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.
Other organisations with large bank balances stepped up to try to fill this legal hole. The first prosecutions were gained by the RSPCA with evidence gathered against the Heythrop Hunt by Protect our Wild Animals (POWA). As a result, the RSPCA were subjected to a concentrated attack from the likes of the Countryside Alliance, claiming they were wasting money by attacking hunting. In 2012 their new CEO said it would no longer prosecute hunting and, in 2021, went even further, saying it would give up almost all private prosecutions.
Both the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the League Against Cruel Sports employed investigators to attempt to gain evidence to prosecute hunts. IFAW’s unit was short lived, achieving just one prosecution working with the RSPCA, but the League’s was more successful in achieving results, managing 20 convictions from 2007 to 2019. When CEO Andy Knott joined the organisation he sacked the investigators despite public assurances that their jobs were secure.
As always, the Hunt Saboteur Association (HSA) simply soldiered on. Although our main aim is always to prevent the killing of animals in the field, from 2012 to 2025, we have exceeded the League’s number of convictions, with more court cases in the pipeline. Since 2020, ALL convictions have come via hunt sab evidence, and this is of course, likely to continue with no one else being active in the field, bar a few scattered monitor groups.
All convictions have been achieved by working with the police and CPS. This has time proved difficult with reluctance from some police forces, but as always, sab persistence has prevailed. The HSA budget is a fraction of all the other animal organisations, but we have once again shown what commitment and direct action can achieve.
Whatever the results of amending the Hunting Act, hunt sabs will be required to get the hunts into court. No one else seems willing to do the work of gathering evidence of what is basically organised criminality done out in broad daylight. Hunts are truly the UK’s Rural Mafia.
We are the only organisation that works directly in the field to save wildlife through direct action.
