Catch up on recent news from the Hunt Saboteurs Association
As hunts across the country prepare to gather for their Boxing Day meets, the HSA has been passed horrifying footage of so-called ‘trail hunters’ digging a fox from its underground refuge and throwing it – alive – to a pack of hounds.
Following the recent conviction and plea hearings of a number of huntsman and hunt terriermen, the HSA is making a further appeal for sight of several sick videos hunting videos referenced in court.
In particular, we are interested in a video that shows former Avon Vale Hunt master Stuart Radbourne and his fox-baiting mate Oliver Thompson throwing a live fox to the hounds in front of hunt supporters – including a child – on Christmas Eve, 2020.
Ex-Essex & Suffolk huntsman, Sam Staniland. was in court last Monday facing six animal welfare charges relating to terrier work.
The court heard how Staniland, who already has a conviction under the Hunting Act from his time at the Meynell & South Staffs, failed to prevent injuries and suffering to multiple terriers, a foxhound, and two lurchers by causing, and failing to prevent, dogs from fighting with foxes and badgers.
Another fake trail-laying event and another embarrassment for hunting’s incompetent governing body, the British Hound Sports Association. This time, the BHSA have chosen to use the Queen song Don’t Stop Me Now to accompany their latest poorly produced video of foxhounds running through a field.
A badger protector from Wiltshire has accepted substantial damages after being arrested on false – and subsequently withdrawn – claims made by a badger cull shooter. Wiltshire Police agreed a settlement on a case brought against them and admitted unlawful detainment, trespass against the person, assault and battery and a GDPR breach of the badger protectors’ personal information to a third party.
There could not be a more obvious case of illegal hunting than that captured on camera by fox hunter Harry Mayo at a meet of the Avon Vale Hunt in Brokerswood in December 2022. The video, which showed Avon Vale terrierman Alex Warden retrieve his terrier from a badger sett, as someone lifted the doomed fox from the ground and threw them to the waiting hounds who proceeded to tear the terrified animal apart.
Former Old Berkshire Huntsman Oliver Thompson was spared jail on Monday. He was handed a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, told to complete 300 hours of unpaid work, and to pay costs of £2,500.
Friday 8th December saw the second of the British Hound Sports Association’s (BHSA) totally shambolic ‘Trail Hunting Demonstrations’. Much as the first ‘demonstration’ back in October, Friday’s event proved to be another failed attempt from those in the bloodsport’s so-called ‘governing body’ to portray hunts as working within the law.
While the autumn stag hunting season has come to an end, there is no reprieve for the red deer herds of the Southwest. Right now, the country’s three remaining stag hunts are targeting hinds, or female deer.
The Caerphilly and District Hunt has just announced that it is going to disband, some 70 years after its formation. The dissolution of the hunt was unanimously agreed upon by members of the hunt at a recent EGM, with the hunt’s final ever meet announced for the 6th January.
Whilst we all know what hunts are using quad bikes for – the terrier boxes on the front along with digging equipment being a dead giveaway – there’s no plausible excuse to have terrier men on a so called “trail hunt”, there is still some confusion from the general public who comment on our posts as to the legality of the use of quads. This post answer some of these concerns.
North Dorset Hunt Sabs were attacked by a drunken hunt master and his accomplices at a meet of the Somerset-based Quantock Staghounds yesterday.
Nottingham Hunt Sabs successfully disrupted a rare meet of the East Lincolnshire Bassets near Revesby on Saturday.
It is three years since the Hunt Saboteurs Association published leaked training webinars from the Hunting Office. These webinars – presented to an audience of over 100 hunt masters – conclusively proved what hunt sabs had been saying for the previous fifteen years: trail hunting is a lie.
Make the gift-giving season more meaningful whilst also raising awareness and supporting our work by shopping from our huge range of unique HSA gifts!
The HSA is today appealing for sight of videos that it is aware are circulating on sick hunting WhatsApp groups.
Hunt sabs witnessed horrifying scenes last Saturday 11th November as out-of-control hounds from the Puckeridge & Essex Hunt attacked a fallow deer.
Nearly 20 years after hunting was supposedly banned, up and down the country hunts continue to chase and kill fox, hare, mink, otter and deer for fun. With a General Election likely within the next 12 months and Labour suggesting that they will strengthen the Hunting Act, the Hunt Saboteurs Association is stepping up our campaign to make sure the hunting of wild animals with hounds is finally banned.
Chris Mardles, a former whipper-in at the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt in Northamptonshire, has today been sentenced to 18 months in jail. Earlier this year he plead guilty to a Section 20 wounding offence against a Northants Hunt Sab in 2020. Mardles will also spend 12 months on strict licence once his prison sentence is served.
Stuart Radbourne, Huntsman and Master of the now disbarred Avon Vale Hunt, was back in court last month to face more animal cruelty charges dating back to 2020. He pleaded guilty to the charges which were brought under Section 4 (1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
