Dumb Dumfries Hunt Score End Of Season Own Goal

On Saturday 8th March, Glasgow Hunt Sabs attended a meet of the Dumfriesshire & Stewartry (D&S) Hunt near the village of Thornhill, marking the first visit from sabs since the hunt’s formation in 2006.

The arrival of hunt sabs at one of the last meets of the season took the hunt by surprise. Clearly unsettled by their presence, the hunt attempted to drive sabs off by riding horses at them and using a number of tactics to hold them up.

However, the sabs persisted and stayed with the hunt, clearly causing frustration amongst the hunt and their followers. This frustration soon spilled over into violence, and when asked why a quad rider was riding illegally with no number plates, one passenger lashed out and punched a sab in the face. A 999 call was made immediately.

See a clip of the assault here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/522183857569749

This altercation forced the hunt to reconsider their actions, and after just 90 minutes, they returned to the meet and packed up. Police arrived at the scene, a statement was taken, and the sabs returned to Glasgow, confident that their presence had prevented the hunt from killing any wildlife.

A 64-year-old man has since been arrested and charged with assault following the attack.

Illegal hunting despite the new law

The hunt, which replaced the Dumfriesshire Hunt after it disbanded in 2001, has largely managed to avoid attention from sabs due to its secretive nature and a focus on other hunts.

Back in January, sabs from Glasgow and Edinburgh paid their first visit to the D&S Hunt, working undercover to assess what they would be dealing with in the future.

The hunt was claiming to operate under the new Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 by using a full pack of hounds to flush foxes to waiting guns. To do so legally, the hunt had been granted a licence from NatureScot, allowing them to operate with more than two hounds, as required by the law.

To obtain such a licence, hunts must adhere to strict guidelines set out by NatureScot and be prepared for monitoring. In practice, however, these licences have been exploited by hunts to continue illegal activities, with NatureScot admitting there has been minimal monitoring of licensed hunts, and, when monitoring does take place, hunts are often warned in advance.

But what sabs observed in January at the D&S Hunt was blatant illegal hunting, as no shooters were in position while the hunt, led by huntsman Dave Every, worked hounds through multiple coverts.

Also in January, Glasgow Sabs filmed another hunt, the Lauderdale Foxhounds, hunting under licence with a full pack of hounds chasing a fox. The footage is now part of an ongoing police investigation.

Another own goal for hunting

A video of the incident was uploaded to the Glasgow Sabs Facebook page and quickly gained over 125,000 views within 24 hours, attracting media attention.

Since the incident, Glasgow Sabs have received a barrage of typical comments from the hunting community, with many wishing more serious harm on their team member. Most of these comments congratulated the attacker, claiming the assault was not severe enough.

Glasgow Sabs responded to the attack by saying:

“Violence will never deter us from confronting fox hunts and exposing them for what they are: violent thugs.”

“We are pleased that the police have rightfully taken swift action by charging this individual. We hope this sends a clear message to this hunt that they cannot get away with unprovoked violence.”

A Hunt Saboteurs Associations spokesperson added:

“Yet again, we see illegal hunters turning to violence in a bid to stop the cruelty they inflict from being exposed and stopped.“

“Unfortunately for the Dumfriesshire & Stewarty, hunt sabs are made of stern stuff, and once again all their violence has really achieved is another shot in the foot for their dying bloodsport.”

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