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Police investigating Warwickshire Hunt after graphic footage of fox being torn apart by hounds on Monday shared by saboteurs




GRAPHIC footage of a fox being torn apart by yelping hounds led to police launching an investigation into Warwickshire Hunt activities this week.

Filmed on Monday (9th October) on the top of Idlicote Hill near Shipston by West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs, the grisly footage sees a fox running for its life across an open field before it is surrounded by the pack of hounds and killed.

Hunter Ben Field retrieves the bloodied carcass of the fox.
Hunter Ben Field retrieves the bloodied carcass of the fox.

As a saboteur attempts to intervene, she is warned away by a member of the hunt, before a rider dismounts and stoops to retrieve the bloodied fox carcass.

A saboteur has also alleged that a member of the hunt assaulted them and threw them to the ground, preventing them from getting to the fox.

Warwickshire Hunt alleged the activists were to blame for the death of the fox, saying the “use of sprays… makes it more difficult to control the hounds” while they were out on a lawful trail hunt.

Chief Inspector Steve Davies, of Warwickshire Police, told the Herald: “We have been sent footage and we are currently investigating allegations of offences.”

Hunting foxes with hounds has been banned in the UK since 2005, and this latest incident is bound to raise issues again between police and the Warwickshire Hunt, which had agreed to a protocol over the summer.

fox killed at Idlicote
fox killed at Idlicote

Although the terms of the protocol have not been revealed, it was agreed by both parties following an attempt by police to put in place a Community Protection Notice after concerns were raised about hounds seen running amok on busy A-roads in the district.

The order would have sought to control the hunt’s movements with the aim of protecting road users, but the move was dropped just days before Warwickshire Hunt was to make a legal challenge. The introduction of a private protocol is seen by saboteurs as giving the hunt a “green light to carry on hunting foxes and causing chaos on roads”.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs said: “The Warwickshire Hunt seems to have an air of being untouchable since Warwickshire Police dropped the Community Protection Notice against them for anti-social behaviour on public roads.

Hunter Ben Field retrieves the bloodied carcass of the fox.
Hunter Ben Field retrieves the bloodied carcass of the fox.

“Several foxes were seen running away from the hunt, all of them in places that we have previously seen foxes running from the hounds.

“Why do the Warwickshire Hunt repeatedly take their hounds to places where they know that the hounds are likely to find foxes? They can’t claim this was an accident whilst purposely and continuously taking their hounds to these places.”

Warwickshire Hunt has said the death of the fox was an accident and claimed the actions of the saboteurs made it difficult to control the hounds, making them responsible for the “incident”.

A spokesperson told the Herald: “The Warwickshire Hunt is sorry that an unfortunate accident occurred while the hunt was conducting lawful trail hunting activities on 9th October.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

“We continue to review our procedures to minimise the risk of such incidents in the future.

“It is, however, clear that the behaviour of activists who shout at hounds and use sprays to distract them makes it more difficult to control the hounds and we are in no doubt that the actions of the activists present on this occasion were responsible for this incident.

“The hunt is an important part of the local community which works tirelessly to comply with all legislation yet it is constantly targeted by activists who make spurious allegations about our activities, using heavily-edited footage and the media to amplify their mistruths in order to discredit our hunt and its supporters.”



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