Hunters are taking to the nation’s rivers and brooks as the mink and otter hunting season begins.
The remaining mink hound packs, of which there are around half a dozen confirmed to still be operating, will be taking to the nation’s waterways over the coming weeks as the new season of the ‘Summer bloodsport’ gets underway, running roughly between April and October.
And hunt sabs are getting ready to stop them!
What is it?
Mink hunting has its roots in otter hunting. In 1978 the otter was granted protected legal status following a huge crash in their population, despite the best efforts of the hunting lobby.
Several otterhound packs folded, but the others suddenly claimed they would start hunting the American mink. This species has become well established on Britain’s waterways since escaping from ramshackle fur farms in the 1930s and 40s.
Initially, the move to mink hunting was simply a tactic to preserve otter hunt infrastructure but the idea caught on, and several new packs were established from scratch. By the 1980s there were about 18 of these hunts operating on Britain’s waterways.
Of course, this improbable overnight conversion to hunting mink foreshadowed the ridiculous claim that hundreds of fox and hare hunts suddenly converted to ‘trail hunting’ following the Hunting Act 2004.
Many so-called mink hunts still target otters today. In fact, the hunters have their own slang for the two different animals – mink are known as ‘the black’, otters are ‘the ‘brown’. In 2019, sabs filmed the Devon-based Culmstock Mink Hounds rousing an otter, and were attacked when they bravely intervened to save the animal.
Regardless of the quarry, this form of hunting is a cruel, sordid business that causes huge damage to fragile riverside habitats.
What happens on a mink hunt?
The structure of a mink hunt is very similar to that of a fox or hare hunt; a huntsman is in charge of the pack of hounds, with whippers-in assisting him, terriermen with spades and terriers, and hunt followers along for the spectacle.
They will meet at a country pub or big house, or more commonly nowadays a less conspicuous farm track or the corner of a field next to a river. The hounds are taken on foot to a river, stream or fishing lake and encouraged to search the banks and undergrowth for the scent of a mink or otter.
When the hounds find a scent, they pursue the hunted animal across land and water. If it seeks refuge underground or in a tree stump, it will be dug out or bolted by terriermen using spades, drainage rods and terriers, and forced to run on. If it climbs a tree, it will be dislodged by the hunters – some hunters openly carry an extendable pole for this very purpose.
The law and loopholes.
Hunting mink with hounds was made illegal by the Hunting Act 2004, and as mentioned already the hunting of otters has been illegal for nearly half a century. But this doesn’t stop the hunts from making a mockery of the law and doing it anyway.
As with all forms of hunting, the hunters come up with truly ridiculous excuses to provide a smokescreen for their activities, and hunting’s so-called governing body the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) is currently trying to promote the laughable idea that mink hunts simply conduct “riverbank surveys” on our waterways.
But that’s not all… sabs have heard just about every excuse under the sun when they’ve caught members of these hunts in action, from “dealing with thistles,” hunting “rabbits” and the classic “following a trail”… through a fast flowing river.
You really couldn’t make it up, and these lame excuses give even more reason why the government must move forward with a real ban on hunting with hounds.
We need your help!
Mink hunts are among the most secretive of all hunts. Their small number, large hunting countries and increasingly tight-knit circles make them particularly hard to track down, which is why the HSA is asking for help from you, our supporters!
As the season gets underway, we are appealing for information on these illegal groups: where and when they will be meeting, gossip overhead in the pub, personnel involved and so on. No piece of information is too small to be of interest and we treat all sources with 100% confidentiality.
If you suspect you hear or see one of these hunts meeting or in progress, (eg. a collection of suspicious vehicles like those pictured above, or hear a hunting horn and hounds on a river), then let Hunt Sabs know ASAP!
Please contact our tip-off line on 07443 148 426 at the earliest opportunity.
Together, we can stop them!
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