HSA News

Last Saturday the 7th June, the Northern Counties Mink Hounds were caught hunting on the River Esk near Glaisdale on the edge of the North York Moors. This victory follows two successful outings against the Midlands based Dove Valley Mink Hounds earlier in the season.

Like many thousands of others around the world, the Hunt Saboteurs Association was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Colin Jerwood, singer and driving force behind the anarcho-punk legends Conflict.

For years, we’ve been exposing the fate of the majority of hunting hounds that are either too old, unfit or disobedient to be useful anymore – premature death at the end of a gun barrel wielded by hunt staff.

Dove Valley hunt intercepted and packed up at sewage works.

A four-way sab group deployment packed up the elusive Dove Valley minkhounds on Saturday (May 31st).

Duncan Cinnamond, huntsman of the notorious Somerset-based Seavington Hunt, pleaded guilty to illegal fox hunting at Weymouth Magistrates this week. This conviction comes as a result of evidence supplied by Two Counties Hunt Sabs who were in action at the hunt’s Opening Meet back in October last year.

May 1st marks the formal start of the new hunting season and, as usual, several hunts have announced plans to merge. This has been a pattern for several years and clearly demonstrates the slow but inexorable demise of hunting.

So, what happens now after the public release of the protocol, also known as the secret deal between Warwickshire Police and the Warwickshire Hunt? The police seem to believe things must now move on since the protocol has been released. But can they? And can we?

Author and activist Bob Berzins continues his series of posts looking at the horrors of the shooting industry. Pheasants and red-legged partridges are not native

When the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005, we were all hopeful that it would see the end of animals being hunted and killed by packs of hounds, at least overtly. We were sorely disappointed, as some police Chief Constable openly stated they would not police the act and hunt sabs, who were used to numerous police officers attending hunts to hassle them, disappeared overnight as the police suddenly had ‘no resources’ to police them. The police have mainly used the act against hare coursers, with a single conviction in 2007 on the Flint & Denbigh Hunt from evidence gathered by the police.

April is traditionally when Sab Groups across the UK take a deep breath after the challenges of the fox and hare hunting seasons, conduct maintenance on our kit, fundraise where needed and enjoy a little downtime before getting stuck into tracking down the mink and otter packs and preparing for combatting the gamebird shoots and badger culling to come. This has all changed for many of our comrades in the south and west as we increasingly turn our attention to the horrific stag hunting across the west country.

Back in 1963, the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) was created by people who saw the need for an organisation using direct action to combat the evils of hunting. The HSA quickly grew around the country and as the years passed the organisation became more formal with a constitution and committee. In the late 1980s a rogue element on the committee tried to take us away from direct action but were roundly defeated and disappeared into obscurity.

Over the past two decades, successive committees have pursued a more professional approach in our literature, merchandise and general outreach to the public and Parliament. This has seen our finances grow considerably and, with no wages to burden us, the vast majority of our resources are pumped back into our local groups, which includes action against the badger cull and shooting.

The summer hunting (and sabbing) season is now under way, with a number of hunt sab groups stopping the Dove Valley Mink Hounds in Staffordshire on Saturday.

When the HSA was founded in 1963 it had one simple aim: to promote radical direct action against all bloodsports. We have never wavered from this founding principle and have faced down decades of hunt violence, corrupt policing and hostile legislation. Today, the HSA is proud to support over sixty affiliated groups who save the lives of hunted animals week-in, week-out across the country.

Three Counties Hunt Sabs learned last week that charges against Oliver Dale — master and huntsman of the North Cotswold Hunt — for breaching the Hunting Act have been dropped. While sabs are naturally disappointed by this outcome, it highlights precisely why the Hunting Act must be strengthened.

Mink hunting is one of the most secretive of bloodsports and is hardly ever witnessed by outsiders. Legendary hunt sab and undercover investigator Mike Huskisson is one of very few people to have seen a mink hunt in action, having infiltrated hunts across the country in the guise of ‘Mike Wilkins’ in the early 1980s.