Two Counties Hunt Sabs have captured horrifying footage of a fox kill at the opening meet of the notorious Somerset-based Seavington Hunt.
While sabs were too far away to directly intervene, they managed to film the hunted fox being brought down by the lead hounds in full view of huntsman Duncan Cinnamond. Far from intervening to stop this crime, Cinnamond blows three short, sharp blasts on his horn to encourage the remaining hounds to join the attack.
Then – in what appears to be a well-practised routine to get rid of evidence – another hunter dismounts her horse, wades into the middle of the pack and retrieves the foxes’ mangled body before throwing it into a river.
Cinnamond then rides off calmly in search of another victim.
This is not the first time the Seavington Hunt have been mired in controversy. In August 2022 they made national headlines after footage of them hunting a ‘bagged’ fox was aired on ITV News. In the video, a seedy gang of hunt terriermen are seen taking a sack from one of their quad bikes. A fox is then tipped out, while the uniformed Seavington huntsman rushes forward to encourage the waiting hounds after the animal, which is pursued out of shot by the baying hounds.
At the time, hunting’s so-called governing body, the British Hound Sports Association, pretended to take the issue seriously, telling ITV News that:
“The hunt remains suspended from the BHSA, the new governing body for hunting with hounds, until a full enquiry is carried out by the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority, the new regulatory body that is responsible for disciplinary matters. This will take place following the conclusion of the legal process.”
That legal process concluded in October 2022 with Seavington huntsman Benedict Hood admitting guilt, though his five-strong gang of terriermen, who also participated in the abuse, got away with their crimes.
However, far from suspending or disbanding the Seavington Hunt – which remains a member pack to this day – the BHSA quickly set about promoting its activities on their social media channels. On at least three sperate occasions, they shared Seavington Hunt material, including links about its Point-to-Point event, a key fund-raiser for this criminal organisation.
An HSA spokesperson commented,
“This footage by Two Counties Hunt Sabs tells you everything you need to know about hunting in 2024. Firstly, it proves that so-called trail hunts have started their new season as they mean to go on – by ruthlessly hunting down and killing foxes. Secondly, it tells us that such hunts operate with the full support of the British Hound Sports Association. The BHSA had the opportunity to disband this criminal organisation two years ago but chose instead to lend it their support. No wonder that the Seavington – and hunts up and down the country – are emboldened to continue their blatant and illegal fox hunting.”
Please support Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs – the brave sabs who captured this footage – here: ko-fi.com/twocountieshuntsabs.