fox hunting roundup16may2025 header image

Fox hunting news roundup: 16 May 2025

This mid-May fox hunting news roundup begins with a chilling question: is the Portman Hunt killing tens of healthy hounds every year? We have been shown documents originating from the Portman which show that the Hunt routinely replaces 22% of its hunt pack. So what happens to the discarded dogs?

In other news, Dorset Police Rural Crime Team have charged a member of the Seavington Hunt for breaches of the Hunting Act 2004, after the Hunt’s pack tore up a fox at Childhay Manor Farm in West Dorset last October. Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service have dropped the charges against a member of the North Cotswolds Hunt despite meticulously collected evidence, in what appears to be a blatant display of pro-hunt bias.

Finally, some good news… The amalgamation of the Puckeridge and Essex Union Hunt and the East Essex has been confirmed, adding to the growing list of UK hunts which have dissolved or been forced to merge at the end of the 2024/5 hunting season.

 


Portman hunt ‘replaces’ 22% of its pack each year

After the recent debate in parliament about a trail-hunting ban, the pro-hunting lobby will be arguing that if hunting is banned, they will be forced to put down their hounds. What they won’t be mentioning is just how many hounds they kill routinely every year.


Wildlife Crime Action (WCA) has been studying the information in the Portman Hunt’s annual Green Book (a Green Book is a sort of annual report that hunts publish for their supporters).

According to WCA, the Portman’s pack size fluctuates between 100 and 110 hounds, which they say is “a pretty standard sized, 2/3 day a week hunting pack, typical of many hunts throughout the country.”

the figures in the 2022 Green Book, Via Wildlife Crime Action

The 2022 and 2024 Green Books show that in both those years the Portman introduced 23 new hounds. This infusion of new dogs into the pack represents a 22% increase in the total hound numbers. But the pack remains at a constant size, so what happens to the dogs that are discarded? WCA thinks it’s pretty likely they have been killed.

WCA told Protect the Wild:

When you look at it, the figures stack up as they’d get five years hunting at most for each hound. Of course the new entry doesn’t include the pups who were unsuitable to be taken into the pack and those older hounds who were injured or not suitable in other ways to remain in the pack.”

Each pup introduced to the pack replaces one of the older dogs. These hounds, at five or six years old, could have many years of healthy life in front of them.

“merely tools to be used for a few years, abused and discarded”

WCA wrote on their Facebook page:

“We are repeatedly told by the hunting community that hounds simply cannot be re-homed so we can only guess the fate of those 20 to 30 Portman hounds each year who are deemed too old or not suitable for hunting.

We must never forget that for those working within hunts, the hounds are merely tools to be used for a few years, abused and then discarded. You only have to see how they are treated when they are out hunting, often painfully thin, carrying sores, left to roam on busy roads and abandoned overnight.
Let’s not forget that hunts only exist today because for generations they have lied about what they do so let’s not let them get away with this appalling “leave us alone or we’ll kill the hounds” narrative.
The truth is, many of the hounds in hunt kennels today, will be dead before there’s any changes to existing legislation.”

Thousands of healthy dogs killed each year

In 2021 an investigation carried out by the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) and supported by Protect the Wild revealed shocking undercover footage showing the Duke of Beaufort Hunt shooting dead four of their hounds. You can watch the graphic covert footage here:

The pro-hunting Countryside Alliance admits that over 3000 hounds are shot every year, but this is likely to be a gross underestimate. Protect the Wild and HIT estimate that over 7000 dogs are killed annually by UK hunts.

Rehome the hounds!

Hunt advocates often argue that hounds cannot be rehomed into a domestic environment. At Protect the Wild we know that isn’t the case. According to Protect the Wild’s hound expert Charlotte Smith:

“The claim that hunts can’t rehome their hounds is nonsense. As you can see from the British Hound Sport Association’s own page, they do rehome a lucky few. Hunts claim they can’t be rehomed to justify the brutal killing of healthy hounds—often by shooting them in the head. The truth is kept hidden from a nation of dog lovers, all to prevent the public from turning against them.”

Check out this interview we did about Maggie, a successfully rehomed foxhound here.

Foxhounds deserve to live peaceful, safe and long lives. That’s why Protect the Wild has launched the Rehome the Hounds campaign to dismantle the myth that foxhounds cannot thrive in domestic environments.

  • You can find out more about hound welfare and our calls to Rehome the Hounds here.
  • Read Protect the Wild’s page on ‘Dogs and the Law’ here.
  • Donate to support Wildlife Crime Action’s work here.

 


Even more hunt amalgamations

A hunt kennels

In our last update we reported that sabs and monitors had got a whiff that the Puckeridge and Essex Union Hunt, itself an amalgamated hunt, was planning a merger with the East Essex. Now, we can confirm that the merger has gone ahead. The Puckeridge and Essex Union is now ‘the Puckeridge and the Essex Hunts’. The confirmation of these long-term suspicions, coming from the British Hounds Sports Association (BHSA) themselves, is another death knell for fox hunting. The downfall of the Puckeridge is down to, in no small part, the commitment and dogged persistence of monitors and sabs. We’d like to say congratulations!

We asked Herts Wildlife Monitors what they thought about the merger, they told us:

According to Protect the Wild’s Rob Pownall:

“The merger of the Puckeridge and Essex Union and the East Essex into a single hunt is yet another sign that the hunting industry is on its last legs. These mergers are not about strength — they’re a desperate attempt to survive as public opinion turns and support dwindles. Each consolidation is another nail in the coffin of a cruel, outdated pastime that belongs in the past.”

Another suspected merger, as North Shropshire Kennels close down

It gets better though. Shropshire Monitors shared on their Facebook page that the North Shropshire Hunt’s (NSH) kennels have closed down. It looks likely that they are amalgamating with the South Shropshire Hunt. Locals Opposed to the Albrighton and Woodland Hunt said on social media: “The time of the cruel hunts will soon be a thing of the past”.

This latest amalgamation is yet to be 100% confirmed, but SM have posted that the NSH’s kennels have shut down.

The tally so far this season

Here’s a full list of the hunts that amalgamated or dissolved this season so far:

  • The Puckeridge and Essex Union and the East Essex.
  • The Morpeth Foxhounds in Northumberland amalgamating with the West Percy Hunt.
  • Somerset’s Weston & Banwell/West Somerset Vale Hunt (W&BWSV) merging with the Taunton Vale Harriers.
  • Scotland’s Dumfriesshire & Stewarty Hunt has folded after persistent sabbing by Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs.
  • North Shropshire Hunt amalgamating with the South Shropshire Hunt (unconfirmed).

One thing’s for sure, there are going to be fewer hunts next season and that’s good news for wildlife. Hunts around the UK are struggling to access lands because of large landowners like the National Trust, Ministry of Defence and Forestry England refusing to issue new licences for trail hunting, although the enforcement of these bans are still weak. On top of that hunts are suffering from a drop in support from the public, and in participation by paying hunt supporters.

  • You can donate to Herts Wildlife Monitors here, and check out East Herts Sabs here
  • Check out Shropshire monitors here

 


North Cotswold Huntsman Oliver Dale, courtesy of Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs

CPS drop Hunting Act charges against North Cotswold Huntsman, despite evidence

According to Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have dropped the charges against Oliver Dale. Dale, the huntsman and master of the North Cotswold Hunt, had been charged under the Hunting Act after he was filmed killing a fox during cubbing in December 2024.

The Hunt Saboteurs Association reports that Gloucestershire Police had charged Dale with three instances of illegal hunting:

  • Killing a fox near Hinchwick Manor during cubbing on 12 October 2024. This killing was witnessed by sabs from 3CHS and some of the foxes torn body parts were retrieved by Gloucestershire Police.
  • At the North Cotswold’s Opening Meet on 2 November 2024. On this occasion sabs successfully frustrated attempts by the Hunt to kill a fox at Toad Corner.
  • Hounds chase a fox at Bow Meadow Farm, Laverton on 16 November. The hunt encouraged the pack to continue the chase.

On 18 November huntsman Ollie Dale carried out a vicious assault on sab Rebecca Forrester while she was using a drone to monitor the Hunt. Dale was arrested soon after, although he was not charged with the assault.

Meticulously gathered evidence of all three incidents

3CHS had carefully gathered evidence of all three incidents, and submitted it to the police. Sabs also made statements and officers even recovered the fox’s brush from the 12 October killing, take a look at the photo below:

Warning: graphic image

Gloucestershire Police find the torn remains of the fox killed on 12 October 2024 – via 3CHS

3CHS recorded the kill on video too. It shows Dale standing by while the kill takes place. We have embedded it below:

Check out this video showing the North Cotswold’s blatant illegal hunting on 2 November at Toad Corner and the skillful turning back of the hounds from the kill by 3CHS volunteers here.

Here’s an image of the fleeing fox on 16 November, as sabs again successfully frustrate the Hunt’s attempts at a kill:

Photo via 3CHS

A Three Counties Hunt Sabs statement made clear that the three incidents were part of a long pattern of animal abuse by the North Cotswold Hunt:

“We have consistently sabbed the North Cotswold Hunt since 2010, and as individuals since the late 1990s. We formally established our group in 2012. Since the hunting ban, we have witnessed blatant fox hunting, blocked badger setts, dig-outs, the use of artificial earths, kills, and dangerous road chaos. Over the years, we have also faced assaults and threats from individuals associated with the North Cotswold Hunt.”

Lynn Sawyer of 3CHS told Protect the Wild that sabs were disappointed by the CPS’ decision to drop the charges saying that the outcome:

“highlights the loopholes in the Hunting Act and shows that it must be strengthened.”

Lynn made clear that this was not the first time that evidence presented to the police about the North Cotswold Hunt breaking the law had resulted in no action.

Protect the Wild’s Rob Pownall points out that the dropping of these charges is part of a clear pattern of pro-hunt bias by the authorities:

It’s deeply disappointing that charges have been dropped against a member of the North Cotswold Hunt, despite clear evidence submitted by hunt saboteurs. Time and time again we see the hunting establishment benefit from a system that seems unwilling to hold them accountable, no matter how compelling the proof. It’s why a stronger ban on hunting, one that can be properly enforced, is needed now more than ever.

We need a workable ban on hunting. We also need to celebrate the efforts of sabs who are often able to save lives.  The justice system so often fails foxes, just like it fails us. The footage above shows that effective direct action can make real difference.

  • You can donate to support Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs here.


Man charged over the tearing up of a fox by the Seavington Hunt last October

Dorset Police Rural Crime Team says that a man is due to appear in court after sabs provided evidence of the Seavington Hunt tearing up a fox and discarding her corpse in a stream in October 2024.

A 49-year old man from Ilminster in Somerset, where the Seavington Hunt has its kennels, has been interviewed by officers and then charged under the Hunting Act 2004. He will appear in Weymouth Magistrates Court on 28 May.

The charges relate to 26 October 2024, when the Seavington Hunt’s hounds caught and killed a fox. Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs (2CHS) were on the scene, they wrote at the time:

“The Two Counties team caught up with the hunt near Childhay Manor Farm House and Temple Brook. This is where we sadly witnessed the hunt blatantly hunting and killing a fox. The huntsman blew to signal the kill. A rider who was dressed in black and a man who was walking terrier dogs then threw the poor foxes body parts into the stream.”

You can read Protect the Wild’s original article on the killing here.

Childhay Manor, where the killing took place, is the home of Black Cow Vodka. A brand that states that it is “proudly from West Dorset“. Protect the Wild is sure that Black Cow’s customers would think twice about buying this brand if they knew that the company’s land is used by the Seavington Hunt to tear up foxes.

The Seavington is no stranger to controversy. In August 2022, ITV News showed footage apparently showing a bagged fox being released by the hunt. The video showed terriermen pulling a bag from a quad bike before dumping a trapped animal onto the ground. Huntsman Benedict Hood is seen encouraging a nearby pack of foxhounds to chase the animal.

It’s clear that the Seavington Hunt has no respect for wildlife protection legislation. We need a proper ban on trail hunting to stop this killing for good. 

  • Help Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs raise the money they need to keep their vehicle on the road next season. You can donate here.

Featured images: Images of Portman Hunt’s Green Book via Wildlife Crime Action, image of kennels via Hunt Investigation Team/Northumberland Hunt Watch, images and videos of the North Cotswold Hunt via Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs.