Horrific though it is, Lake District Hunt Sabs drone video of the Coniston Foxhounds digging out a fox and ripping her to pieces only captures half the cruelty of fox hunting in the Lakeland fells.
As the video begins, a hunted fox has already been chased into an underground refuge, but there is no safety here: the hunters have sent a terrier in to attack her. Above ground, the hunters are using a tracking device – linked to the dog’s collar – to locate the site of the vicious subterranean battle between fox and terrier. Once located, the hunters dig down to extract the fox, so she can be thrown alive to the hounds.
It is totally unnatural for a predator like a fox to run for extended periods. Their first line of defence when hunted is therefore to ‘go to earth’ – to seek refuge underground. But this is a serious impediment to the hunters, who want to enjoy the spectacle of hounds chasing a terrified fox across open country.
Coniston hunter tries to locate the underground battle. An image from another hunt shows red tracking device and collar.
The first job of the terriermen is therefore to trap foxes above ground on the day of the hunt. They achieve this by visiting all known fox earths, badger setts, and other potential refuges the night before the hunt and ‘stopping’ them – filling them in – with earth or other material.
The rugged, remote terrain of the Lake District means that earth-stopping is not usually possible, thus there is a much greater reliance on sending terriers underground to attack or bolt foxes. Former Coniston Foxhounds master Roger Westmoreland – still very much involved with the hunt today – told the June 2000 Burns Inquiry that about a quarter of the foxes killed by his hunt were bolted or dug out.
Terriermen from across the country like to visit the six fell packs, so their dogs can “have a go” at the local fox population.
There are two types of terrier used in hunting: ‘soft’ terriers are trained to stand off and bark as the terrierman digs down, while ‘hard’ terriers are trained to attack foxes below ground. It is no surprise that the Coniston Foxhounds use hard terriers: when the fox emerges, a white terrier is latched onto her hindquarters and blood is visible on the dog’s face when he is wrenched away.
Terrible injuries are common but, as terrier work is illegal, the hunters leave their dogs untreated or, even worse, botch the treatment themselves. In a recent case, terriermen from the Kent Hounds attempted to superglue their dog’s injuries closed.
An HSA spokesperson commented,
“Terriermen, like those seen in action at the Coniston Foxhounds, are the scum of the earth. They brutalise their own terriers, delight in torturing foxes, and are routinely involved in other crimes such as badger baiting and dog fighting. Whether in the high fells of Lakeland or the lowlands, the presence of terriers and terriermen is an obvious indication that wildlife crime and sickening cruelty is in progress.”
The government has launched a public consultation on Trail Hunting – this is our chance to stop cruel hunting for good. You can read the HSA’s guidance and take part in the consultation here. The deadline is 18th June 2026 – make sure your voice is heard.
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