February, West Cornwall Hunt Saboteurs (WCHS) captured a video that shows once again the blatant disregard hunts have for their hounds. This time Holly Nicholls of the Cury Hunt can be seen striking a dog, while Martyn Toman is caught on camera inappropriately scruffing another hound. Check out this video from WCHS: […]
BSV hunt filmed trying to wrestle spade from roadworks crew
In yet another example of England’s most notorious hunt causing havoc, a member of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) hunt was captured on camera trying to wrestle a spade from a council worker in early March. The incident occurred as the hunt ‘rampaged through roadworks’, as North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs (NDHS) explained. The BSV […]
Can trail hunting ‘evolve’?
A new hunting association was launched in July 2024 called “Forward with Hounds.” It recognises that a repeal of the Hunting Act is unlikely in the current political climate. Considering this, the association is promoting the ‘evolution’ of trail hunting to ensure that hunting has a future. But can trail hunting evolve? More to the […]
Veganic farmer makes clear Portman Hunt not welcome
Laurence Candy’s farm was certified to Biocyclic Vegan Standards in 2022. He’s already taken a principled stance against animal farming. Now he’s made clear that hunting is not welcome on his land either, and he has contacted the Portman Hunt to say so. Candy is the owner of Northwood Farm, which has gained publicity in […]
Animal Cruelty Charges: Ex-Essex & Suffolk Huntsman pleads guilty
Ex-Essex & Suffolk Huntsman Sam Staniland plead guilty to three animal cruelty charges under the Animal Welfare Act at Ipswich Magistrates Court on 26 February. He is due to be sentenced on 10 April at Norwich Crown Court. The judge said that “all sentencing options” would “be open”. Staniland pleaded guilty to acting unlawfully during […]
Beaufort Hunt greenwashing reputation with charity donation
The Beaufort Hunt (BH) are boasting on Facebook that they have donated £2500 to domestic abuse charity Society Without Abuse (SWA – formerly Swindon Women’s Aid). In response Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs have pointed out that members of the Beaufort have been “perpetrating acts of violence” against animals, female wildlife defenders and others for years. Could […]
FOI reveals hunting is being allowed in some of England’s ‘finest’ spaces for Nature
England’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are the “finest sites for wildlife and natural features” in the country, according to the public body responsible for their protection, Natural England. Nonetheless, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that hunting is being permitted in some of these precious Nature sites. Precious pockets of Nature England […]
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 […]
Cheshire Indies use drone donated by PTW Equipment Fund to surveil Cheshire Hunt
Protect the Wild runs an equipment fund to support wildlife protection groups to buy the tech needed to carry out their vital work. We always like to see how its being used. So we thought we would share this video showing Cheshire Independent Hunt Monitors (Cheshire Indies – or CIHM) using their ‘eye in the […]
Police ‘investigating’ more illegal hunting by Dorset’s notorious BSV hunt
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team responded to two separate reports of illegal hunting by the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) hunt on 1 February. They say that “the evidence into these matters is now being collated and investigated.” Dorset Hunt Monitors posted the following video of the incidents on Facebook: The video shows a fox […]
South Shropshire terrierman fined for blocking a badger sett
David Conde, a terrierman for the South Shropshire Hunt (SSH), has been ordered to pay an £845 fine by Telford Magistrates Court, after admitting to unlawfully interfering with a badger sett. Conde was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £338 and costs of £85 Badgers have long faced threats and persecution in the […]
Search underway in Lincolnshire for missing rhea, who was spooked by a hunt pack
A search is underway for a missing rhea, who ran away on Saturday 1 February after a hunt group’s hounds rode close to the perimeter of the field where the rhea was being kept in East Kirkham, Lincolnshire. Andrew Collington posted that the Hunt seriously spooked the rheas, sheep and dogs that were in the […]
Fashion brand founder Johnnie Boden is a life patron of the Portman Hunt
Protect the Wild has been sent documents showing that businessman Johnnie Boden is a life patron of Dorset’s Portman Hunt. Two members of the Portman were convicted of ‘illegally hunting a fox with dogs’ in September 2024. The documents, produced by the Hunt, were provided to Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs – Somerset and Dorset (2CHS) […]
Blood on Their Land: Boughton Estate’s Role in Wildlife Crime Revealed
Pipewell Foot Beagles (PFB) were filmed setting their hounds on a hare on 25 January. Northamptonshire’s Boughton House and Estate says it has temporarily suspended PFB activity on its land after the shocking footage of the incident circulated on social media. However, local people are asking why it took so long, as they have been […]
North East Hunt Monitors are busy exposing the South Durham and Zetland Hunts
North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have released a damning new video, showing the Zetland and South Durham Hunts clearly chasing and trying to dig out foxes during their 18 January meet. Monitors from NEHM and Teeside Anti-Blood Sports (TABS) followed the hunts using drones, handheld cameras and vehicle dashcams. Protect the Wild are proud to […]
Revealed: Vets Fighting to Bring Back Hunting and Badger Gassing
A group of veterinarians have been banging the drum about badgers in recent years, blaming the wild animals for causing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cows to an even greater extent than the government typically does. Indeed, they have criticised the country’s bTB policy for not focusing on badgers enough. This policy has seen hundreds of […]
Lake District hunts served with Community Protection Warnings
Cumbria Constabulary has sent Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) to two Cumbria hunts, after receiving complaints from the public. We asked Cumbria Constabulary about the contents of the CPWs. They told us that: The Community Protection Warning informed the [hunt] groups that we have received numerous reports regarding issues relating to them, including antisocial behaviour, noise […]
REVEALED: Police force releases long-hidden agreement with Warwickshire Hunt
Following months of pressure, Warwickshire Police has released the controversial protocol it entered into with the Warwickshire Hunt. So, what have we found out? Protect the Wild breaks it down. Warwickshire Hunt was given a Community Protection Notice (CPN) in 2022 over anti-social behaviour during hunting, namely “unreasonable and dangerous use of the roads”. CPNs […]
Hunt sabs hold historic meeting in parliament after 60 years of activism
Hunt saboteurs were welcomed into the House of Commons to meet with MPs on 9 January. This is the first time that the activists have attended parliament to talk with MPs in their over 60 years of sabbing hunts. Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan invited hunt saboteurs to meet with a cross-party group of MPs on […]
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 […]
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 […]
‘Hounds were on her straight away’: South Wales sabs report another fox kill
South Wales Hunt Saboteurs reported that Sennybridge Farmers Hunt’s hounds caught and killed a female fox on 14 December. Unfortunately, the incident happened very suddenly, too quickly for foot saboteurs to intervene. But sabs did retrieve her body and ” laid the lovely fox to rest in a peaceful place far, far away from hunt […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
