Published at 12:00, Tuesday, 06 December 2011

Advertising feature. Fox hunting has been in the headlines recently, as parliament has debated the possibility of repealing the 2004 ban to protect animals. While the League Against Cruel Sports estimates that 75 per cent of the public want the ban to be upheld, the motion to repeal it has received worrying support in parliament, and many believe that this could spell the beginning of a new wave of cruelty in the name of ‘sport’.

Supporters of fox hunting argue the activity helps to keep numbers down, and even helps the fox population by weeding out weaker or injured foxes, giving stronger ones a chance to flourish. It is argued that if a fox is strong enough to get away then its genes will thus benefit the fox population, helping to build a stronger and more resilient species.

However, this is not the whole story; the reality is in fact much crueller. While supporters of hunting would have us believe it’s a fair fight between man and beast, many hunts are in fact rigged, with foxes often prevented from escaping and even being bred specifically to be hunted in the first place.

Following a surveillance operation from July to October of this year, the League Against Cruel Sports found artificial fox earths being maintained in areas across the country. This would suggest that foxes are being encouraged to breed in specific territories, to keep fox numbers up and ensure that there are plenty of animals to hunt. It would also enable hunters to find them easily, rather than having to scour the countryside before a hunt can take place. The League also discovered metal grilles being stored nearby the artificial earths, which would enable hunters to quickly cover up fox holes and thereby prevent foxes from escaping during a hunt.

In addition to this, the League Against Cruel Sports covertly filmed an unidentified man in Dorset dumping a barrel of offal and other meats near one of the earths. Feeding them in this way not only helps fox numbers to flourish, it can also be used to entice foxes from their dens on hunting days, catching them unawares when the hunt begins and enabling them to be tracked down quicker. This, combined with the use of metal grilles, mean that foxes stand little chance of escape once a hunt has them tracked down.

All of this means that in reality, fox hunting is not a way of ‘keeping numbers down’ and is in fact just an excuse for hunters to indulge in an extremely cruel ‘sport’. With this in mind, recent debates in parliament to repeal the fox hunting ban are alarming: if the law isn’t working towards saving animals, then who is?

Luckily, help is at hand; the League Against Cruel Sports are one group that are working towards preventing cruelty to animals, as well as tracking down those who continue to take part in these ‘sports’. They lobby governments, raise awareness and provide advice to those who suspect that cruel sports are happening in their area, as well as working towards a safer future for all animals.

However, they cannot do it alone, and are always on the lookout for people to donate time and money to furthering their cause. Their website is full of information on how to get involved, and to help save the life of an animal donation, campaigning or letter-writing are all encouraged as methods of stopping cruel sports for good. If you want to get involved, don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more about what they do: it may only be a tiny commitment from you, but it can make all the difference to animals across the UK.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk