BREAKING NEWS! Notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt suspended
North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs’ drone footage has captured the moment the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt’s hounds ripped up a fox. And now the notorious hunt has finally been suspended by hunting’s so-called ‘governing body’. Channel 4 News broadcast the footage to the nation on the evening of 25 January. The harrowing video, captured […]
It’s official – more hunts merge!
The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) – hunting’s self-titled ‘governing body’ – has officially confirmed that the Southdown and Eridge Hunt is merging with the East Sussex and Romney Marsh Hunt. This welcome news shows that hunts are really struggling to stay afloat. The news came on 17 January, when the BHSA announced that it […]
Jeremy Clarkson sponsors fox hunting fundraiser
Fox-hater Jeremy Clarkson is sponsoring a horse racing event that is raising funds for the criminal Heythrop Hunt. This Sunday 21 January the Cocklebarrow Races will take place in Gloucestershire. It is the Heythrop’s only point-to-point event of the year, and is a big money-maker. Not only will hunting fanatics be racing horses, they will […]
HARROWING: Cottesmore Hunt masked thugs attack vehicle with hammer
The notorious Cottesmore Hunt has struck again, using yet more violence to try to scare off Northants Hunt Saboteurs. The sabs’ account of the attack, which took place on 13 January 2024, is harrowing. This new incident involved “ten plus” masked thugs attacking the sabs’ vehicle and trying to gain access to the sabs themselves. […]
Two Essex and Suffolk Hunt men arrested for killing fox
Two hunters have been arrested and charged under the Hunting Act. Essex and Suffolk Hunt’s whipper-in, Jamie Price, along with huntsman Jack Henty, have been accused of illegal hunting on two separate occasions. Protect the Wild spoke to Suffolk Action for Wildlife (SAF), a group which consistently monitors the hunt. SAF said: “There were two […]
Drone footage proves ‘no trail laid’ by Cheshire Hunt
Cheshire Independent Hunt Monitors (or the Cheshire Indies as they’re usually known) are an independent monitoring group working across the northwest of England. They focus on the Cheshire Hunt, Cheshire Forest Hunt, and the notorious Wynnstay Hunt (a hunt that has regularly featured on Protect the Wild eg see here). In November 2023 Protect the […]
Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt men arrested after attacks on sabs
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team has arrested two men associated with the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt. The arrests come after a number of attacks on hunt saboteurs. The police stated: “After a detailed investigation into reports of assault and thefts at the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hunt; we can now confirm that we […]
Cottesmore Hunt’s hired thugs violently attack hunt sabs
The Cottesmore Hunt has reached a new low, hiring thugs to violently attack hunt saboteurs. The hunt is resorting to desperate measures, mistakenly thinking that such tactics will scare off hunt saboteurs once and for all. Northants Hunt Saboteurs posted a video of the attack on social media, and the incident has now made mainstream […]
How hunts are using trail hunting as a smokescreen
We all know that hunts across the country deliberately chase animals. You may also know that hunts say that they are trail hunting – that is, following scent trails laid in advance of a hunt – when they are doing no such thing. But 2023 saw a new trend: some hunts actually started laying trails. […]
Two hunting hounds killed on busy road
2023 came to a close with more animals suffering needless deaths when two hunting hounds were killed on the A30 in Devon. On 30 December, hunt saboteurs reported that the dogs, suspected to belong to the Mid Devon Hunt, had been killed after being hit by cars. One was still alive and in critical condition […]
GOOD NEWS: RNLI rejects hunting money
The lifeboat charity RNLI has shown its integrity after it rejected money from a fox hunting fundraiser. Ireland’s Dungarvan Foxhounds’ annual Christmas charity event was due to raise funds for the Helvic and Dungarvan RNLI. The Foxhounds’ supporters club had also stated that the hunt’s New Year’s Eve meet would raise funds for the charity, […]
Yet another fox torn apart in residential garden
A resident in Powys, Wales, has filmed a fox being torn apart by hunting hounds in a neighbour’s garden. This is the third almost identical incident that we know of in 2023 alone. The torturous death took place on 22 November 2023. One month later the resident reported her account to Nation.Cymru. She said that […]
Kent Hounds’ terriermen who used superglue to treat dogs’ injuries banned from keeping animals
66-year-old Robert Mills and his son, 22-year-old Jack Mills, have pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Kent police, along with the RSPCA, raided their home in January 2023 and discovered dogs with horrific injuries. The men appeared in Folkestone Magistrates Court on 20 December. According to KentOnline, The men […]
GUILTY: Criminal hunter Chris Woodward convicted three times since July
A court has found the Wynnstay Hunt’s notorious ex-huntsman Chris Woodward guilty yet again. Woodward is a man racking up a long criminal record. Woodward denied the charge of hunting a wild animal with dogs in Lower Wych, Wrexham, on 14 January 2023. But it was the hard work of Cheshire (Borderland) Monitors volunteers that […]
Boxing Day hunting protests near you
It’s that time of year again: hunters are getting ready to block our town centres in their ridiculous attire. Their supporters will cheer at them, get drunk, and pick fights, the local police will stand by and watch, and the hunts will then head off fuelled by vanity and alcohol to terrorise foxes, hares and […]
Boxing Day Parade: Southdown and Eridge Hunt defies Lewes council
Sussex’s Southdown and Eridge Hunt is planning to hold its Boxing Day parade on the busy Lewes High Street, even though its request to close the road was denied by Lewes Council. The Council has instead granted permission for a wheelbarrow race event, which is raising funds for Lewes Foodbank. After the council rejected its […]
Hunter accused of six charges of animal cruelty
Sam Staniland, ex-huntsman for the Essex and Suffolk Hunt, was in court on Monday 18 December, accused of six charges under the Animal Welfare Act. The hunter pleaded not guilty to all six charges. He was accused of: Causing unnecessary suffering to a foxhound by failing to prevent the dog from fighting a fox on […]
Oliver Thompson: hunter avoids prison after torturing foxes
Former huntsman Oliver Thompson has walked free from prison after baiting foxes. Thompson was given a suspended sentence of 20 weeks, meaning that if he isn’t caught breaking the law in the next two years, he will not go to jail. The RSPCA successfully prosecuted the hunter, who consequently was forced to leave his role […]
The Secret Monitor: Without fear or favour?
Damaging stories from inside hunting, shooting, and the badger cull have been circulating for years. Everything from breaking the law to assaults or harassment of monitors and the public and a police force seemingly happy to ‘look the other way’. But there is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In their latest […]
CAUGHT ON FILM: One man’s words show the criminality of hunts
On 7 December, Hull Wildlife Protectors (HWP) posted a video on Instagram. And in just a few words, one man showed just how criminal fox hunters really are. The footage was taken on 21 November. HWP had been monitoring East Yorkshire’s Holderness Hunt when they filmed some of the hunt in conversation on camera. One […]
The criminal justice system is failing wildlife
A new report once more highlights how Britain’s criminal justice system is failing animals, allowing people to hurt or kill wildlife with impunity. The report, compiled by Wildlife and Countryside Link, and containing information from different animal welfare charities, makes for damning reading. It shows that convictions in 2022 dropped by more than 40%, despite […]
Life before death: Lewes Council chooses food bank over fox hunting
The Southdown and Eridge Hunt has failed to get permission from Lewes Council to close a road for its annual Boxing Day parade. The reason? An animal welfare campaigner is closing the road for the community. The hunt parades through Lewes town centre every year. It had applied for the road closure on Lewes High […]
GOOD NEWS: Hunting is dying a death as yet another pack folds
On 1 December, South Wales Hunt Saboteurs announced that the Caerphilly and District Hunt is folding. The news shows that hunting is on its knees, and an end to the brutal blood sport is in sight. The hunt’s closing meet will take place on 6 January 2024, and it announced that it will dissolve by […]
Damning WhatsApp messages show how Tory MPs looked after their gun-wielding friends
The Covid Inquiry has been telling of how Britain’s most influential looked after their friends during the pandemic. And now more revelations have uncovered how politicians lobbied hard to ensure that hunting and shooting were exempted from Covid restrictions. Protect the Wild recently reported on comments made by former deputy cabinet secretary Helena MacNamara. She […]
Hunter on quad bike mows down man, breaking his leg
Shocking footage shows the moment a man was mowed down by a South Shropshire Hunt (SSH) terrierman on a quad bike. The incident took place on the Real Milk Company’s private land on 25 November. The company tweeted a video of the incident, and said: “First you goad them…..then you evidence them. SSH trespassing yet […]
Equipment Fund #11. Cheshire Independent Hunt Monitors – an ‘eye in the sky’ on Cheshire’s hunts
The Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund was set up in Summer 2023 to help put ‘eyes in the field‘ (and ‘eyes in the sky’!), supporting and empowering people to protect British wildlife. We use the fund to provide equipment like body cams, trail cams, night vision kit, and video cameras to monitors and activists working […]
WANTED: North Yorkshire Police searching for three members of Sinnington Hunt
North Yorkshire Police are appealing to the public for information about three members of the Sinnington Hunt. The men are accused of interfering with a badger sett which is illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act. The police asked: “Can you help with this wildlife crime investigation? We need to trace these three men following […]
The Secret Monitor: Curre and Llangibby Hunt and their sweary supporters
Damaging stories from inside hunting, shooting, and the badger cull have been circulating for years. Everything from breaking the law to assaults or harassment of monitors and the public and a police force seemingly happy to ‘look the other way’. But there is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In this post […]
Hunter arrested after attacking saboteur with a shovel
A terrierman for the Weston and Banwell with West Somerset Vale Hunt has been arrested by the police after a public appeal for his location. The search began after the man attacked a hunt saboteur with a shovel on 18 November. Avon and Somerset Police announced: “A man has been arrested as part of an […]
SHOCKING: Hunt rider filmed striking whip at cyclist
On Saturday 11 November, a Kent Hounds field rider struck his whip at a cyclist. His action shows the complete disdain hunts have for the public. Footage released on KentOnline shows the woman sitting on her bike in the road as the hunt moves past her. As the rider meets her, he aggressively strikes his […]
JAILED: Fox hunter given 18 months for almost killing saboteur
On 9 November, fox hunter Chris Mardles, 26, former whipper-in of the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Nottingham Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm after trampling a hunt saboteur with his horse. The attack occurred in September 2020. The saboteur suffered life-threatening injuries and […]
Covid-19 Inquiry: Government put more thought into hunting and shooting than supporting women
This week’s Covid Inquiry has highlighted the Tory government’s incompetence during the Covid pandemic. Former deputy cabinet secretary Helena MacNamara gave a witness statement arguing that Johnson and his “macho” and “toxic” team gave more thought to hunting and shooting interests than they did women’s issues. MacNamara’s 97-page statement, criticising the governing of the pandemic, […]
Call for new law to protect children from the brutalities of hunting
Celebrities have joined the animal rights charity PETA to call on the government to protect children from hunting. PETA has launched an online petition, urging the Sunak government to introduce new legislation. The charity says: “The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has published General Comment No 26 which recommends that children be […]
Depraved hunt master throws fox to hounds as child watches
Serial offender Stuart Radbourne has been sentenced for throwing a fox to hounds as a child watched. The dogs tore the live fox to shreds on Christmas Eve in 2020, and the incident was filmed and shared with others. Radbourne, who was hunt master for the Avon Vale, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to […]
Hunting hounds run rampage in Devon
The Dartmoor Hunt has run rampage, its hounds terrorising animals of Farm & Feral Animal Sanctuary in south Devon. This is, once again, a reminder that the Hunting Act needs replacing with stronger legislation which shuts down fox hunting for good. The sanctuary’s Missy Freeman-Davies reported that the hounds caused havoc as they tore through […]
This is the solution to end fox hunting for good
Week in, week out, Protect the Wild reports on foxes being murdered, hunt staff harassing monitors or being violent towards them, hounds causing havoc on public roads, and more. Most hunts get away with all of this with total impunity. Why? Because of exemptions and loopholes written into the Hunting Act 2004 as it passed […]
Hunt sabs say huntsman sacked for ‘beating a hound almost to death’
Hunt saboteurs have announced that huntsman Guy Fitzearle has been sacked from the Kimblewick Hunt. East Herts Sabs wrote that he beat a hound “almost to death”. They said: “Well the truth is out. The hound wasn’t doing as it was told so he grabbed it by the tail, beat it around the head until […]
Police investigate after Warwickshire Hunt tears apart fox
Warwickshire Police has announced that it is investigating the Warwickshire Hunt after hounds tore up a fox on 9 October. But we need concrete action from the police: saying it is investigating isn’t enough. All eyes will be on the force to prosecute this criminal gang. The announcement comes after Labour MP Matt Western sent […]
MP demands answers from Police and Crime Commissioner about hunting bias
Labour MP Matt Western has sent a letter to Philip Seccombe, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Warwickshire, asking him about the questionable policing of the Warwickshire Hunt. A Conservative councillor on Stratford-on-Avon District Council between 2002 and 2017, Seccombe was first elected as the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner in 2016 and re-elected for […]
Hunt attacks homes and vehicles of sabs and monitor
North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs reported this week that two female saboteurs have been attacked and their cameras were stolen. Homes and vehicles were also targeted. Images were released of the damage done to a hunt monitor’s silver car and to a van belonging to the hunt sabs. The sabs are asking for help to raise […]
Gloucestershire Council must ban hunting on its land
Gloucestershire Council is the latest council to consider banning trail hunting on its land. The county is home to some of England’s most notorious hunts, including the Cotswold Hunt which made news headlines when it buried a fox alive in March 2023. The Heythrop Hunt also terrorises foxes in Gloucestershire. On 23 September 2023, Three […]
Hunt kills deer and uses ‘falconry exemption’ to hunt illegally
On 25 September Suffolk Action For Wildlife (SAFW) posted a distressing video online. The footage showed a deer who had just been murdered by the Essex and Suffolk Hunt. Protect the Wild spoke to SAFW about the events of that day, and about a little-known loophole in the Hunting Act that hunts are using as […]
Sinnington huntsman filmed dumping dead animals to attract foxes
Covert footage, captured in August 2023 and passed onto the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA), has shown Sinnington huntsman, Tom Cranage, throwing dead rabbits into woods to provide food for foxes. Remains of deer, rabbits, and pigeons were found in the Habton Whin covert in North Yorkshire. The Sinnington huntsman’s intention seems clear: to attract and […]
Scotland’s hunting ban will finally be enforced
Scotland’s anti-hunting activists are celebrating as the government’s hunting ban will finally be enforced from 3 October. The Hunting With Dogs (Scotland) Bill was passed in January 2023, and it became an Act on 7 March 2023. But despite this, saboteurs have been catching hunters pursuing foxes red-handed. This is because until now, NatureScot has […]
Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt murder or dig out foxes three times in one week
Earlier this year, the public was outraged when ITV News broadcast the Avon Vale Hunt digging out two foxes. On 21 September 2023, North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs caught the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt (BSV) doing the exact same thing. The sabs also caught the hunt trying to dig out another fox just days later, […]
Heythrop Hunt hounds tear up a fox in front of hunt saboteurs
Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs caught the Heythrop Hunt tearing up a fox cub on 23 September. Gloucestershire Police says it is investigating, but it remains to be seen whether the force will take action. The Heythrop’s current huntsman is criminal hunter Chris Woodward. The sabs recalled the events of the day in their report on […]
No prosecution for hunters who buried fox alive
Cotswold Hunt men who tied a fox into a sack, then buried her alive, have escaped prosecution. Back in March 2023, hunt saboteurs from Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch found the fox trapped inside an artificial earth. Footage, shown on Channel 4 News, shows the vixen being rescued. A hunt saboteur, known as Magpie, told Channel […]
Stop the Mendip Farmers Hunt from parading this Boxing Day
Murdering foxes. Killing its own hounds. Blocking badger setts. Brutal attacks on hunt saboteurs. Traumatising domestic animals. Stealing monitors’ equipment. This is the criminal Mendip Farmers Hunt (MFH). Protect the Wild and Action Against Foxhunting are contacting councils in England and Wales to ask them to ban hunts from parading on their land on Boxing […]
Notorious fox hunters just helped sabotage the trophy hunting bill’s chances
Peers in the House of Lords recently discussed the proposed ban on trophy hunting imports. The session is typically used to iron out details in proposed legislation. But this time, a small group of peers used the time to undermine its progress – and they included some well-known names from the world of fox hunting. […]
Holderness Hunt kills fox in front of monitors, police take ‘no further action’
* WARNING: There are graphic images included with this report. We’ve not used them to be gratuitous but to illustrate what we consider to be clear evidence of a wildlife crime * In March 2023 Hull Wildlife Protectors (HWP) photographed hounds from the Beverly-based Holderness Hunt tearing apart a fox while hunt staff looked on […]
This is why Pewsey Parish Council shouldn’t permit a Boxing Day hunt parade for the Tedworth Hunt
The Tedworth Hunt is expected to hold its annual parade in Pewsey this Boxing Day. However, hunt saboteurs and monitors have repeatedly exposed the hunt as a perpetrator of anti-social and criminal acts. Does Pewsey Parish Council want local residents and the wider public to view it as a supporter of such behaviour? The Tedworth […]
Mid Devon District Council should ban the Tiverton Hunt from parading this Boxing Day
The Christmas season is approaching surprisingly quickly, and hunts across the country are preparing for what is supposedly their most prestigious meets of the year: Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Protect the Wild and Action Against Foxhunting are urging Mid Devon District Council to ban the Tiverton Hunt from parading through Tiverton town centre. […]