With only a few days to go until the Government’s consultation on banning so-called ‘trail hunting’ closes (complete it here), hunters are doing a great job of showing the public the truth behind their smokescreen – this time the damning evidence coming from a private school’s illegal hare hunt.
On Thursday 4th June, Phillip Kennedy (kennel huntsman of the Stowe Beagles – the hunt of the prestigious Buckinghamshire boarding school) pleaded guilty in court to illegal hunting after drone footage showed the pack killing a hare and hunt members – including schoolboys gloating afterwards. Watch the footage here.
This is a shocking case on a number of levels. Not only does it show that beagle packs are still brazenly and proudly hunting and killing hares despite the practice being banned for over 20 years, but also that schools and colleges are partaking in and organising such abhorrent activities.
Stowe is one of a number of exclusive schools and colleges that has its own beagle pack,
offering hunting as part of the extracurricular activities for students.
Two other private schools kennel their own packs; the well-known Eton College in Berkshire of which Jacob Rees Moggs’ son is a hunt master – and the Radley College in Oxfordshire.
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire and the Marlborough College in Wiltshire still maintain strong links with hunts that were previously part of their institutions, with students accommodated to attend hunt meets.
Additionally, a number of universities have their own or maintain close links to hunts,
including the Royal Agricultural University in Gloucestershire, Oxford University’s Christ
College and Cambridge University’s Trinity College.
In the case of the first three mentioned, students of secondary school and sixth form age
hunt the hounds, assist the huntsman as ‘whippers-in’ and take positions on the mastership of these hunts, and transport is often laid on for students to attend meets and spectate.
These schools and colleges usually employ an adult kennel huntsman to look after hounds, to advise while hunting and to drive the hound van – in this case Phillip Kennedy.
In 2021, an article in the Horse & Hound magazine stated:
“For generations, ‘young gentlemen’ (and now some ladies) have followed the well-worn
path of masterships from school beagles to college beagles before taking a pack of
foxhounds.”
“The Stowe and Royal Agricultural College Beagles have produced the greatest number of masters and huntsmen of foxhounds over the past 50 years.”
Phillip Kennedy is listed on the Stowe School’s website with the ‘Stowe Beagles’ position in the ‘Games Department’ and has been in place since 2003.
This means he would have overseen any supposed transition from pre-ban hare hunting to post-ban ‘trail hunting,’ however this recent conviction and his actions on the hunting field show it is still ‘business as usual’ with the continued aim of illegally hunting and killing hares.
Outside of hunting hares on their home turf in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, the Stowe have previously boasted of offering three ‘hunting trips’ a year, with the pack and supporters travelling to visit hunts elsewhere in the country, often in remote and more sparsely populated locations to avoid the prying eyes of sabs or the public.
One regular destination for the Stowe Beagles has been to the Coniston Foxhounds – a
lawbreaking Lake District pack where a fox was filmed being dug out and then thrown to
waiting hounds in November Once again, young members of the hunt were filmed actively participating in the crimes against the poor animal, under the watch of more senior members.
In both cases the purpose is clear: to ensure the continuation of these cruel hunting activities in future generations, whatever their legal or moral standing may be.
A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson said:
“Far from moulding these young people into well rounded adults, ready to contribute to the betterment of society, these schools are promoting and facilitating illegality and animal abuse.”
“Child safeguarding leads have long sounded the alarm on exposing children to animal
cruelty, and here we have so-called educational institutions facilitating and organising
it.”
“Given the weight of evidence and the sheer disregard for the law shown by this hunt,
students and staff members of this school, there can be no alternative but for this hunt
to be immediately disbanded.”
“We await further action from the Stowe School governors and the Independent
Schools Inspectorate.”
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