We’re just over two weeks into the main hunting season, which runs from the end of October through to the end of March or early April. Hunts are now meeting later in the mornings – a small mercy for sleep-deprived sabs – but the days themselves stretch on longer. As the ratcatchers get packed away and the formal hunting jackets come out, we’ve taken a look back at what sabs across the country have witnessed so far this month.
Storm Claudia rolled over the UK last weekend but sheeting rain and flooded roads didn’t slow the hunts down. Across county after county, hounds were still dragged through waterlogged land, while sabs witnessed the familiar chaos, cruelty and criminality.
North Dorset Sabs reported a killing near Purse Caundle. The fox was driven into brambles where riders and terriermen boxed them in. They escaped briefly to a small copse but were eventually caught and torn apart by hounds.
Mendip Sabs captured a heartbreaking image of a fox swimming desperately to escape hounds during a meet of the Mendip Farmers’ Hunt in Chewton Mendip.
Wiltshire, Bristol, Reading Sabs & Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch filmed the Beaufort openly hunting through private back gardens and flooded fields before finally calling it a day at dusk.
The Heythrop were out hunting in dense fog without high-viz, endangering road users and their own hounds.
Filmed by Northants Sabs chasing a fox again. Sabs rated the hounds and helped the fox escape. Their huntsman Sam Jones faces trial in February for illegal hunting.
Peterborough & Beds & Bucks Sabs found hounds running loose through Great Gidding, including in residents’ gardens.
West Mids Sabs sabbed both hunts while learning that Countryside Alliance member and Warwickshire PCC Philip Seccombe will lose his job. Parliament used him as an example of PCC corruption following his secret deal with the Warwickshire Hunt.
Three Counties Sabs prevented the hunt from chasing a fox at Laverton and uncovered a blocked artificial earth – presumably so the “trail” couldn’t escape into it.
North Dorset Sabs believe the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale released a “four-o’clock fox” after a blank day following their meet at Manor Farm, Droop. Terriermen are known to hold foxes captive and release them into areas about to be hunted, ensuring “good sport” for their paying ghoulish supporters.
Herefordshire Sabs reported terrierman Ross Loader attending court in Worcester for illegally keeping peregrine falcons. Loader has a long history with violence toward sabs and has regularly followed the hunt around with terriers in recent seasons.
Northants Sabs caught the Cottesmore hunting a fox on camera after the hunt met at Lyddington, with just two paying riders. Whipper in Max Logan was seen violently whipping a hound and kicked a sab as he rode past.
Foxes were helped to safety by sabs after being hunted at Braunston-in-Rutland in another grim day for wildlife.
Plymouth & West Devon Sabs intervened at Peter Tavy, preventing hare hunting.
North Dorset sabs found blocked badger setts clear spade marks and quad tracks at a meet of the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale in Mudford Sock, Yeovil – clear signs of illegal hunting.
West Midlands Sabs saw two foxes narrowly escape near a road and a live railway line – the same line the hunt has been fined £16,000 for trespassing on.
In shocking footage released by the HSA, Lake District Hunt Saboteurs filmed a brutal dig-out and kill by the Coniston Hunt.
Presenter Chris Packham, on seeing the footage, 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.”
Mendip Hunt Sabs filmed the Mendip Farmers hunt chasing wildlife inside a designated nature reserve on their opening meet.
The opening meet for the Jed Forest Hunt in Hobsburn and Edinburgh sabs and Glasgow sabs were there. Riders tried charging sabs with their horses and threw in some xenophobic and threatening language but sabs prevailed staying with the hunt until they packed up.
Somerset Sabs reported a kill at the opening meet of the Vale of Taunton & Banwell Harriers at Dawlea Farm, Stogursey.
Sabs witnessed a terrierman climbing into a Wessex Water sewage treatment works with bolt-croppers. They then headed to a copse where hounds went into full cry. Supporters surrounded the area and blew for the kill just after 3pm.
North Dorset Sabs helped foxes to safety at a meet of the Portman Hunt at Shroton.
North Dorset Sabs forced hounds to be called out of a covert where a fox was hiding.
South Suffolk Sabs intervened at Dengewell Hall and helped a fox to safety.
Sabs from Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch, Wiltshire and Bristol Sabs rated hounds off a fox at Westonbirt School despite the Beaufort’s fleet of new stalker quads.
South Wales Sabs helped two foxes escape in the Bannau Brecheiniog.
Two Counties Sabs, Weymouth Animal Rights and Liverpool Sabs worked together to protect two foxes at Charminster.
Calder Valley and East Yorkshire Coast Sabs stopped the Derwent hunting in the North York Moors National Park.
Staffordshire and Sheffield Sabs saw blatant hunting, saved two foxes and endured racist and homophobic abuse. Hounds came out bloodied from elephant grass.
Herefordshire Hunt Sabs found the Worcestershire Hunt near Cooksey Green, Wychbold with terriermen and terriers in tow.
The Old Berks Hunt were furious after receiving sab attention from Wiltshire & Reading sabs.
Nottingham Sabs helped foxes at a meet of the South Notts Hunt. Hounds ran across a road and nearly caused a serious crash.
At the Fitzwilliam Opening Meet, a fox ran straight past the Beds & Bucks sab vehicle and had a lucky escape thanks to sab presence.
Severn Vale Sabs found the Royal Agricultural College Beagles holding their opening meet at Bankside Farm Buildings, Cherington, Gloucestershire. Sabs stayed with them to ensure no hunting could take place.
Plymouth & West Devon Sabs were out covering the first day of the main season for the Spooners & West Dartmoor Hunt at their opening meet on Dartmoor.
The main season began on a horrific note with footage of a deer being mauled to death by the Portman Hounds.
Just two weeks into the main hunting season and we have seen and documented foxes being chased and killed, badger setts blocked, hunts trespassing on private and protected land, hunts on railway lines, terriermen carrying tools for digging out wildlife and shocking animal cruelty happening in full view of sabs and their cameras.
But everywhere the hunts went, sabs were there too – saving foxes, documenting evidence, exposing illegal activity and holding the hunts to account.
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