It’s been just over two weeks since Lake District Hunt Sabs caught the Coniston Foxhounds digging out and killing a fox. It was immediately obvious to anyone looking at the footage that the cruelty on show was endemic and entirely routine – young and old members of the hunt worked expertly together to hunt down the fox, savage her with a terrier, then feed her alive to the hounds.
Weeks ahead of the government’s consultation on hunting, the fall-out has been considerable. When we showed the footage to naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham, he commented,
“I feel sick. Sick. What sort of psychopaths do this and more importantly why are this government allowing them to get away with it? Labour’s manifesto was unambiguous – they promised to ban hunting with hounds. The Secretary of State Emma Reynolds should watch this now and then pick up the phone and get the bloody job done. The nation voted for change not cruelty.”
Within minutes of the HSA breaking the story, the two-faced cowards at the Countryside Alliance had deleted the Coniston Foxhounds from the list of hunts they donate money to. Following public outcry at this grotesque display of animal abuse in our most beloved National Park, national press coverage followed, and Cumbria police launched a major investigation that has seen twelve people arrested to date.
Further aspects to this story are emerging all the time – none of them good for the reputation of hunting. One of those present on the day was ex-Coniston Foxhounds huntsman Michael Nicholson. The HSA understands that Nicholson sits on the National Board of the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA), a pro-hunt lobby group that claims to promote so-called ‘trail hunting’. Nicholson is the BHSA’s national representative for the Central Committee of Fell Packs (CCFP) who hunt across the Cumbrian mountains. According to the BHSA’s website, Nicholson and the rest of the BHSA Board have the following responsibilities:
Needless to say, these fine words make a complete mockery of the BHSA and their attempts to position themselves as a legitimate body that legislators should trust or listen to.
In further developments, the HSA has received reports that other senior members of the CCFP may have been present, as well as individuals from other hunts. The HSA is also investigating claims – based on the unusually large size of the pack and the fact that not all the hounds appear to be fell hounds – that there may even have been another hunt involved.
Thanks to the tenacity and skill of Lake District Hunt Sabs, we have yet another horrifying insight into what happens week-in, week-out at so called ‘trail hunts’ up and down the country.
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