| Should
hunting with hounds be banned? |
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| The
RSPCA campaign against hunting |
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The
issue of fox hunting has caused heated debate throughout the county.
Now
you can have your say by joining our live chat by logging on to
this page on Friday 8th November from 7.00pm GMT.
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| Fox
hunters ride along a country road |
Fox
hunting provokes strong views on both sides of the argument.
Is it the most humane way of controlling foxes in the countryside
which provides employment in the local economy?
Or
is it a cruel and unnecessary practice which should be banned?
Now's
your chance to discuss the issue in a live chat with Les
Ward, the Chair of the Scottish campaign against hunting with
dogs and Alan Murray, the Director of the Scottish Countryside
Alliance.
I suggest that you all ban fox hunting as it is the best thing
you can do. you should allow all foxes to breed in a free
and uncontrolled environment, and if they come into your town
you must feed them.
If a fox bites one of your kiddies then have the child put
in jail for allowing a fox to bite him/her, then take the
fox into your home and treat it as your new child. A fox will
make a great pet and also they should all roam free throughout
your towns. you can rename your towns to "fox town" or the
"village of the fox," or "fox den" and such things. Then when
the fox population gains back its full potential you should
all leave your towns with the foxes and move your families
out into the country-side and live in the bushes, abandon
your humanity and live like savages such as were in the colonies.
you can begin to eat weeds and tree branches and such, as
all animales must be protected from you foul human beasts.
then you can systematicly begin to kill yourselves so! that
no human will take up space from a poor defensless fox!
Komrade Kerplunk, Fox Hole |
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Townies poking their noses in? Employment in the country
side?
I was born and brought up on a farm on the moors, not many
nieghbours looking over the gate in those days (the 50's)not
many today either, my father made sure all the poultry were
locked up tight at night, we did lose one or two chickens
and a goose once, lucky fox, never lost any lambs to foxes
though, a couple of the farm cats went, apparently a delicacy
for the fox. On the subject of cats, like foxes, they have
a built in very active instinct to hunt to eat. man doesn't,
nor does he have to hunt in this day and age. My father
always emphasised one should kill for the pot and not for
pleasure. As far as foxes were concerned we had to adapt,
make our stock the foxes fancied more secure. in general,
foxes didn't bother us that much, as not only did they have
the odd partridge, pheasant or rabbit, they eat vast amounts
of rodents, which any fool knows is their stable diet, well,
O.K. you can't expect townies or industrial farmers(who
are insured) to know that. If a fox was hungry or opportunist
enough to try for a chicken dinner, our dogs saw him off.
I used to see the odd fox dissappear into the gorse or bracken
afar, rare sightings they were.
The
way some folks go on, using farmers as an excuse, you'd
expect to see hundreds of the devils waiting to attack innocent
hens,lambs, and why not, babies in their cots the moment
farmer Jack turns away.
Truthfully,
Farmers are not the reason, we spent some time repairing
fences and dry stone walls these arrogant huntsmen broke,
or searching the moors for lost stock because they left
the gate open taking a short cut without permission across
our land. we were just a step up from crofters and serfs
to these folk. we lost more lambs and calves still born
from their mothers being run by hunts,rare thank God, hazard
of sharing the moor with the horse and hound brigade I suppose.
I'm from Cornwall, there is a very big unemployment figure
here, as there is in most deep rural areas, so I can't see
how they're keeping the countryside alive. let's be honest,
it's the DHSS keeping the countryside alive. This rural
unemployment is partly due to modern machines which replaced
hundreds of farm workers and not forgetting casual labour
employed for harvesting and no, or little, investment in
rural industry. I can't see what differance banning hunting
is going to have on unemployment figures, as a tiny minority
are employed with hunts. plus I don't believe stables will
go bust because of it. My worry is for the future of the
poor dogs that the huntsmen threatened to kill if hunting
with hounds were to be banned. They could be used on the
farms to frighten off foxes like our two collies did, if
Farmers really believe their livlihood is threatened by
Reynard, or what about using them to hunt the stoat. now,
when he gets in among the hens......
Drop
the blah blah blah hunting people, be courageous and stand
up for what you do, don't hide behind feeble excuses or
use us country folk to back them up, many Nazi's were executed
shouting Hiel Hitler and they had a lot to be ashamed of.
Don't be two faced, say out loud and truthfully that you
hunt for the pleasure, for the thrill of the chase, the
status and the perverted orgasm of the kill. There is no
other reason, the only farmers that concern you are the
ones who ride in your pack or who let you use their land.
As for rural employment, a local supermarket for example,
employs more than you do in all of Cornwall. and as for
townies poking their noses into rural affairs. three quarters
of a hunt live in towns!! Hunt's are not part of countrylife
as they are few and far between and for God's sake leave
poor Tiddles, who doesn't know any better and only follows
his instincts, out of this.
John, Cornwall
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Pardon
me for asking, but in what way is assembling an army of men,
horses and a pack of dogs to hunt down and kill a small animal
proving that your not soft? If anything, your demonstrating
just the opposite. It just seems to reflect English upper
class society as a whole; gang up on the weak and defenseless,
then go home with your chest all puffed out feeling superior.
Not civilised at all, really, are you?
Terrence, UK |
I've seen
a fox running for its life from a pack of hounds. I've also
heard hunters saying why they hunt foxes. All this propaganda
about 'conserving the countryside' and 'pest control' is nothing
but a smokescreen: people hunt foxes for sport; they admit
it themselves. It's for sport. Pure and simple, nothing else,
and they don't see why they should be deprived of their sport.
Sean, Bristol
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alot of you arent seeing what is happening hear ban it why?
its a part of nature. if hunting is cruel what about the dosmestic
cat? what about birds of prey? the foxes has no preditors
but man this is how man has choose to act.
Timmy, Launceston |
right matthew rich girls arent the only ones to hunt. what
about your dear little pussy playing with its prey for hours
until it finally kills it.
Foxy, Launceston |
I came
into hunting around 5 years ago. I grew up in Bude in North
Cornwall the son of a teacher and a town lad. Now livivng
in the countryside,the friends I have made since joining the
South Tetcott Hunt are great and had I not taken the time
to listen and understand the skill in hunting hounds I would
not be informed enough to comment today. My vote is to hunt
forever. I support hunting in every way. We are becoming nothing
short of a soft Nation.
Bruce Newport, Boyton |
Over the many years I have been hunting I have
been in no doubt that what I was donig was right and proper,
maybe not always for the individual animal but most certainly
for the species. the strong will survive and only the weak
or infirm will get caught. When an animal is hunted there
are no half way measures it is either killed or it gets away
unharmed. If an animal is hunted again it will have no fear
of being hunted as it got away last time and from experience
it will expect to get away again.
I was formerly a master of a pack of beagles in Yorkshire
where the hare. I opened up a part of the country for hunting,
the first year we hunted there we found no hares as the
farmers had shot them all. After 2 0r 3 years we had no
such problem as the farmers had decided not to shoot them
but to leave them for "Mark and his Dogs". Surely this is
conservation in its truest sense and the species is better
for it. LONG LIVE HUNTING.
Mark Davison,
Marazion
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Reply to the so called anon! most of us rich nobodys are not
actually rich. My parents have their own business to make
sure that there is enough money in the bank to be able to
feed our horses.
S .Donoghue, Cornwall |
I live in the countryside and i have had a thought and when
farmers shoot foxes they are likely to kill more than what
we hunt, so eventually they may become extinct. they are a
lovely animal, i agree, but they are a pain when the lambing
season comes along and the newly born always seem to be the
first on a foxes list. so we hunt them so that they do not
become extinct. since i have been hunting, which was september
2001, we have not actually caught a fox and i mainly only
go for the chase so i can get a very good gallop out of my
pony. so why ban hunting when the farmers with thier shot
guns will most proberly make them extinct any way.
Sarah, Bodmin |
Whether you see the fox as a sporting foe, a pest, or a victim,
relies heavily on your views on the extent of animal sapience
(self-awareness) and sentience (capacity for percieving and
feeling things). Most pro - hunting activists see the fox
as a cunning and skillful opponent, or simply as a pest, even
claiming in the same breath that foxes have 'no natural predators
in the uk,' and that 'being hunted is a natural part of 'the
quarry's' everyday life!'
I think it is important to remember that we, as humans, are
part of nature too, and are also a type of animal - how would
you feel if you were chased by dogs and armed men [sic] on
horses. How you would feel, I believe, is not dissimilar to
the way a fox (or a stag etc) feels when hunted. Because we
as humans have the capacity for empathy and for significant
'agency', I think we should use it.
There is no culture/nature divide except in the mistaken imaginings
of some people. Urban and rural, human and non human, are
interrelated, and where there may be differences, there are
no dichotomies. I believe in the intrisic value of animals
(opposite to extrinsic value -that animals only have value
so far as they are useful to someone), that they are part
of our moral community, albeit without a voice, and that fox
hunting should be immediately banned.
We do not eat foxes, hunting as a game is an outdated minority
cultural form, and is highly uncivilised (despite the neat
clothes, the posh accents, the percieved 'polite society').
If it was a bunch of 'working class' geordies in Newcastle
Utd shirts cavorting on horses on the Urban fringe and chasing
a fox or a deer with a pack of alsatians or rotweilers - then
Ii think people would be far more hesitant in making up weak
exuses for this cruel sport.
The exuse about controlling numbers is unconvincing - human
populations are a far more pressing problem, especially in
the developing world. Maybe we should start hunting babies,
and people with severe disabilites - because afterall they
too lack linguistical crieria and can't complain!
Jen, Northumberland |
I agree with alot of your views, but I feel that foxhunting
should stay and city folk shouldnt sick there noses in. I
mean that in one night a farmer who depends on chikens for
his/her business could lose his/her livestock in one night.
Jenny, midsomer norton |
Fox Hunting is not a sport, but a cruel past time and so-called
entertainment, for fools who obviously have nothing better
to do than encourage a pack of loving animals to murder in
cold blood, a wild animal whose crime is to be in natures
righfull place. This is outragous, and is well out of date.
It's origin goes back yonks. Blood sports are cruel and pathetic,
always have been and always will be, until someone has the
decency to put a stop to them. Buck up Britain and move into
the 21st century!
Dawn - L Bayes, Treviscoe |
Its foul, disgusting, cruel, inhumain and the scum that do
it need to find a better hobbie than making dogs tear up innocent
animals like some sort of soft toy, how would you like to
be chased for miles and miles then after that be ripped to
shreds by savage hounds.Frankly its barbaric and why cant
people see past there own silly existence and see the fear
pain and loss of family your causing the fox to discover.
Ollie, Porthleven |
I believe
that people are blowing this issue totally out of proportion
and tieing other issues in with it. You are separating 'townies'
from 'countryside people' and turning it into a political
thing eg. Tories support the hunting and Labour doesnt. I
know this is rubbish, but this is the way it is coming across.
The plain bare, raw facts remain that foxes are being flushed
out by hounds, chased until they are exhausted, and being
torn apart cruelly, inhumanely and torturously.
I think anyone who enjoys watching foxes being murderously
being ripped apart my hounds, must have a severe mental problem,
and the attitudes of hunters makes me nauseous - the fact
that they cannot understand the defenition of murder - killing
for no purpose (if they were being killed for meat then i
would feel differently) only to 'keep numbers down' what gives
you the right to 'keep numbers down?' Some of these things
that you hunters come out with are laughable: "foxes are cunning
and murderous" + "they kill for pleasure" (to quote someone
on this opinion page) what rubbish is this?
Foxes kill only for food - you hunters are only looking for
a scapegoat for your bloodthirsty 'sports'. If farmers put
up better protection round their chicken cages in the first
place, then the foxes could not get in to eat them in the
first place!!! How about having government officials to shoot
problematic foxes quickly and cleanly with zero pain? sorry
hunters, bang goes your excuse for a good old jolly blowing
of the old trumpets and racing after a defenceless animal
out of its mind with terror!
Tina |
I agree with most people's views that fox hunting on horseback
could be banned without having too much effect on the numbers
of foxes and that, on the few occasions that the hounds do
catch a fox, it would seem to be cruel to most people. However,
if it were a rat that the dogs were dispatching would we still
be having the same conversation?
Phil T, Cornishman in Oman |
I think Fox hunting should be banned because it is cruel and
it must feel like killing yourself.
Laura Endean,
Wickford, Essex |
Please note that you or I missed a rather important word out
of my submission: 2. should read: Is it morally acceptable?
To a vociferous minority yes, to the majority (according to
the scientific opinion polls), no.
Stuart, St Ives |
Lets ignore for a moment the town versus country, interfering
in rural lives, snobbery and prejudice arguments and concentrate
on the issue.
1. Is Fox Hunting cruel? There can be no doubt that a large
pack of hounds followed by a large group of riders against
one fox is at best unfair and at worst cruel.
2. Is it morally acceptable? To a vociferous minority yes,
to the majority (according to the scientific opinion polls)
no
3. Should the Government ban an activity that the majority
disagree with but a minority does not? Yes - otherwise activities
undertaken by existing minorities that are banned would need
to be allowed eg: burglary, dog fighting, etc.
At the end of the day democracy is going with the will of
the majority having allowed the minority their say. Anything
else is dictatorial or totalitarian.
Stuart, St Ives |
As a Four Burrow pony club member I resent that as a horse
owner it is assumed that I should support hunting. I agree
that it is a country persuit that we shouldnt lose, but feel
it outdated that we should cause unnecessary suffering to
the fox. As a land owner I am not overrun with this species,
and as I have never allowed the hunt on my land over the last
10 years, have actually seen my local fox population decrease
of its own accord. The population will only increase if conditions
& food supplies allow. In my experience mange plays a large
part in culling the elderly/infirm foxes. I do not see any
argument for continuing hunting. I do see the need for change
and wonder why there is little support for drag hunting, which
is a viable alternative. Purely on a safety basis, I am happier
as a parent to let my children drag hunt knowing that however
predictable, this is a safer sport, and rarely results in
accidents/deaths to horses and riders of the scale in regular
hunt meets. The switch in support to this type of hunting
would negate the loss of jobs, and perhaps encourage additional
land owners to open their land for this sport giving more
varied hunting territory. It is argued that shooting and fishing
may follow similar legislation to that of hunting, if banned,
but is this already not the case, with contained artificially
stocked lakes, where fish are thrown back, and woods stocked
with home reared pheasants & other game, only to be replaced
when bagged! Change is happening, whether we legislate or
not.
Heather Pastor, Truro |
Hunting for deer on Exmoor was banned a few years back but
it did not take long for people to realise that the increase
in deer population was destroying the environment, most of
which was of a very sensitive nature. There are several methods
used to control the fox population and chasing them on horseback
with hounds is probably the least efficient way of doing it.
One of the most humane ways of controlling them is to send
dogs into an area of cover, i.e. woods or gorse, which has
been surrounded by men with guns, and shoot them as they are
chased out. The hounds never come in contact with the fox
and a large percentage manages to escape. However, this method
would still be construed as hunting with dogs and would be
included in any ban if there ever were one. I was involved
in a fox cull a few years ago where 39 foxes were removed
from one farmer's small poultry farm in one day. These foxes
posed a very real threat to his livelihood.
PhilT Cornishman in Oman |
Ban it now.
Dave Chandler, Reading |
I think country matters should be left to the people who live
in the countryside. I now live close to Plymouth, and I am
sure people who live in the city, would not thank outsiders
to interfere with city life.
G L Tucker, Plymstock |
Please ban hunting now! How would you like YOUR DOG to be
ripped apart?
Gill, Falmouth,Cornwall |
To graham keene. i don't know what your on about, but everyone
i hunt with live and work on farms, have strong cornish accents
and a contempt for snobbery. mostly we hunt on private land
and get good support from the locals. this is reeking havoc
how exectly...?
Anon |
Do you know how hard it is to shoot a fox and kill it instantly?
its almost impossible. many foxes are only injured by the
shot, as it is not accurate. foxes often die in a lot of pain
this way. at least with hunting if the fox is caught, it's
dead. there is no other way to kill a fox that doesn't amount
to pain. its horrible, but it has to be done anyway. foxes
are savage. they don't just kill for food; if a fox finds
it's way into a hen- house, it will kill the whole lot. as
your targeting cruelty to animals, you might as well try to
ban the fox.
Dave, Plymton |
What do you suggest we do with the many thousands of hounds
and horses made redundant by a ban on fox hunting? to re-
home such a large number of animals is, unfortunately impossible.
Hunting is a matter of heratige and conservation. i totally
disagree with whoever said it was about a load of old nobodies
messing around with horses and dogs. do you ever think about
the thousands of ponies exported needlessly for meat in terrible
and barbaric conditions? does the labour party try to stop
this? and what about the anti- hunt protesters who poisoned
a whole pack of hounds? what is the real issue about here-
cruelty or class?
Sally, Bodmin |
Speaking as one who has lived in rural Lincolnshire as a child
and having been threatened with a riding crop for getting
in the way of a banker on horseback,I have ever since been
confused by the pro-hunting lobby.When they insist that the
issue is of no concern to townies why do they march through
large cities and attempt in so doing,to influence townie opinion?
When they say government has no moral right to stop fox hunting
do they also believe past governments had no right to put
an end to cock fights, bear baiting and dogs versus badger
contests. I thought we voted governments into power in order
that they would make decisions on our behalf. If there has
ever been a subject discussed which resulted in a 100% support
for the outcome I have never heard of it. When I support farmers
by buying local produce am I also supporting them in their
bid to outrun a fox? I say fox as the Countryside Alliance
seems to fight shy of the word stag!
A.Litchfield,
Torpoint. |
What is more frightening than the issue of fox hunting being
banned is the fact that we no longer live in a democratic
country. Mr Blair made that quite clear to us when his government
announced that they would not be paying attention to the 400,000
people that marched yesterday. fox hunting isn't the only
thing at stake here, it's Britain's whole heratige. Many people
feel abused and neglected by the government and that's the
message Blair has chossen to ignore.
Anon, Liskeard |
Fox hunting is cruel and barbaric and anyone seeing a fox
being ripped apart by a group of hounds surely can only agree.
It is a bloody and vile sport. If thats what you call it,
sport! There must be a more humane way of dealing with the
growing population of foxes. I realise that they can cause
a problem but surely one bullet is a more kindly option, it
certainly cant be any worse. stop the cruelty now, surely
we have evolved from such barbaric past times.
Sarah and Derrick
Whurr, Menheniot |
I think fox hunting should be banned it is a cruel and a sport
for spoilt little rich girls mainly they think it fun but
it is just being cruel and i think the people should be apooled
with them self how would they like a dog ripping them to shreds
Mathew, Truro |
I think the debate concerning fox hunting has diverted into
countryside issues in general. Cornwall, more than any other
county in England, should know what the other issues refer
to. It has been designated as one of the poorest areas in
Europe and average income is just 75% of the European average
compared with the South-east of England where the average
income is two and a half times the average income of Europe.
Is it any wonder country folk, (and I mean genuine country
folk who have to make a living there), are beginning to get
fed up with the middle of the road, liberal minded, ex-hippie,
do-gooders who try to enforce their hypocritical, misinformed,
interfering attitudes on the rest of us. As for fox hunting,
I agree that chasing foxes on horseback is probably unnecessary,
but whether it is cruel or not, that's debatable!!
Philip Tunnell, Cornishman in Oman |
It is very frustrating to see that certain people refer to
the opposition as "townies" when there is a huge proportion
of people who claim to be a member of the countryside, when
in fact they were brought up in towns. Look at Cornwall for
instance, there is a large amount of people involved with
fox hunting who are not from rural cornwall, but claim to
be members of the countryside. So it is misleading to suggest
that there is a town and countryside split. The fact of the
matter is that the countryside is being dominated by people
who have not been raised in the countryside, whether it is
by Westminster or fox hunters. I am for a complete ban on
fox hunting so that the countryside is no longer dominated
by a small minority. As for job losses, it is a fact of life.
People lose their jobs every week. A small percentage of people
losing their jobs in the countryside won't create high unemployment
in this country.
james tobin Lincoln, formerly of
Camborne |
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The issue here should be what to do with all the hunt followers
when hunting is ultimately banned. In return for their years
of service blocking lanes and trampling hedges to watch
some distant figure on a horse, by being hunted themselves
- this would keep all the hunt folk employed and the rest
of us may just be able to travel around the county at a
reasonable speed - caravans permitting....
Anon, Newlyn
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The Government has no right to dictate to ordinary people
how they should enjoy themselves. How else are foxes to
be culled - shooting them is cruel and liable to cause unnecessary
wounding. The Government are too quick to condemn something
- and they have no right to interfere. They would never
dare suggest banning fishing for fear of losing all the
labour votes - fishing is just as cruel as fox hunting,
in fact more so as the fish is thrown back with a wounded
mouth - at least foxes are killed.
Bellanne Lethbridge, Truro
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Whilst I have no problem at all with people riding in the
countryside. I do think that, trying to justify the butchering
of any animal for fun is totally unacceptable. It is obscene
and barbaric. And, it is my experience that fox hunting
is certainly not a humane way of controlling these animals.
S.A.Edwards, Bolingey, Truro
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Yes, it can be a bit of a bind having one's shopping trips
interrupted by a pack of hounds and a some people blowing
trumpets on horseback, but there is an upside to all of
this.
If it were not for these rather tedious episodes I would
not have sought out my new home. Life is just grand living
here amongst all these town folk. They can't get us here,
because the gardeners don't like the mess they make. And,
the best thing of all is that there are no tickly feathers
on a bin bag.
I
eat my chicken ready cooked these days, and if I get bored....well
I can always pop into the country on an evening when they
are all tucked up in bed.
Speaking as a fox I think you lot have got heads stuck down
a rabbit hole on this one. Chill out and leave people to
live with their consciences on this one. If they hunt, let
them be...for I have it on good foxthority that the pearly
gates are manned by a grinning friend of mine, and he is
pretty fussy who he lets in. Bye for now, but I'll be back.
Raynard the Fox, I'm not telling
where I live, no way
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The issue is not whether hunting is right or wrong. The issue
is the arrogance of Blairite Islingtonians who still abuse
the ill-informed general notion of hunting being the exclusive
preserve of toffs on horseback (and who generally don't vote
for them). This false creation of an "enemy" is then paraded
in front of the nation to stump up support for the labour
party. It is a cheap trick. Nothing more.
James Clarke, London |
The present attempt by MP.s is driven by class hatred and
envy not any concern for the cruelty which they think is involved.
Tom Hooper, Goldsithney, Penzance |
If selfobsessed anti-hunters don't like fox hunting then they
shouldn't follow, watch and interfeir. hunters don't make
an issue of what the anti-hunters do in their private time.
if they don't like how the countryside works then they shouldn't
be in it. Don't spoil a great and effective sport because
of the minority.
Matthew, Saltash |
If the Countryside (CA) March is not about hunting, why do
they not present a coherent list of other reasons for the
march? If farmers are suffering due to BSE and FMD, they should
remember that the causes were farmers' irresponsible and irrational
(not to mention unethical) behaviour: feeding meat to herbivores
and feeding illegal swill to pigs, the problem then being
exacerbated by cruel and unnecessary transportation all around
the country by greedy livestock dealers (who then boasted
of pocketing huge sums in compensation). If I were self-employed
and behaved so recklessly, I would not then expect to be bailed
out with taxpayers' money. I am a poor, disabled country-dweller.
If the CA were speaking out about the closure of post offices
and local shops, the lack of public transport, the blight
of second homes and the destruction of the countryside for
roads and housing estates, I might sympathise with them and
support the march. But nothing I have heard them say convinces
me that they are in any way representative of me and my friends
and acquaintances. How on earth do the CA expect the government
to respond to such an incoherent protest? What do they actually
want (apart from being allowed to torment wildlife on totally
spurious grounds)?
Vivien Pomfrey, Launceston |
Is this government trying to destroy freedom of choice?which
our fathers and their fathers fought for,and many lost their
lives.I have seen the damage a fox and her cubs have done
when she teaches them hunting,out of twenty chickens,fifteen
laid dead and some people who have no idea AT ALL says people
kill for fun.we as a human race do not kill people with gas
any more in warfare but some people says it is better than
using hounds.people are being brainwashed that the fox is
a cute fluffy animal,but in reality it is a voracious cunning
killer.
Martin, Trebartha |
Tony Blair must keep his ignorant nose out of rural life.
Hunting has existed for more than a thousand years and is
the most humane /natural way to control fox vermin. Foxes
kill for fun and carry sarcoptic mange (not that any Townie
knows what that is) I saw an interview with a member of LAG
when presented with the awful figures of fox killings (lambs/chickens/cats
etc) as he didnt like them he merely stated that he didnt
believe them and continued his tirade against hunting. These
scum have new labours ear. I am going to leave this country
for good if new labour have their way and I invite any journilists
to follow this up.
Richard Stokes, Mabe Falmouth |
I have always been interested in the ways of the countryside
having worked on a farm for a number of years. We always used
to have an annual 'shoot' where I as a young person was a
beater [to get the wildlife up] we bagged a number of game,
it was always taken home to eat-delicious. the huntingof foxes
with hounds is also a way of rural life and should not have
any intervention of these 'townies' up in the cities who have
no idea what they are talking about. You might as well say
fishermen are cruel for using a barbed hook, or cutting a
plant which is also living, where does it stop.
ED Hefford,
Camborne Cornwall |
Well it's been interesting reading all the comments. I have
been brought up with hunting and it's something that I feel
is entirely up to the individual to decide. As many have said,
will fishing, shooting and other "blood sports" be banned
next? I don't think so. Isn't it up to the people who live
in the country to decide what they do and the people who live
in cities to decide what they want to do? We wouldn't accept
people telling us we can't eat meat, battery farmed eggs etc
would we? Or tell city people they are banned from using cars
due to the effect on the environment. As for the rather weak
and pathetic argument about cruelty to horses! Well I know
many a horse that gets excited by the sound of a hunting horn!
Is riding in general now considered to be a cruel sport?
Pippa, St Columb |
Isnt it about time there was "live and let live". Soon we
wont be able to do anything we want to. I am neither a supporter
or opponent of hunting, but I do believe that we should be
allowed to do what we want, when we want, and not be stopped
by others who think we shouldnt be doing it. I live in the
country and dont see why towns people should tell the country
people how to live their lives, or vice versa. Its about time
that our rights to do as we wish are observed before all are
rights are gone.
Kathryn |
I disagree with fox hunting whole heartedly because I have
deeply researched this subject because I have performed a
speech on it at the rotary club it is not humane in any shape
or form it is much more mature to shoot the fox so it is killed
in a quick way so the fox is not put through any pain and
if is said it is a sport you are wrong.
Rebecca Wood aged 11, Penzance |
It is a totally barbaric sport!! rich old nobodys playing
with their dogs and horses!! how can they kill an animal for
fun it is no longer nessesary to keep fox hunting going and
im totally disgusted by anyone who supports killing a life.
Anon |
I think there are enough foxes killed on the roads these days.
I personally have only ever seen 5 foxes in the wild,how many
other people have never seen a fox in the wild? If these hunters
think it's so wonderful to kill foxes why don't they get off
their horses and track them on foot and kill them with a gun
and give them (Foxes) a quick death instead of having a pack
of dogs chasing it for hours and the fox terrified,running
until it can't run no more and then getting ripped apart,all
in the cause of 'A Jolly Good Day Out' I feel exactly the
same about stag hunting too! .
D. Welsh, Callington |
|
This so called sport should be banned as it is cruel to
animals the fox and the horses and dogs. We would be prosecuted
if we treated our pets like that.
S. Blewett,
Hayle
|
Reply to Joe Where. Most of the things you mention aren't
done in the name of sport or for pleasure. Yes there are other
things important, like poverty and the prospect of war, and
we can deal with them all so lets start with banning hunting
for fun.
Diane McParland,
Merimbula |
Reply to Joanna. The alternative would be to cull when nessessary.
Foxes are cute and scavengers, what does that make the hunter?
killers? Dogs also attack children so how do poeple feel about
dogs? There's no place in our lives for killing for pleasure,
it's just pathetic.
Diane McParland,
Merimbula |
Where will the League Against Cruel Sports stop if they succeed
with causing a ban on hunting with hounds? Fishing for pleasure
will be next, how do local people feel about that?
Jo, Hayle |
What will be the alternative? Foxes will still need to be
controlled and the likely means will be shooting and traps.
Is this preferable? I don't think so personally. Foxes are
not cute animals, they are scavengers and killers. How do
the family feel that had a fox attack their child? I bet drivers
don't stop after they've hit one on the road to make sure
it dies quickly, do they?
Joanna, Camborne |
I have been hunting and I enjoyed the day. The issue for me
is why should other people dictate to me what I can and can't
do! I don't stop people angling / fishing, I don't stop people
with dogs allowing their dogs to kill rabbits, I don't stop
cats killing birds and mice, I don't stop people killing rats
and mice in their homes, and I don't pull people over when
they run an animal over and tell them they are murderers.
Do I!!!! There are more important things to worry about, like
poverty in our Country and the prospect of war.
Joe Where,
Gwinear |
The First words that come in to my mind when I think of fox
hunting is it should be banned full stop.It is cruel, unnessary
and when people can call it a sport it is just utterly pathatic.
Not only is it cruel on the foxes but what about the horses
and dogs. Yes some foxes can be destructive but after all
they are only trying to live and are doing no more damage
than what we ourselves are doing to our own planet.If badger
bating can be put to an end then so can fox hunting. It must
be stopped, and so must the unnessary usage of the horses
and dogs.
L.May, St Austell |
The local economy in Cornwall is stimulated by tourism, before
that it was farming then fishing and mining. The people of
Cornwall have never relied on a self-serving minority who
race around destroying our wildlife and upseting our ecosystem
for anything. Slavery was legal once. Everyone knows that
every debate brings us closer to a ban so lets end the talk
and get on with it.end hunting now.
Ian Bucknole,
Truro |
Ban It!.
Gavin Moffat, Upton Cross |
Foxes are often made the scapegoat for farmer's own dogs.
My husband was a shepherd and on several occasions witnessed
the carnage caused by packs of sheepdogs, one of which he
shot and returned to the owner - a farmer who just happened
to be a hunt supporter! Whilst outdoor lambing he also saw
on many an occasion foxes moving amongst ewe's and their lambs
with neither paying the other any attention. Foxes will take
dead or sickly lambs but in the several years that my husband
was employed as a shepherd he never saw a fox take healthy
ones. The farm he worked for had the best lambing percentage
in the county. Foxes also play an important part in the countryside
ecosystem by keeping down the rabbit population. Crows peck
out the eyes of healthy lambs to incapacitate them, but we
don't persecute them do we?
Christine, Newquay |
It is a barbaric pastime. Once done in the name of pest control
and done by farmers now taken over by the "upper classes"
and used to show off and cause havoc where ever they ride.
The people who ride do not care about or live in the country
side!
Graham Keene, Penzance |
I used to keep sheep and lambs, if you could see the damage
foxes caused - we must keep them under control. Hounds are
the only way to flush them out.
George Walters, Australia |
Hunting for pleasure is cruel, and should be banned. Jobs
will be lost, that also happened when most of the world stopped
killing whales. As humans, we are still evolving and are finding
more humane ways of culling the fox and any other animal.
How can anyone find enjoyment in watching a fox or any other
animal being ripped to pieces by hounds. The hunt could go
on, just as a fun thing with no killing.
Diane McParland, Tura Beach NSW Australia |
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