The Meynell and South Staffordshire hunt illegally chased and killed a fox today during their meet near Draycott-in-the-Clay, Staffordshire. The incident was filmed by members of Nottingham Hunt Saboteurs who managed to get the dead fox away from the hounds. The body of the fox as well as video of the kill have been handed to Staffordshire Police who are investigating the crime.
The hunt had been repeatedly hunting their hounds through the same area of woodland for most of the day. There was no evidence that a trail had been laid yet their hounds kept going into cry (picking up the scent of a fox). The hunt staff made no attempt to remove the hounds from the woodland but instead encouraged them to hunt the scent. They eventually caught the fox late in the afternoon and the sabs present were unable to stop the kill.
Members of the hunt were found guilty of illegal hunting in 2012 after being filmed by hunt saboteurs. They were the first hunt in the Uk to be convicted of illegally hunting during cubbing season – they were training their hounds to kill by setting them on fox cubs.
Lee Moon, Press spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “We are pleased that Staffordshire police are taking this incident so seriously. The Meynell and South Staffs have previous form for illegal hunting and this blatant law breaking must not go unpunished. Well done to the sabs present, who despite not being able to stop the kill, managed to secure the body of the fox to be used as evidence so that hopefully it won’t have died in vain.”
