One Less Hare Hunt As South West Beagle Packs Merge

News reaches the Hunt Saboteurs Association that two south west beagle packs have merged to form the ‘Clifton & Infantry Beagles’.

The new hunt is an amalgamation of two beagle packs: the Wiltshire & Infantry Beagles (WIB), and the Chilmark & Clifton Foot Beagles (CCFB), both of which have seen increased attention from local sab groups in recent years.

For a while the HSA had been hearing rumours that all was not well at the Wiltshire & Infantry Beagles, and that they were seeking an amalgamation with a neighbouring hunt.

The loss of a large part of their country on the Salisbury Plain due to the MOD stopping licenses for hunts to use their land (something that the HSA has campaigned on for a number of years), and the constant worry of sabs turning up, are thought to be major factors.

WIB huntsman Johnny Hathaway-White jumping ship to take up the reins at the Royal Artillery Hunt was a further indication of trouble.

But confirmation came when sabs undercover at a recent hound show noted the attendance of the previously unknown ‘Clifton & Infantry Beagles.’ They were shown by CCFB huntsman, Toby Every, and staff wore the distinctive yellow collar of the CCFB which indicates that this is the hunt that has come out on top of the merger.

The CCFB itself had come about from an amalgamation of the Chilmark Beagles and the Clifton Foot Beagles in the 2000s, and the dropping of ‘Chilmark’ from the new name is said to have left some supporters unhappy. The inclusion of ‘Infantry’ is a nod to the Wiltshire & Infantry’s origins, when it was the military hunt of the School of Infantry.

It is believed that the hunt will be based at the Chilmark & Clifton Foot Beagles kennels at Yatton, north Somerset, and their combined hunting country will include much of west Wiltshire, the Somerset Levels and the Mendip Hills.

A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson said:

“Another season, and another hunt amalgamation.

The rate that hunts are folding or merging is indicative of a dying ‘sport,’ with the hare hunting beagle packs in particular feeling the pressure from hunt sabs and dwindling support. But if they think that joining together with a new name is enough to save them, they can think again. The HSA won’t stop until they’re all consigned to the history books.”