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It's not the police we've got to watch, it's the antis with their video cameras."   
Graham Bridgeman, the Chairman of Eggesford Hunt.  

Sabs prevented an illegal dig-out of a fox which had been hunted into an earth by the hounds of the York & Ainsty South hunt. Sabs stood their ground - taking several punches from the terrier men in the process. The terrier men eventually backed down and left. They returned to the earth twice that day to try and resume the dig-out but sabs stopped them each time and stayed there till dark to ensure they couldn't kill the fox. 5 sabs were later arrested for "trespassing to disrupt a lawful activity" but had all their changes dropped the day they were due to appear in court!  

A hunt master has apologised to villagers after hounds broke away from their trail scent route and chased through Marnhull after a fox. Michael Felton, joint master of the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt, said he was sorry if the hounds had upset residents by the New Year's Eve incident.  His apology followed a complaint made by a villager who claimed the hounds had caused alarm as they ran through residential roads off Burton St. The villager, who does not want to be identified, said: "A lot of people were really upset and anxious. "The hounds were running through gardens and trying to scale fences. "They were not under control and just rampaged through there. "There weren't many riders but there were followers on quad bikes. It was mayhem for about half an hour." The villager said people had been anxious about their pets' safety. Some hounds had been seen running through a field of sheep. He added: "I apologise without reservation if anybody has been upset by it and we would, of course, make reparation if there has been any damage." A spokesman for Dorset Police said they had gone to Marnhull after receiving a call from a member of the public. No offences had been committed. Dogs running on roads and through a field of sheep isn’t an offence?  

Cat torn apart - A couple from N. Yorkshire have said their 18-year-old deaf cat was torn apart by a pack of dogs during an organised hunt. Les and Margaret Atkinson, from Stoupe Brow, said 27 hunting dogs attacked the cat, called Moppet, outside their home. Huntsmen returned the cat's remains in a dog food sack a few days later, saying it had been a "regrettable" incident, they said.  The hunts involved declined to comment but the Countryside Alliance said it was an unfortunate accident. N. Yorkshire Police confirmed the cat's death had been reported and the force was investigating the incident.  

A game-keeper who works for a family of wealthy landowners who live next to the Queen's Sandringham estate was filmed laughing as his dog tore a fox to pieces.  Christopher Carter, who works at the West Acre Estate which neighbours the Queen's Norfolk residence, admitted encouraging his dogs to fight with the fox. Luke Byrne, also filmed his terrier Sid ripping apart a trapped fox on the land during his school work experience when he was shadowing Carter. He is heard in the footage screaming 'kill it'. The Birkbeck family have owned the West Acre Estate, which neighbours the Queen's residence in Norfolk, for a century. They condemned the cruelty as 'horrific', but head of the family Henry Birkbeck refused to dismiss his employee. Sentencing is on 11^th Jan  

Hunt violence and intimidation in South Downs National park
On Sat 10^th Dec, over 50 hunt saboteurs attended the meet of the South Down & Eridge fox hunt at Old Erringham Farm, north of Shoreham. This Hunt has been increasingly violent during the season and the last time a catapult was used to fire missiles at people, injuring one female hunt saboteur. Right from the start the hunt tried to run from any observation and one red coat used his whip to attempt to strike people. The hunt was closely followed during the day but only one attempt to make a false scent was observed, the rest of the day they seemed to be hunting illegally. Towards the end of the day hunt supporters drove quad bikes at hunt saboteurs, blocked access to public access land, punched people and finally attempted to force their way into a vehicle punching anyone who tried to resist.  These are not isolated incidents, but a continuous campaign to prevent anyone observing the hunts activities and trying to make sure they stay within the bounds of the hunting act. If they are hunting legally why do they try to hide? The South Downs is now a national park run by the South Downs National Park Authority, and it has to be questioned why they allow such activities in the national park, when they will be liable for any incidents of illegal hunting? All incidents were reported to the Sussex police.  

The Surrey Union - This boxing day it met at the Punch bowl, Oakwood Hill, Surrey. As usual the local hunt sabs were in attendance keeping an eye of any illegal hunting. Towards the end of the day a 4x4 vehicle rammed the saboteurs Landrover from behind and proceeded to shunt it about 10 yards down the road, while another hunt vehicle tried to block them in from the front. Managing to extract themselves from this incident the police were called, but the attacking vehicle was kept under observation to assist the police. The driver then pulled out a catapult and fired at the vehicle hitting close to the drivers door. The police arrived and a man has been arrested and charges are expected shortly.  The Surrey Union fox hunt and the Countryside Alliance will distant themselves from such activity, but this is the second occasion a catapult has been used to fire at sabs this season, the last time causing an injury.  Why this level of violence against people just observing their activity? What do they have to hide?  

Crawley & Horsham - As usual a large crowd gathered outside the George & Dragon in Dragons Green, W. Sussex for the Boxing Day meet of the Crawley & Horsham Hunt.  Many riders and followers only appear for the 3 main hunts of the season - the Opening Meet at the beginning of November, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.  Hunt monitors managed to keep check on where the hunt was with no incidents until close to the end of the day when the hounds crossed Dragons Green Rd and went into cry as they entered a field, closely followed by the riders.  Anti-hunt monitors were right on the scene and the huntsman was heard to ask another rider if we'd seen anything!!!  At that point, in his haste to follow the hounds, the huntsman rode down a monitor who was standing on the verge and he was closely followed by a speeding quad bike.  Luckily the man was not injured and the incident was caught on video by both the victim and a fellow monitor.  A report has been made to the police.  The hunt gathered the hounds in the nearby field and packed up. Another life saved just by our presence.  

Female hunt sab assaulted 
On New Years Eve a female hunt saboteur was violently assaulted by a supporter of the Cottesmore Foxhunt meeting at Gunby, Lincolnshire. The saboteur was on her own when she saw the hunts hounds illegally chasing a fox. As she intervened she was thrown to the ground by a man who then smashed her over the head with an aluminium bottle before pinning her down and pouring the bottle's contents over her face. As other saboteurs came to her aid the cowardly attacker jumped in his vehicle and drove away. The attack was witnessed by a young girl who was sitting in the attacker’s vehicle as well as other members of the hunt who stood and watched rather than intervene and stop the attack. The police were called and are currently investigating the attack.   

Huntsman arrested for racial abuse
Lee Peters, huntsman for the Ross Harriers, was arrested on 7^th Jan for racially abusing a hunt saboteur who was present to try and stop illegal hunting taking place. As the Harriers left their meet at Penny Farthing, Aston Crews, Mr. Peters shouted racist remarks about a saboteur to other members of the hunt. Fortunately he was overheard by an independent witness who called the police. Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt saboteurs association, stated: “Sadly it no longer surprises us at the depths members of the hunting community will sink to…...”  

Cotswold Huntsman convicted of racial abuse
Following incidents at a meet in Feb 2011 and complaints to the police, the Huntsman of the Cotswold Vale Farmers Foxhounds has pleaded guilty to racially abusing a hunt sab, fined £100 and ordered to pay £200 compensation to his victim. As Alan Morgan's offence was captured on video, a guilty plea was probably wise. He becomes the 296^th individual connected with an organised Hunt in the UK who POWA records show as having received a criminal conviction or caution in the last 20 years, and the 39^th official Huntsman to receive such legal sanctions. A POWA Spokesperson said:- “I believe the racial abuse incident was at the same meet when they made allegations of a mob-handed and prolonged attack on several sabs, resulting in some injuries, and which they claimed was both instigated, and participated in, by Mr. Morgan. Since then, in March police arrived in force at the Hunt's behest, arrested several sabs for no good reason and then red-facedly had to drop the charges. In October a CVFFH hound was killed by a lorry when the pack ran out on to a main road, with hunters and sabs blaming one another. A week later, monitors filmed the Hunt all over another road for several minutes, causing traffic chaos.

Fox clubbed to death in garden
About 40 hunting hounds burst into a  garden in Bradfield, Essex as they chased down a fox.  Neighbours looked on in horror as a member of the Essex and Suffolk Hunt strolled across the patio before clubbing the fox to death just feet from where they were stood watching.  The RSPCA have been informed of the attack and are now understood to investigating whether an offence took place.  The whipmaster just walked away with the fox leaving a pool of blood on the patio.  It is thought that the hunt was using the hounds to try to flush out smaller animals and then use the hawk to make a kill - which is legal under the terms of the Hunting Act.  The blood from the kill remained on the shared patio area despite heavy rainfall during the weekend.  Neighbour Mr Heath said: "They could have taken that fox away from our view and shot it - no one should have to witness those events on a Saturday afternoon. "The fox was still alive so for the hunt to claim the hounds had killed it is simply not true - there are some mistruths being told." The Essex and Suffolk Hunt has denied that the fox was clubbed to death. James Buckle, a senior huntsman, said: "It was a horrible situation where we virtually had to watch and could not intervene. "The fox was killed by the dogs - there is no way that the hounds would do half a job. "I can see how it would have looked like that to a bystander and it would have been horrendous. "The huntmaster was whipping the pack to get the dead fox from them. "We have apologised to the owner of the garden and they have accepted the apology." An Essex Police spokesman said: "They were hunting with a bird of prey and the pack accidentally picked up on the scent of a fox which attracted the hounds.  Telegraph 12^th Dec  Amazing how the police believe the hunt  

Bristol Hunt Saboteurs had an interesting visit to the Isle Of Wight. This is a hunt literally getting away with murder week-in, week-out. We put a stop to their fun as soon as we set eyes on them by using voice calls and horns and within minutes, we had the full pack of hounds with us heading in the other direction from the scent of a fox they had previously been on. We couldn't have asked for a better response and had every hound at our feet. Clearly not happy with our effective sabbing, soon enough we noticed we had company in the form of hunt thugs who started covering their faces with balaclavas and threatening to "do" us. Undeterred, we carried on in our pursuit of the hunt and let the local plod who were patrolling around the countryside know about our new friends. They didn't give a crap and drove off. Charming! Back out in the field, we kept on the hunt for the remainder of the afternoon despite constant intimidation from the thugs. We left safely in the sight of the hunt’s whipper-in gathering his hounds to pack up for the day. No doubt we'll be seeing the IOW hunt again. Get in touch if you want to join us.  

In an article titled “One law for townies and one for country folk - People who hunt should not be immune to the legal system” Barbara Ellen in the Observer 18^th Dec stated (amongst other things)  “Even if police cannot be spared, why can't a horse-riding volunteer from an animal charity join hunts to ensure that rules are upheld? After all, it is just a ride. By the same token, there's no reason why the dogs can't be fitted with soft muzzles, if all that's required is that they follow a scent. This way, there will be no accidental killing of anything, including much-loved family pets. If there is an incident, surely hunters should be treated no differently to other "dangerous dog" owners, who are held legally responsible for their animals, must control them at all times, or face prosecution.”  

Badger baiters jailed
4 thugs who were caught laughing as their dogs tore wild animals to pieces have been jailed for their part in ‘barbaric’ and ‘abhorrent’ badger baiting. Scarborough Magistrates’ Court heard how a group of 6 men and a teenage boy dug out and killed 2 badgers from a sett on farmland at Howsham, near York, in January last year. Dogs played tug-of-war with one of the badgers before it was shot in the head and slung into undergrowth, while a pregnant badger was torn to pieces and bled to death. Alan Alexander, Richard Simpson, and Paul Tindall, all from York, and William Anderson, from Pickering, N. Yorkshire, were jailed for 16 weeks at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of wilfully killing a badger, hunting a mammal with dogs, digging for badgers and interfering with a badger sett. Alexander and Simpson were also convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. Another 2 men, Christopher Holmes, and Malcolm Warner, both from York, were handed 12-week custodial sentences suspended for 12 months after they pleaded guilty to wilfully killing a badger, digging for badgers and interfering with a badger sett. A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a youth rehabilitation order.  2 witnesses, including wildlife photographer Robert Fuller, heard the sound of dogs barking excitedly and a badger squealing in distress and went to investigate. When they reached the scene, they saw 2 large dogs attacking a badger. Mr Fuller recalled how the men ‘laughingly’ encouraged the beasts before they spotted Mr Fuller and fled the rural scene. After some time, the badger was shot dead by Anderson and the men, who had become aware of the witnesses and tried to cover their tracks by throwing the dead badger into the undergrowth. They then buried a second dead badger - a pregnant animal which had been torn to pieces by the dogs - back into the hole from which it had been dug. The witnesses called the police and the men and teenager were arrested a short time later. Alexander, Anderson, Simpson and Tindall were told they would serve 8 weeks of their sentences before being released on licence. They were each ordered to pay £750 costs and £100 compensation. Each of the 4 defendants was handcuffed and led out of the crowded courtroom by security guards while members of their families sobbed. Holmes and Warner were told to pay £250 costs and £100 compensation and the 17-year-old was told he would be placed under supervision for 12 months and would have to undertake a number of programmes, including one run by the RSPCA, as part of his youth rehabilitation order.  

Stag head removed from wall
Claire Carter, who owns the Hartnoll Hotel in Bolham, near Tiverton, in Devon, insisted she was offering a public service by showcasing The Emperor’s head. She took it down, saying some of the guests “were upset”, after animal welfare campaigners accused her of being “unscrupulous”. An employee said the hotel had been "bombarded" with threats. However, Mrs Carter told reporters she would replace the head “once all the fuss has died down”. The hotelier refused to disclose where she obtained the head but said: “I was lent it by a member of the local shooting community and that is all I will say. “Most people wouldn't get to see an animal like that up close normally and I am giving them the chance to. “It's just like a museum.” The Emperor, a red deer stag, stood at nearly 9ft (2.75m) tall and was shot in the middle of the annual rut on Exmoor, Devon in 2010.  Could have been “shot” with a camera so people could continue to see it in the wild and its picture on the wall.  

A Norfolk gamekeeper was told he could be sent to prison after admitting causing a fight between 2 dogs and a fox. Christopher John Carter, of The Burrows, in Gayton Thorpe, pleaded guilty at King’s Lynn Magistrates’ Court to causing the fight between the animals in July 2009.  Appearing alongside Carter was Luke James Byrne, 19, of Mill Houses, King’s Lynn, who admitted causing three animal fights on Westacre Estate. The 19-year-old also admitted possessing three dead wild birds, a heron, cormorant and a buzzard, in King’s Lynn.  Jonathan Eales, prosecuting for the RSPCA, showed magistrates video footage, recorded by Byrne, of the fights which saw dogs attacking animals trapped in a snare. The first clip showed a fight between Byrne’s dog and rat which took place on June 20, 2009.  The other videos showed Carter’s 2 dogs attacking a fox on July 2, 2009 and a fight between one of Carter’s dog and a fox on June 15, 2010. Mr Eales said: “In March this year, a woman purchased a mobile phone from Mr Byrne’s parents. The phone had been used by Mr Byrne and had a video clip on it of one of these fights.  “The woman was so shocked by what she saw that she reported it to the RSPCA which then investigated it. The investigating officer then took possession of Mr Byrne’s father’s laptop and two further video clips were found.”  Mr Eales asked magistrates to consider depriving the 2 men of ownership of the dogs and told the court these dogs would then be re-homed by the RSPCA.  Carter’s 2 dogs are currently in the care of the RSPCA but Byrne’s dog remains at his home address. Mr Eales also asked magistrates to consider whether or not to disqualify both men from owning animals for a short period or for life. Lead magistrate Paul Kidd asked for all-option pre-sentence reports to be prepared for both men, including possible custodial sentences. The 2 men will return to King’s Lynn Magistrates’ Court on January 11 to be sentenced.  

Hare coursing
After an initial decline, farmers say that the number of incidents has now returned to pre-ban levels and they are "under siege" from violent gangs committing the UK's number one wildlife crime. They fear it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt or killed in a confrontation with the coursers. One farmer has had a barn set alight, causing £20,000 of damage to crops. Others report vehicles being rammed when they try to deny gangs access to their land. There are reports of 90mph car chases around country lanes. In the fertile crescent of land to the east of the A1 in Lincolnshire there have been more than 530 reported incidents since the "season" began in the autumn. Farmers claim that figure is likely to double before the spring crops rise too high for the hares to be beaten into the open for the chasing dogs. Organised by what police describe as "career criminals", tens of thousands of pounds can change hands in gambling at such events, in which coursers will hunt a field until all the hares have been chased or killed.

Mother bear shot dead
A resident of Anchorage's Bear Valley who shot a grizzly bear in the back, killed her and orphaned 3 cubs has abandoned the claim he was acting in self-defence and pleaded guilty to illegal hunting. District Court Judge Paul Olsen sentenced Brian Garst to 30 days in jail and a fine of $5,000, but then suspended all of the jail time and half of the fine. Garst will be on probation for 3 years, and if he commits some other offence in that time could be hit with the rest of the fine and the jail time for killing the mother of Boo, Thor and Mike - as the bears have been named in Detroit Zoo. The bear was fleeing the house where Garst was staying. It had a chunk of moose meat in its mouth. Garst had left the moose meat in the yard, though he knew well that bears still regularly roam aptly-named Bear Valley above Alaska's largest city. Some questioned whether Garst should also have been charged with illegal bear baiting for leaving fresh meat out with bears around. Many wildlife biologists have noted the outcome for the cubs is probably not so bad. Rarely will a grizzly manage to successfully raise 3 cubs in the wild. Usually one or more will fall victim to another bear, starvation or an accident.

The 3 cubs in Alaska Zoo before being moved to Detroit

Scientists studying bears in Denali National Park and Preserve have noted that 65% of the cubs born to sows there die within the first year of life. The chances of survival get better after that, but still another 40% die as yearlings. One study noted that more than half the sows involved lost all the cubs in their litters. The sows in that 7-year-long study gave birth to 148 cubs. 99 of them died in their first year of life. Of the 49 that survived, 20 more died the next year.  

US bear hunt
Around 200 bears were killed on the first day of a controversial black bear hunt that animal rights groups had done all they could to block.  New Jersey state officials have said the 6-day hunt is needed to reduce the state's bear population, now estimated at about 3,400. But critics say the state’s bear management policy is flawed and is illogical, while animal advocates went to court in an attempt to block the hunt. They were rebuffed by an appeals court and spent part of Monday gaining permission to protest at various bear check stations.  The group wanted to protest at the Franklin bear check station in Sussex County, which they said was the most visible spot for their message.  But wildlife officials wanted to keep them away from there over safety concerns, noting its limited space and location on a major highway. A state Superior Court ruled up to 25 people could protest there and gave demonstrators the right to have larger protests at 2 other weigh stations.  One protester was arrested at the Franklin site for refusing to move from a restricted area. Officials said the hunt's first day went smoothly.  The hunt comes with rules on weapons, ammunition and transportation. Officials weigh the bears and take skin, blood and tooth samples. Around 6,500 hunters have been given permits for this year's hunt, allowing them to patrol 1,000 sq miles of northern New Jersey.  Officials say this area has one of the highest population densities of black bears in the U.S. But critics are not happy with the hunt taking place.  ‘A bear hunt doesn't solve nuisance complaints,’ Bear Education and Resource Group spokesman Angie Metler told Fox News. ‘A bear hunt doesn't protect property, a bear hunt doesn't protect public safety and the bear hunt will not reduce the population.’ Susan Kehoe, another protester, said there is ‘no need for the hunt’ and said it’s all about a ‘trophy hunt’ rather than safety. But state officials say there has been a rise in ‘public complaints about bear and human encounters’ and so the population must be reduced. Dr Larry Rudolph, of Safari Club International, said that bears can ‘definitely be a danger in New Jersey this year’.  ‘New Jersey's Dept of Environmental Protection cited almost 3,000 instances where there was human-bear interface,’ he told Fox News. 46 of those involved bears going into a residential home, he said.  ‘I don't think you want to come home and find a black bear in your kitchen when you are ready to make dinner,' Dr Rudolph added. Mail 6^th Dec  

Drive hunts in Germany
From Nov to Jan thousands of hunters swarm the countryside killing wild boar, deer, hare and everything else that tries to escape when the drivers and the dogs come near their den or hiding place. The reasons given by the hunters and their supporters for this annual massacre are - Wild boar: too many of them; breeding too fast. The real reasons for the "problem": with huge numbers killed, often the leading (and often pregnant) females also, sexual maturity sets in earlier and nature tries to make up for lost numbers. Also, much of the agricultural land is given over to growing corn for biogas facilities these days. Wild boar love corn. With such an oversupply of food the high reproduction rates should really surprise no one.  Deer: deer being responsible for damage caused to valuable tree stock (the multi-billion Euro forestry industry in Germany is a hugely influential lobby and has called for years for massive culls of deer and other wild animals to protect their stocks)  The real reasons for the "problem": deer dare not graze in the open anymore - as would be natural - for fear of the omnipresent hunters. So they retreat to the forests and eat what they find there - often the bark of trees and saplings. Foxes: said to be a source for rabies and fox tape worm - potentially dangerous to humans. Foxes are ill with mange. There is no problem really, as foxes mainly eat mice, and even carrion - so actually serve as a "health police". There have been huge problems in some areas with mice breeding unchecked, AFTER foxes had been killed in large numbers in these areas. The solution of course: first shoot the foxes, then poison the mice. In most areas in Germany rabies is officially eradicated (by use of vaccination bait); the risk of contracting tape worm from fruit shit or pissed on by foxes has been proven to be miniscule; and mange ... the dead foxes shot are stunningly beautiful, completely healthy. No mange whatsoever. Hare: no reason given. Indeed, hare are on the list of endangered species. Hunters have also been observed hunting rabbits - chasing them from their dens and shooting them as they run - right next to a busy motorway. Nobody says anything ...   Hunters are having fun at the moment. For them, Christmas is indeed something to celebrate. Only last week I came upon the remains of a baby deer in the disposal unit one day after the local drive hunt. Head and skin lay atop a pile of boar skins, legs, intestines. Possibly she just followed her mother who tried to flee to safety from the hunters, and never made it. May these bastards rot in hell.  

Japanese whale hunt
Japan caused outrage as authorities confirmed it is diverting millions of pounds tagged for the reconstruction of its tsunami-devastated coast to protect its annual Antarctic whale-hunt. Roughly 2.28bn yen (£19m) from a reconstruction fund for areas badly hit by the crippling 11 March earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster will be used to beef up security for the Japanese whaling fleet, which left port under heavy guard in December. The money is part of about 500bn yen in "fisheries-related spending" green-lighted by parliament. Japan's Fisheries Agency justified the decision by saying that "safer hunts" would ultimately help whaling towns along the coast to recover. Conservationists immediately condemned the plan. "Not only is the whaling industry unable to survive without large increases in government handouts, now it's siphoning money away from the victims of the 11 March triple disaster, at a time when they need it most," said Junichi Sato, executive director of Greenpeace Japan. "This is a new low for the shameful whaling industry and the callous politicians who support it". The whaling boats left in secrecy from Shimonoseki in southern Japan, guarded by an unspecified number of coast guard officers, a patrol ship and other "security measures," according to local media reports. The fleet's target catch is said to be about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales.  

Sea Shepherd - Operation Divine Wind 
The Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot are struggling slowly northward through another storm.  “We are watching the Brigitte Bardot very closely,” said Captain Paul Watson. “The seas are getting rougher and the winds are increasing and there is a great deal of pressure being put on the damaged pontoon of the Brigitte Bardot. It looks like we will have to struggle through these conditions for another 24 hours.”  The crew of the Brigitte Bardot are wearing their survival suits around the clock. A story in the W. Australian that Sea Shepherd abandoned the crew of the Brigitte Bardot is false and misleading. The Japanese government security ship Shonan Maru #2 continues to tail the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot.  The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker continues to pursue the Japanese whaling fleet.  It may take 2 weeks for the Steve Irwin to rejoin the chase but last season the Bob Barker was successful in shutting down the whaling operations on its own.  “This is not going to be a successful year for the whalers,” said Bob Barker 1^st Officer Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden. “They have never arrived so late before and they have spent more money for security to protect the whalers from Sea Shepherd than they will ever realise this year from profits from whaling and we continue to pursue them as they continue to run eastward to avoid us. We will not let up on them until they leave the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.”  This is the 8^th year that Sea Shepherd has come to the Southern Ocean to intervene against illegal Japanese whaling. “Our objective from the beginning was to sink the Japanese whaling fleet economically, to bankrupt them. We have succeeded in doing so,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Now the task is to defeat them politically. We are under no illusion this will be easy. The whalers survive because of massive Japanese government subsidies and much of this subsidy was allocated from the tsunami earthquake defence fund. This whale hunt is now a glorified state sponsored welfare project existing only to appease extreme right wing nationalist elements in Japan. We are now dealing with fanatics seeking to kill whales for no other reason than nationalistic pride.”  

Sea Shepherd uses drones - Every morning for the past week, a battery-powered drone with a range of 300km (190 miles) has been launched from the MV Steve Irwin, which is attempting to disrupt the annual Japanese whale hunts.  Subsequent attempts by Japanese whaling ships to block the anti-whaling flotilla and allow the whale factory ship Nisshin Maru to escape were foiled by the activists, who repeatedly launched the drone, which uses GPS co-ordinates and provides both video and still images to track the whaling ships. While drones used to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, some are now available for less than £500. The unit used by Sea Shepherd is a highly durable model known as the Osprey, which can run for hundreds of hours. It was given to Sea Shepherd by Bayshore Recycling, a New Jersey-based solid waste recycling company committed to environmental protection. In addition to paying for the drone at an estimated cost of £10,000, Bayshore also paid for pilot training to run the remote control equipment.  

Sea Shepherd activists held on Japanese ship - 3 Australian anti-whaling activists who illegally boarded a Japanese whaling vessel could face trial and imprisonment in Japan, prompting attempts by the 2 countries to head off a diplomatic clash over the annual hunt. The men boarded the Shonan Maru 2 security vessel under cover of darkness and demanded that the fleet abandon its hunt in the Antarctic. They carried with them a message that said: "Return us to shore in Australia and then remove yourself from our waters." Australia's attorney general, Nicola Roxon, called for their immediate release. "We are representing our views most strongly that they should be released promptly and returned to Australian soil," she told reporters. "There are a number of different ways that could be done."  The boarding took place about 16 miles off the west coast of Australia, reports said. Japanese and Australian officials were embroiled in a dispute with activists over the exact location of the Shonan Maru 2 when the incident took place. Roxon said negotiations over the men's fate could be complicated as the incident occurred inside Australia's exclusive economic zone - not in its territorial waters - which meant Australian law was not in force. "At this stage the boat hasn't sought to come into port," she said. "We may, of course, in the coming days want to have discussions to do just that if it's one way to be able to get these 3 Australians safely back to Australia." Roxon said the Shonan Maru 2, which has been shadowing the activists, was "not welcome" in Australia's exclusive economic zone.  "This ship is not directly involved in whaling activities, but it is clearly providing a support role and that may give us some other options if it was trying to come into our territorial waters."  Sea Shepherd's founder, Paul Watson, said the vessel was in Australian waters when the incident happened and urged the government in Canberra to prevent the 3 men from being taken back to Japan to face trial.  "It really is disgraceful that the Australian government has not done anything to help," he told BBC Five Live from Australian vessel the Steve Irwin. "We're of the opinion that the Australian government should rescue them but it seems more interested in appeasing the Japanese.  Watson described the trio as "prisoners" and said GPS data on board the Shonan Maru 2 would prove the ship was in Australian waters when it was boarded. "If this goes to court that evidence will have to be produced," he said.   

Despite decades of protests against whaling, the importation of whale products into Australia was covertly authorised for "scientific research", an investigation has found. Since 2005, 4 companies have been granted 2-year permits to import fresh whale products including blood, according to federal government documents obtained under Freedom of Information. The unspecified products, including from humpback and right whales, are limited to 20g or 20ml at each time for "laboratory" use.  However, activists want a public register to identify what research the products are being used for and if it is to assist endangered species. Details of the importation were obtained from the Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry, which would not reveal the nature of the research for which they were destined. A department spokesman said it was very unlikely the companies involved would consent to "commercial-in-confidence" material being released to the public.  Herald Sun 27^th Dec  

Wolves protection removed
Congress removed wolves in Montana and Idaho from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in April 2011 and in the autumn the killing began. Idaho Dept of Fish and Game reported that 154 of its estimated 750 wolves had been "harvested". Legal hunting and trapping - with both snares to strangle and leg traps to capture - will continue through the spring. And if hunting fails to reduce the wolf population sufficiently to less than 150 wolves the state says it will use airborne shooters to eliminate more. In Montana, hunters will be allowed to kill up to 220 wolves this season (or about 40% of the state's roughly 550 wolves). To date, hunters have taken only about 100 wolves, prompting the state to extend the hunting season until the end of January. David Allen, president of the powerful Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, has said he thinks hunters can't do the job, and he is urging the state to follow Idaho's lead and "prepare for more aggressive wolf control methods, perhaps as early as summer 2012."  Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead recently concluded an agreement with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to save 100 to 150 wolves in lands near Yellowstone National Park. But in the remaining 80% of the state, wolves can be killed year-round because they are considered vermin. Roughly 60% of Wyoming's 350 wolves will become targeted for elimination. In the mid-1990s, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 66 wolves in Yellowstone and central Idaho, most of the U.S. celebrated. The magnificent wolf, an icon of wilderness that humans had driven to extinction in the United States, would now reoccupy part of its old range. But in the region where the wolves were introduced, the move was much more controversial. Part of the reason was the increase, particularly in Idaho and Montana, in paramilitary militia advocates, with their masculine ideal of man as warrior who should fight the hated federal government, by armed force if necessary. They were outraged by what they saw as federal interference in the region spurred by environmentalists, and their ideas found a willing reception among ranchers, who view wolves as a threat to their livestock, even though they ranch on federal land, and hunters, who don't want the wolves reducing the big game population.  Many false claims have been embraced as truth, including that the introduced wolves carry horrible tapeworms that can be easily transmitted to dogs, and ultimately to humans; that the Canadian wolves that were brought in are an entirely different species from the grey wolves that once lived in the Rockies, and that these wolves will kill elk, deer, livestock, even humans, for sport.  

Canada faced fresh calls to shut down its commercial seal hunt, following new evidence that death rates among seal pups had dramatically increased due to thinning winter sea ice.  The study, by scientists from Duke University and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, was the first to track declining sea ice cover in all 4 harp seal breeding grounds in the N. Atlantic - with devastating effect. David Johnston, research scientist at the Duke University Marine Lab, said: "The kind of mortality we're seeing in eastern Canada is dramatic. Essentially all of the pups die." Satellite records of ice conditions since 1979 showed that ice cover had fallen by as much as 6% every decade. The research is published in the journal PLoS ONE.  The loss of sea ice - and its threat to the future of seal populations - has been confirmed by Canadian government scientists. Up to 80% of the seal pups born in 2011 were thought to have died because of lack of ice, according to the dept of fisheries and oceans. IFAW said that Canada should work towards ending the commercial seal hunt for good, compensating the hunters and retraining them for other jobs.  Russia recently banned the import of harp seal pelts. The EU allows only Inuit seal products.  Female harp seals depend on stable winter sea ice as a safe place to give birth and nurse their young, until the pups are grown enough to hunt on their own. The seals typically seek out the thickest, oldest patches of sea ice each February and March.  The seals are able to adapt to short-term changes in ice conditions, Johnston said. But it was unclear the animals would be able to make a long-term move to new breeding grounds with more stable ice, such as those off east Greenland.  Thousands of seals still return each year to their traditional breeding grounds in the Gulf of St Lawrence or off Newfoundland - despite the declining ice. It may take years of good ice and steady population gains to make up for the heavy losses sustained during the recent string of bad ice years in eastern Canada.  

China suspends seal trade
A grassroots revolt in China against Canadian seal products that led to a trade deal suspension portrays a shift in China's consumer conscience. As industries that allegedly practice animal cruelty have tried prying open the Chinese market, while they meet resistance in other countries, Chinese consumers are pushing back. On Nov 19, Chinese conservationists and animal rights groups staged an awards ceremony for a poster-design competition oriented around protesting seal products. NGO representatives, professors and celebrities attended.  China Animal Protection Media Saloon founder Zhang Dan points to sales of seal products and the introduction of the United States rodeo as representatives of cruel to animal industries trying to expand in China.  "It's a trend that industries involved in animal cruelty look toward China's massive market potential as their sales slump elsewhere," Zhang says.  The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail quotes seal-oil supplement manufacturer DPA Industries' chairman Wayne MacKinnon as saying, "The Chinese eat anything. And they simply don't understand why you would put one animal above another."  Other foreign reports say the Chinese have no regard for animal welfare and no relevant legislation.  "Because of prejudice, they believe most Chinese don't care about animals and eat anything," Zhang says.  "But they're perfectly wrong."  The Chinese government announced in 2010 the suspension for further review of a trade deal to import Canadian seal products.  Pressure from animal rights groups led to the indefinite postponement of the rodeo scheduled for Oct 1 at Beijing's Bird's Nest. But seals have become the movement's current focus.  The backlash against the Canadian trade in seal products comes after Panjin Spotted Seals Protection Volunteer Association founder Tian Jiguang led a successful online campaign in April to reroute a coastal highway that would have disrupted the spotted seals' Northeast China breeding grounds. The recent award ceremony featured a film by the event's organizer, the NGO Green Beagle, showing commercial seal hunting on the Canadian ice floes. The bloody footage was shot by Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of the Humane Society International Canada (HSI Canada), who also joined the Beijing event. Aldworth has spent the past decade observing Canada's commercial seal hunts firsthand. She has escorted more than 100 scientists, parliamentarians and journalists to the ice floes to witness the slaughter.  "The attitude of Chinese consumers is crucial," Aldworth says.  "Now, you have the opportunity to terminate the massacre of seal pups in Canada. You are at a crossroads to open to the dying cruel industry, or stand with other countries to ban the seal products."  More than 30 countries and regions, including the USA, the EU and Russia, have banned imports of Canadian seal products."  But despite activists' objections to seal products, oil, hats and wallets made from the animals are still sold on China's largest online shopping website, Taobao. A seal leather belt costs from $100 to $220.  

Russia Bans Harp Seal Imports
Information that Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, have banned the import of harp seal products has come out and is being applauded by organisations including IFAW and the Humane Society International (HSI), who have been fighting for the end of Canada’s brutal seal slaughter for years. According to the Canadian government, Russia was one of the only major markets left for seal products, importing up to 90% of seal pelts. “The writing is on the wall” said Sheryl Fink, Director of IFAW’s Seal Program. “The Canadian government knows seal products are not wanted, and has had ample time to transition sealers out of this industry with compensation. Instead they have done nothing but dispute the rights of other nations by challenging seal product bans at the WTO.”  Numerous countries including the U.S. have banned seal products. The EU enacted a trade ban in 2009, and a trade agreement to import seal meat to China has gone nowhere …a deal that many Chinese animal lovers and more than 60 animal protection organizations in the country continue to protest. “Global markets for seal products are closing fast and Canada increasingly stands alone in its promotion of the seal hunt. The world is clearly moving beyond commercial sealing and it is time Canada did the same,” said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada. The HSI is pushing for the Canadian government to buy out the remaining sealers and help them transition into other jobs, which is something more than half of sealers would reportedly support, and is a move that is estimated to cost less than what is currently spent subsidizing this dying industry, which includes paying for ice breakers, Coast Guard services and DFO salaries, in addition to spending millions on marketing efforts. 19^th Dec  

Dog bumps into rifle, shoots hunter
Wildlife officials are investigating a hunting accident in Pasco County that left one person injured with a gunshot wound. A report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says 2 friends and their dog went out early to hunt deer. While travelling down a bumpy road, "the dog got excited in the truck" and bumped a rifle. Miami Herald 10 Dec  

Stop wild boar piglets being shot
In Berlin, increasing populations of wild boar have led the animals to venture out of the surrounding forests and into the city.  An increase in boar-related motor vehicle accidents and attacks on humans and dogs have led the city officials to employ a team of urban hunters, directing them to specifically shoot piglets under the age of 15 weeks.  The strategy has been met with disdain from hunters and city residents alike.  Hunters take issue with the fact that killing a baby boar involves no skill and that adult kills would be much more economically profitable.  Many residents of Berlin have taken a liking to the animals and have gone as far as to feed them and to physically and verbally harass hunters they see killing the pigs.  One man now faces a large fine from the Berlin government if he continues to feed the animals.  Some have taken issue with the dangers involved with hunting within an urban setting and its potential to harm citizens who may be nearby. A study reported that 25% of Berliners believe that the boars have the right to share their space with humans.  After all, it was development by humans that forced pigs out of the city and actually contributed to the population burst.  Hunters are also only killing approximately 40% of the piglets, when they need to be killing 80% in order to reduce the population. What is the use of inhumanely killing baby boars when not even enough are being killed to control the population?  The Animal Protection Society insists that a contraceptive for the boars would be much more humane, but the city officials claim this would be too costly.  The people have made it clear: they do not want to see the boars treated inhumanely.  Tell the government of Berlin to rethink their strategy.  Sign the online petition at: http://forcechange.com/10842/stop-slaughtering-wild-boar-piglets/

£1m for hunt investigations
The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) will spend £1m over the next 4 years on hiring investigations staff and equipment to gather evidence and get hunts into court. The work is expected to include hidden cameras in hunting areas.  The announcement comes just days after the Countryside Alliance published figures showing that only a handful of people had been prosecuted under the Hunting Act since it was introduced in 2005. LACS claims that 75% of the public support the ban and that the majority of hunts are flouting the law.  “This is the 7^th hunting season under the ban, but all the evidence suggests that hunts are getting more lawless than ever,” said Joe Duckworth, the League’s chief executive.  “Appointing investigations officers around the country will enable us to increase our efforts in gathering evidence for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.” The League employs retired police officers who review evidence and provide training on the Hunting Act to serving officers. It also runs a Hunt Crimewatch service, gathering intelligence on hunt related crime, and passes information to police forces. “Our focus is not only on the illegal hunting, but on all the crimes committed by the hunts,” said Mr Duckworth.  “Hunts cause all manner of anti-social behaviour, from blocking roads, running hounds down railway tracks, and savaging pets in people’s gardens. This pernicious side of hunting is often unseen but it has the biggest effect on people in rural communities.”

Call for police to probe fox hunts
Lord Watson, the architect of the ban on fox hunting in Scotland has urged police to ensure the law is being enforced after it emerged that as many foxes may be being killed by hounds as before the change in legislation. The controversial ban on hounds being able to kill their quarry was introduced ten years ago in one of the flagship reforms of the first Holyrood parliament. The Scotsman. 6 Dec  

2 rare white foxes shot - Game chef Mark Gilchrist describes how he and a friend shot 2 rare white foxes on farmland in Kent. The sighting has been described as a "once in 2 lifetimes" event. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IME6ym2P5W8

Artificial earths
A report by the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) exposes the lengths that hunts up and down the country will go to in order to ensure they have foxes to hunt. From building extensive earths, to providing food, water and bedding, the very notion of hunts following artificial trails becomes ever more laughable. Judge Michael Pert QC, during a recent court case, described the Fernie Hunt as being engaged in ‘cynical subterfuge’ by pretending to hunt an artificial trail. Dismissing the appeal against conviction of the huntsman and the terrierman, he said the defendants before him were ‘shifty’ and ‘unconvincing’. Historically, artificial earths were structures built by hunts to provide a breeding place and home for foxes, to ensure that they had a ready supply of foxes to hunt. Between June & Oct 2011, LACS investigators visited 16 counties across England, inspecting the areas hunted by 24 hunts. Artificial earths with signs of recent renovation or food supply were found in 14 counties, on land hunted by 21 hunts. Food and water supplies were found at several artificial earths. Film was obtained of a huge pile of animal by-products being dumped next to an artificial earth in Dorset. Remains of broiler chickens were found outside artificial earths on land regularly hunted by the Heythrop Hunt, which David Cameron hunted in the 1990s, and whose Master remains a friend of the Prime Minister. Ducks that appeared to have been prepared for a supermarket were found dumped outside an artificial earth in N. Yorkshire. This evidence points to a nationwide criminal conspiracy by fox hunts to encourage and sustain fox populations in order that they can be hunted. A trail camera was set up in the wood which filmed a man dumping a barrel full of animal by-products in the wood, at the same spot as the earlier pile of offal. The trail camera subsequently filmed foxes taking all this food away.  Further research found that the wood is owned by the Honourable Charlotte Townshend, Master of the Cattistock Foxhounds. A file of evidence related to the dumping of the offal, in contravention of the Animal By-Product Regulations, was passed to Dorset Trading Standards for further investigation. 2 other artificial earths were found in Sinnington country, both on Major John Shaw’s land. Both had metal grids hung up on trees beside the entrances, to be used to block the earth on hunting days. One of these earths appeared to be occupied by foxes.  Mr Easterby and Major Shaw were both convicted of hare coursing offences under the Hunting Act in 2009 following an investigation by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Despite the ban on hunting with dogs now being 7 years old, it appears that a majority of hunts are going into the new hunting season with the clear intention of hunting illegally. Why else, after all, would they have artificial earths, provide food and water, and renovate older earths? LACS  

Hunt hounds kill fox in village
Police are investigating reports of a fox hunt in Studdal where a savaged male fox is believed to have been killed by hounds. Shocking pictures of the animal were sent to the Mercury by Christine Richardson, who saw foxhounds racing down Strakers Hill in the village. She believes the fox was killed by the dogs from the hunt. This is yet to be confirmed by police who have taken his body away for forensic tests. Mrs Richardson said: "A gentleman at the bottom of the road saw a fox running across a field at the back of my house being chased by dogs, and there were riders in the cabbage field. Mrs Richardson said residents were alerted by the sound of baying hounds at about 8am. A horn was sounded and riders were also seen wearing red jackets in a cabbage field. The hounds pushed in the fence of one of her neighbours and barged into her garden. The fox was found in a field on the other side of her broken fence after the hunt with his intestines ripped out. Police say West St Tickham Hunt organised the Studdal hunt. Officers have been speaking to its hunt master Rosemary Cleverdon. When the Mercury tried to speak to Mrs Cleverdon, she hung up twice. East Kent Mercury 19^th Oct  

Hound killed on road on illegal hunt 
A hound from the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt was killed by a lorry, on the A38, South of Tewkesbury during an illegal fox hunt. Members of the Hunt Saboteurs Association who were present said the hounds were illegally chasing a fox when one of them ran straight into the road and was killed outright by a lorry that had no opportunity to stop. It was only the presence of the hunt saboteurs that prevented further fatalities as they were able to stop more hounds running into the road. Lee Moon from the HSA said: “If, as the Hunts like to claim, they were trail hunting then what were they doing near such a busy road?” The Hunt has accused sabs of blowing a horn and enticing the hounds onto the road, something that sabs strongly deny.  25^th Oct  

Chaos in the Countryside
A week after falsely blaming hunt saboteurs for the death of one of their hounds they were filmed throughout the day hunting on main roads, causing traffic chaos and at least 2 cars were forced to make emergency stops to avoid killing hounds.   When the saboteurs voiced their concerns about how dangerous it was they were met with physical and verbal abuse. Lee Moon, spokesperson for the HSA, stated: "It was very convenient for the hunt that saboteurs were present last week as it gave them an easy scapegoat for the death of their hound. This video shows conclusively that the hunts don't care for any animal, even their hounds, and are happy to put their lives at risk, and cause chaos, in the name of sport." www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWGXeDgexPQ   7^th Nov  

More violence against hunt saboteurs
Hunt Sabs from different groups in the South East, visited the meet of the Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Fox Hunt, taking place just outside Lingfield. Due to previous violence from this hunts staff and supporters the police had been informed of the Hunt Saboteurs intentions, and were in attendance. At around 3pm saboteurs were attempting to cross a narrow metal bridge on Environment Agency land when a supporter of the hunt took it on himself to block their passage. Other hunt supporters on foot were behind the group, and pushing forward against their backs. In the struggle the supporter pulled a female hunt saboteur over, knocking her head onto the concrete base, causing a deep bloody wound to the crown of her head. Riders of the hunt, supported by the foot followers, proceeded to barge into the other hunt saboteurs in what seemed to be an attempt to cover up the actions of their supporter. It is suspected that the perpetrator has a gun licence he would be in danger of losing if convicted of violence. The incident was reported to the Police and the man was questioned. Formal statements and video evidence will be submitted to ensure a conviction. 

Dig-out stopped 3 times 
Sabs prevented an illegal dig-out of a fox which had been hunted into an earth by the hounds of the York & Ainsty South Hunt. Sabs stood their ground - taking several punches from the terrier men in the process. The terrier men eventually backed down and left. They returned to the earth a further 2 times that day to try and resume the dig-out but sabs stopped them each time and stayed there till dark to ensure they couldn't kill the fox. 5 sabs were later arrested for "trespassing to disrupt a lawful activity" but will be found innocent in court soon – iof it even gets that far.  

A police probe has been launched after complaints were made about a hunt illegally chasing a wild hare. Officers are looking into claims a pack of hounds followed by around 20 hunters on horseback were chasing the animal across fields between Barnoldswick and W. Marton. The hunters were spotted by a number of people who said they were deeply shocked at what happened. Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt master Tom Bannister said they had been in the area at the time but no hare had been discovered. Carole Mitchell was visiting her 3 pet sheep when she saw the hunt. She said: “It was absolutely awful. I locked myself in the car because I just couldn’t bear it. “It is so shocking to watch. There was this horrific screaming and I couldn’t tell if it was the dogs or the hare.” Fellow witness Michael Martin said: “That poor hare must have been terrified. "I could see it running desperately for its life.” Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt confirmed it conducted a hunt with 20 people on horseback and 20 on foot between Barnoldswick and W. Marton.  Mr Bannister said: “We were completely within the law. “The law demands that even if the hounds were to find a hare we would have to pull them off, but we did not find a hare on Saturday.”  

Guildford hunt saboteurs experienced a violent day at the Surrey Union Foxhunt on Tues 22^nd Nov at Edolphs House, Charlwood.  After following the hunt for a few hours stopping them killing, they were then attacked by the hunt at Norwood Hill and female saboteurs were pushed around by hunt supporters. One redcoat snatched a camera and threw it into some bushes. One of our male sabs was ridden down, head-butted and punched in the face and the rider threatened to kill him. The police were called and 5 squad cars turned up and statements taken. Some of the sabs went into the meet and identified the red-coat, with the hunt telling the police that they couldn’t come on private property, which wasn't too well received.  They pointed out that they could go anywhere they wanted as they were investigating a crime. Arrests will hopefully follow.  

The South Down and Eridge Fox Hunt has become increasingly aggressive over the past few years. Attacking hunt saboteurs in  car parks, threatening them with knives, riding them down and employing ‘stewards’ to harass their every step. You would think they are hiding something? On Saturday a whole new level was reached. The day started as usual with verbal abuse, quad bikes being driven at speed near people and threats of ‘home visits’.  The Sabs persisted in following the hunt which was making little attempt to follow it’s own false trail. The day started getting heated when a hunt supporter constantly drove his vehicle in front of the sabs Land Rovers to impede their progress. This was followed by a number of hunt supporters following the vehicles and driving aggressively and dangerously. Near the close of the day more threats were made and clear attempts were made to start fights, which the sabs refused to react to. Finally the hunt had packed up and the hunt sabs were gathered in a residential road when a vehicle which had been following the group’s vehicles drove up. A catapult was fired out of the passenger window and the missile (a wheel nut) hit a female saboteur on the elbow.  The police were called and the perpetrators were identified to them.  Arrests are expected. The injured saboteur who was taken to hospital for x-rays on her injured arm, has nerve damage. Lee Moon, spokesperson for the HSA, said: “This is the reality behind hunting. A violent nasty pursuit practiced by violent nasty people, who do not care as long as they can inflict some form of suffering on animals or humans.  It is time to strengthen the ban and stop these people in their tracks.”  

Anti-hunt campaigner wins employment case
In a historic judgement the Employment Tribunal in Southampton found that life-long animal welfare campaigner Joe Hashman was discriminated against under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003. Mr Hashman said, “My case against the Directors of Orchard Park Garden Centre in Gillingham, Dorset has included complex legal issues. I am indebted to the brilliance of Shah Qureshi and Nick Fry of Bindman’s LLP and my barrister Ivan Hare for their guidance, support and expertise over the last 2 years. “I am proud to have established in Law my philosophical belief in the sanctity of life (including fervent anti fox hunting and hare coursing beliefs). …“The Tribunal has instructed that financial details of settlement remain a private matter. However, the truth is that succeeding with my case was all I ever wanted to achieve. Therefore I was happy to accept the first offer made to me on behalf of Orchard Park alongside a public apology in respect of a defamatory memo written about me to their staff.”  

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been having shooting lessons from Prince Charles’ hunting attendant at Balmoral so that she can be a good shot for the Boxing Day shoot at Sandringham.  She has been on a royal shooting party together with her parents and husband, William.  Shooting is said to be his passion and he spent the weekend killing deer while Kate shot pheasants. This will be her first Christmas spent with the royal family and she says she wants to make a good impression.  She’d make a better impression on the rest of the country if she condemned the mindless slaughter of birds.  What a silly, ladder climbing girlie she is.

Brutal game hunter
David Barrett, a retired civil servant living in Hampshire, has killed and skinned more than 300 animals in Africa. He claims he 'feels no guilt.' and even has a trophy room of stuffed animals along with a cabinet of weapons.  He said: 'I enjoy hunting, it’s primeval. When I look through the scope I don't see a living thing, it’s a target.'  Pictures from holidays over the last 14 years show Mr Barrett with shot buffaloes, elephants and hippos. In some graphic pictures elephants are shown skinned. Daily Mail  

A hunter who accidentally shot and killed his friend was so devastated he turned his rifle on himself. Benjamin Birch, Timothy Bolognani and Mark Colford were hunting near Readsboro, Vermont, when Birch shot a deer. The wounded animal managed to escape, and the men began tracking it through the woods.  Bolognani fired at what he thought was the deer, but instead heard Birch scream in pain. Bolognani and Colford ran to discover their friend bleeding on the ground, where he died. Overwhelmed with grief, Bolognani then committed suicide with his own rifle, police believe. Vermont State Police were called just after noon on Saturday. Benjamin Birch was a keen hunter and uploaded photos of his various catches, including black bears, to Facebook. He also expressed his discontent that the deer hunting season was not as long as that in other states. He wrote: 'Vermont is the only state where they worry about the deer getting a rest between seasons!'  

A hunter accidentally shot dead his brother who was sitting in a camouflaged hunting blind. Harry Weaver from Lakeview, Michigan died instantly after being hit in the head by the stray bullet. He had not told his younger brother David that he was going out hunting on family-owned land in rural Mecosta County in Michigan.  Weaver's death came 2 days after Michigan's 16-day firearm deer hunting season began.  

Gamekeeper guilty of poisoning
A previously convicted gamekeeper has admitted to poisoning 4 buzzards with Alpha-chloralose laced baits. At Lanark Sheriff Court, David Alexander Whitefield  of Coulter, near Biggar in Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty to the offences that took place between March and Nov 2009 at Culter Allers Farm, near Biggar, where Whitefield was employed as the sole gamekeeper for pheasant and partridge shooting. He has reportedly blamed his employer (the landowner), whom Whitefield claims told him to reduce the number of buzzards.  In addition to the 4 poisoned buzzards found on the shooting estate, a large quantity of Alpha-chloralose was found inside unlocked outbuildings, some of it inside a coffee jar – this extremely hazardous poison could have easily been mistaken for sugar or powdered milk by an unsuspecting visitor. Culter Allers is a popular area for walkers and it is fortunate indeed that no person or pet was poisoned. The buzzards were not so lucky. Sentencing for his latest conviction has been deferred for background reports and will take place in early January.  Whitefield’s previous convictions include failing to ensure the welfare of a buzzard and possession of a buzzard. These offences took place at Culter Allers and he was convicted at Lanark Sheriff Court in Sept 2008. He received a pathetic £300 fine. Just 6 months later he was poisoning buzzards. At the time of the first conviction he was reported to be a self-confessed member of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association.  Congratulations to the SSPCA for leading this case and for securing a conviction. Let’s hope the Scottish parliament takes heed next year when they’re consulting on extending the powers of the SSPCA for the investigation of wildlife crime.  

There’ll be some red faces at the Scottish Gamekeepers Association after all the proclamations of chairman Alex Hogg, who is on record as saying, “Professional gamekeepers do not poison raptors”. It turns out that the gamekeeper David Alexander Whitefield, who was convicted of poisoning 4 buzzards, is a member of the SGA.  The SGA has issued a statement after today’s conviction, that says Whitefield’s membership will be suspended with immediate effect. This is welcome, if belated, news. But why wasn’t his membership terminated after his earlier conviction for wildlife offences in 2008? Or is membership only terminated after a conviction for poisoning, as opposed to other types of wildlife crime?

Birds of prey including the peregrine falcon, red kite, goshawk & hen harrier are being poisoned or shot in the N. York Moors and Yorkshire Dales at a rate unknown in any other region, according to the RSPB. N. Yorkshire has been named the UK's "black spot", with more crimes against birds of prey and owls reported in the last year than in N. Scotland & Wales and all the counties of the south of England combined.  

School birdwatching trip demonstrates shooting
A father has complained that his 10-year-old daughter was left traumatised after what she thought was a school birdwatching trip turned out to be a shooting demonstration. Ray Poolman said that he was shocked when his daughter, Danielle, came home in tears after the “harrowing” experience of seeing ducks being shot. He has accused the village primary school in Ramsey St Mary’s, Cambridgeshire, of leaving parents in the dark about the excursion to watch an “evening flight” at a local wetlands area popular with wildfowl. The school has defended the trip, part of a series of initiatives to teach the children about fenland traditions, and suggested that Mr Poolman may have misunderstood the meaning of the word “wildfowling”. Parents received a letter earlier this month inviting their children to come on a visit to Welney Marshes in Norfolk organised by the Ely and District Wildfowlers Association. It said that children would be “finding out about different species of wildfowl” in the marshes and “conservation of the landscape”. It made no direct reference to shooting or guns but went on to refer to seeing dogs and “equipment used for the sport” and reassured parents that the children would be safely out of the way during the “wildfowling demonstration”. “It talks about going to the Welney Marshes and seeing an ‘evening flight’ which you would think would be birds all coming back in to roost, which probably looks nice, and seeing all the different species that inhabit the marshes,” Mr Poolman explained. “I sent her off in the morning with a little chair and a pair of binoculars to view the birds…. “….it turned out to be a very harrowing trip for her.” Mr Poolman is not personally opposed to shooting but said that it was not the place of the school to promote bloodsports. “This isn’t about being anti-bloodsports or anti-shooting, this is about saying ‘if you are going to do this with children the parents must know’,” he said. “The letter should have had words like shooting and live ammunition and made clear that birds could be killed then a parent can make an informed decision. “They allowed children to witness the death of an animal.” Shirley Stapleton, the head teacher, said that the school had never intended to upset children or mislead parents but that there appeared to have been a misunderstanding. “This trip has run for several years, parents were welcome to come on the trip,” she said. “The children came back and no child told me that they were distressed. “It is not just ‘let’s go out and shoot ducks’ there is a whole conservation issue which the school deals with.” She explained that the trip was part of a programme of often colourful events to educate the children about their rural heritage. Next month children from the school are due to take part in the village’s centuries-old Plough Monday traditions, dressing up as “Ploughwitches” and Molly Dancers and leading a straw bear through the streets. “We try to provide the children with an awful lot of background knowledge which maybe other schools don’t do,” she said. “There is a lot of first-hand knowledge for the children, they have had some fantastic experiences, it is just disappointing that on this occasion it seems that we have upset a parent totally unintentionally.”

2 men have been charged with laying snares to trap rare mountain hares on a Highland estate. Kevin Begg and David Taylor are alleged to have used 24 snares to trap the white hare on Lochindorb Estate at Grantown-on-Spey on April 19. At the time of the alleged offence the estate was owned by Alistair Laing, chairman of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Mr Laing has since sold the estate on. The elusive mountain hare is Britain's only native hare and has been around since the Ice Age. They change colour in winter, becoming white to camouflage themselves against the snow. Begg, of Keepers House, Lochindorb, and Taylor, of Relugas Kennels, Dunphail, Forres, both deny setting the traps. Their trial was set for 3 days, starting on March 28^th next year, at Inverness Sheriff Court. 24^th Nov  

Giant stag shot
One of the country's most majestic stags, which was set to rival the famous Exmoor Emperor, has been shot dead illegally by poachers. The impressive young animal - dubbed the Goodleigh Giant - was shot in N. Devon. He was expected to become one of the biggest stags in the country when fully mature because he already had an impressive 19 points on its antlers - compared to The Emperor's 14. The stag had become less wary as the rutting season approached and local landowners tried to keep him a secret for fear of trophy hunters tracking him down. But rumour of the 200lb animal's presence spread and poachers descended on the region to get a glimpse or a shot at the stag, which would fetch thousands of pounds on the black market. The death follows a series of stag slayings in the area as poachers target the animals as trophies.  Telegraph 27^th Oct

The Georgian government is determined to open up hunting as a commercial industry, dismissing concerns about the environmental impact of deregulation. Parliament's environment committee has already begun discussing changes to the law to allow licensed hunting of all animal and bird species, even in national parks and nature reserves. Environmental groups have appealed to parliamentarians to block the changes, which they say will threaten the survival of Georgia's bears, deer and other fauna. Environmentalists said the changes would result in short-term financial gain from hunting tourism, and long-term damage with the loss of flagship species like the bezoar ibex, a kind of wild goat, whose numbers have only recovered thanks to investment in conservation. "Hunting the wild goat will be legalized when there are just a few individuals left. The species was reintroduced from abroad so that it could breed here," said Rezo Getiashvili of the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network. "That means a hunter will pay 100 laris to destroy something that's had millions spent on it." Getiashvili said deregulation would endanger the conservation aid funds that Georgia receives from the EU and the UN. The architects of the bill denied that it was in breach of the country's international commitments. "The main aim of revising the law is to simplify the procedures for hunting, which will [create revenue and] allow more public services to be provided," they said in an explanatory note when the bill was submitted. Georgia's opposition parties have not so far spoken out against the changes, and a number of their members have described it as a step forward. "Hunting tourism will bring Georgia 10 times more than normal tourism," said Gogi Topadze, head of the Industry Will Save Georgia party, and the owner of a hunting business. "We have many pointless restrictions, and I am glad that parliament has now realized the need for these amendments."But other hunters were not so sure. A member of the Hunters' Council, which issues licenses and represents the interests of the hunting community, said he could not understand why the government would allow people to kill protected species in game reserves. "Even without a law in place, seasoned hunters know that you need to protect species like wild mountain goats. The law has deterred poachers all this time, but what now? Can you do as you like, as long as you pay?" he asked. Another hunter said the current law did need to be amended - but the changes being proposed go too far. "Wolves can create problems by killing livestock in Georgian villages, but people can't do anything about it, since hunting them is banned and carries a hefty fine. Of course that needs to change. It would also be good if we were allowed to cull deer," he said. "But decisions like these should be taken in the interests of environmental protection, and in the public interest, and not to obtain meat or money."  

Bird lovers throughout Europe are still in a state of shock after watching a video of Italian hunters shooting down several thousand song birds in front of protesting bird conservationists. www.komitee.de/en/actions-and-projects/italy/massacre-colle-san-zeno The hunters were completely undisturbed by the filming of this almost unbelievable massacre of migrating song birds. The ugly spectacle took place some 1,400 m above sea level on the San Zeno alpine pass - one of the most important migration corridors in the Southern Alps. On a number of days in October, members of the Bonn-based Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and the League for the Abolition of Hunting (LAC) from Milan, literally risked life and limb by placing themselves between the hunters and the huge flocks of birds migrating through the pass. The hunters spared no thought for the safety of the conservationists but continued to blast away at the birds without restraint. CABS member Andrea Rutigliano vividly describes the situation: "It was a completely surrealistic situation. More than 1500 shots were fired hourly. Dead or badly injured birds littered the ground. Some of the birds hit fell directly into our group of observers and shotgun pellets rained down on us". The game rangers present estimated that at least 10,000 Meadow Pipits, Chaffinches, Bramblings and Hawfinches were killed. "One's head spins when one thinks that in Lombardy alone there are hundreds such passes, more than 86,000 hunters, and that the season lasts for several months" Rutigliano comments resignedly. Graziella Zavalloni, LAC president, goes further: "The real scandal is that no one can be called to account for this disgraceful abuse of nature". Although the hunting of these 4 species is forbidden by EU legislation, the regional government in Milan has again this year added a special clause to the hunting law permitting the shooting of pipits and the 3 finch species. "This is a blatant contravention of the bird protection guidelines" Zavalloni states. This view is shared by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which in July 2010 condemned Italy for lifting the hunting ban on these species. CABS today announced that it will present a further environmental complaint to the EC based on the evidence filmed at the San Zeno Pass which will be forwarded to the Environment Directorate. In parallel CABS calls upon all bird and nature lovers to protest to the new Italian government in Rome against this annual massacre in the Southern Alps. The contact details for the Minister for the Environment Corrado Clini, together with a prepared protest email, will be published soon on the CABS homepage.

A California member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves was shot and killed in Oregon after authorities say a hunter mistook him for a bear. Christopher A. Ochoa and his friend, Raymond Westrom, were hiking through a field in Western Oregon on the way to Silver Creek Falls Park. Ochoa was wearing dark-coloured clothing.

A hunter in Indiana died after an unusual encounter with a deer he shot. Paul J. Smith died from a lacerated liver while he was participating in a deer reduction hunt near Fort Wayne, Indiana. After shooting a deer from a tree stand, Smith allegedly attempted to field dress the animal and discovered it was still alive. Smith told his son in a voicemail before his death that "he scuffled with the deer before killing it with a knife," according to the Indiana Dept of Natural Resources. Smith called park officials several hours later asking for help transporting the deer carcass. A park ranger soon found Smith unconscious at the base of a tree. Despite officials' initial attempts to revive Smith with CPR and a portable defibrillator, medics later pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy showed lacerations on Smith's liver that were in line with internal bruising.  A new state law in nearby Michigan now allows children under 12, with adult supervision, to participate in the annual deer hunt. Even so, deer hunting is down in the state. HuffPost reported that over 300,000 fewer hunting licenses were issued last year in Michigan than in 1992, while the deer population has grown significantly.  

A Swedish man who captured 13,000 wild birds and kept hundreds of them locked up in his home has been convicted of animal cruelty and illegal hunting and sentenced to a year and a half in prison. The Hudiksvall district court says Pierre Johansson used illegal nets and traps to capture the birds, including owls, falcons, hawks, sparrows, pheasants and woodpeckers.  

Namibian seal hunt 
Nov 15 marks the official closing of the hunt for another season. Despite calls for transparency around Namibia's annual hunt for Cape fur seals, it remains shrouded in secrecy. The annual herding and clubbing to death of still-nursing seal pups has caused concern for scientists, animal welfarists, and the general public around the world. The scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority on the animal welfare aspects of the killing and skinning of seals raised the serious welfare concerns regarding the Namibian seal hunt, concluding that "the Namibian hunt for Cape fur seal pups causes considerable disturbance to breeding colonies, and fear, distress, and other forms of suffering to the animals". They also recommended that seal hunts be opened to inspections and independent monitoring without undue interference. Yet despite the growing international condemnation, the Namibian government denies that its annual hunt is cruel, while continuing to refuse observation of the hunt by third parties, and this season even went so far as to bring in the Navy to 'protect' the slaughter beaches from being observed during the hunt.  "The Namibian government says that its annual hunt for Cape fur seals is done responsibly, yet there is absolutely no information available to support this claim." said Sheryl Fink, Director of IFAW's Seal Programme. "On the contrary, all available evidence indicates that this hunt poses major animal welfare concerns. If this hunt is, in fact, sustainable, why is so much information being withheld from scientific scrutiny? From the methodology used to determine the size of the seal population, to how many seals are actually killed each year, most of the facts on this hunt remain a complete mystery."  In September, after years of campaigning, things finally came to a head when the ombudsman called for a consultation meeting to be held between stakeholders and concerned parties (thanks to the persistent efforts of Seal Alert South Africa and Sea Shepherd). The agenda included discussion pertaining to the legality of the harvest, exploitation of living natural resources, and methods of killing seals in Namibia. 8 anti-seal harvest lobby groups attended in total, while only 3 pro-seal harvest lobby groups were represented – one of which did not even bother to attend despite being allocated a slot on the agenda. The pro-hunters were offensive and xenophobic in their presentations and presented no scientific facts.  With an allowable catch of 85,000 pups and 6,000 bulls, the Namibian seal hunt is one of the few remaining marine mammal slaughters in the world.  

The Big Green Do Nothing Fundraising Machine 
(Edited) Commentary by Captain Paul Watson - John Sauven, Exec Dir of Greenpeace, attacked Sea Shepherd in a Huffington Post story accusing us of being counter productive to the campaign of saving whales. "We have to say ‘each to their own tactics’. We think strategically to fight our battles and we feel that we are winning the battle against whaling by talking to the Japanese themselves,” he stated. "Sea Shepherd is confronting Japanese people aggressively and it is exacerbating nationalism, and actually making it more difficult." What do you mean "we" John? The battle is in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary not in your offices. We will be there, but where will Greenpeace ships be next month? Promotional tours? Banner hanging? Sending more origami whales?  ..…Greenpeace builds a €33m ship to conduct fundraising tours while we intervene directly against illegal Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. While you guys sent origami whales to President Obama to protest Japanese whaling, we sent the Japanese fleet home with only 17% of their kill quota. Sea Shepherd has prevented the slaughter of nearly 3,000 whales while Greenpeacers were sitting and eating whale meat with the Japanese to demonstrate so-called sensitivity to Japanese culture. Greenpeace tell the public that they send ships to the Southern Ocean, although they have not done so since 2006. They blatantly lie to raise funds. Sea Shepherd has bankrupted the Japanese whaling fleet. That's activism John. Having tea with whalers is well, rather pathetic. As a co-founder of Greenpeace, I have to say that they are now nothing more than the world's biggest "feel good" organization pretending to solve problems while growing a larger and more entrenched bureaucracy every year. I feel like Dr. Frankenstein having helped to create this big green monstrous fundraising corporate entity that IS NOT in Taiji saving dolphins, IS NOT in the Southern Ocean saving whales, HAS NOT been off Newfoundland for 2 decades saving seals, HAS NOT done anything to protect bluefin tuna, HAS NOT opposed the slaughter of pilot whales in the Faeroe Islands, and actually DOES endorse the hunting of polar bears in Canada and Alaska. …They have raised over $50m dollars to oppose whaling in the Southern Ocean and they have used this money to fund additional fundraising efforts to raise more money. It's a disgrace and now they are condemning our activism saying we are making it difficult for them to "save" whales. I think what they are really saying is that we are making it difficult for them to continue to raise money by doing nothing. Nov 10

And to end on a smile….
A 36-year-old Oregon man accidentally shot himself in the foot while attempting to annihilate a squirrel. Ethan Bennett told the Benton County sheriff’s department that he was at home when the rodent began running up his left leg. He told police he then tried to shoot the squirrel with his .22-calibre rifle, missed and shot himself in the foot instead.

Anti-hunt protesters will not face charges
6 anti-hunt activists arrested during a controversial police operation have been told they won't be facing criminal charges. The hunt saboteurs and anti-hunt monitors say they are now considering suing the police for wrongful arrest and making complaints about the "conduct and impartiality" of officers during the operation in Huntley back in March. Around 50 officers, riot vans and the force helicopter descended on the village when followers of the Cotswold Vale Farmers' Hunt called police after being confronted by around 30 protesters from the Hunt Saboteurs Association. Police seized their vehicles and arrested 6 activists, mainly for possessing offensive weapons. Later, the police admitted they had just been carrying spray bottles of citronella – lemon-scented water used to confuse hounds following a fox's scent – and home-made rope whips, similar to those used by the hunt itself to control the dogs. All those arrested have been informed that no further action is being taken against them by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. 5 were arrested for possessing offensive weapons, while the sixth – a 20-year-old woman from Sheffield – was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police, and has also had her bail cancelled. One hunt saboteur, who wanted to be known only as Mick from Cirencester, said the HSA was unhappy with the treatment by police. He said: "I'm keen that every one who was arrested should sue the police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. We need to get the message across to the police too, that they can't treat us like this and have to treat both sides fairly." 

Showing the violent and threatening nature of members of the Isle of Wight hunt towards hunt monitors, whose video cameras pose a threat to the hunt's existence now hunting with dogs is banned.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ui_jNFlz14

Hunt Sabs found not-guilty of Aggravated Trespass
3 members of the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) were found not-guilty of aggravated trespass after a 3 day trial at Newark Magistrates Court. They had been monitoring the Grove and Rufford Foxhounds, in Nov last year, to ensure compliance with the Hunting Act. It was suspected that the hunt had been hunting live foxes. At least one fox had been seen running from the hunt that day. The defendants exercised their lawful right not to supply their details to police but were then arrested and prosecuted. After 2 days of prosecution evidence, material came to light that showed prosecution witnesses, including police officers, had lied under oath and the case was dismissed. During his summing up the District Judge expressed his displeasure with the Crown Prosecution Service for allowing the case to come to trial and demanded answers from them about why this decision had been made.  Lee Moon, spokesperson for the HSA, stated: This ridiculous court case has wasted a huge amount of public funds. This money should have been used by the police and Crown Prosecution Service to enforce the Hunting Act rather than persecuting innocent people. We hope Nottinghamshire Police learn from this verdict and start to focus their resources on the real criminals who continue to illegally chase and kill wildlife.

Skibo worker had ‘enough poison to wipe out eagles’
An estate worker had enough illegal poison to “wipe out the entire Scottish golden eagle and red kite populations several times over”, a court has heard. Gamekeeper Dean Barr, of Clashmore, Dornoch, admitted possessing 10kg of Carbofuran. The insecticide, banned in 2005, was found in a farm building, used by Barr, on the exclusive Highlands Skibo Castle estate in May 2010. Sheriff Margaret Neilson fined the former Ulster Defence Regiment soldier £3,300 at Inverness Sheriff Court. Despite the find, the Crown accepted Barr had no part in the deaths of 2 golden eagles and a sparrow hawk found on the estate in May 2010. The insecticide was discovered in a locked store by police investigating the deaths of the birds. Barr had the keys to the store. The Carbofuran found had been bought by a farmer to legally treat crops on a Scottish Borders estate where Barr had worked. The court heard that while Barr had not purchased the powder, he took it with him – along with other items, from a shed when he took the job at Skibo in 2008. A dead golden eagle was found on the Skibo estate on 7 May 2010. Fiscal depute Ian Smith said: “The RSPB said this was the largest find of any illegal poison in the UK.” He added: “10kg is sufficient to wipe out the entire Scottish golden eagle and red kite populations several times over. “Only a few granules are needed to kill a bird of prey.” Defence lawyer David McKie said Barr was aware of the risks Carbofuran posed, but he had not known how to safely dispose of the powder, which was kept in a plastic tub. Mr McKie said Barr’s case was one of “foolish omission” and that his client had been naive and had never used the substance. However, Sheriff Neilson said it was “extraordinary” that a man of Barr’s experience had not known how to legally dispose of Carbofuran and had been prepared to take it 200 miles north from the Borders to the Highlands. She told Barr that had he been found responsible for the birds’ deaths, he would have been facing a custodial sentence.  She fined him £3,300 for possession of Carbofuran to “mark the court’s disapproval”.

Golden eagle poisoned
A golden eagle has been found poisoned by a banned pesticide on a sporting estate in Aberdeenshire. The body of the young tagged bird of prey was discovered in late March on the N. Glenbuchat Estate in Strathdon. Grampian Police announced that tests have now confirmed the eagle had been poisoned by the illegal pesticide carbofuran - a substance which has been used in a series of illegal poisonings of birds of prey.

Ex-Gamekeeper had dead red kite
At Inverness Sheriff Court, a former apprentice gamekeeper was fined £1,500 after he admitted possessing a dead red kite.  James Rolfe, who was a gamekeeper at Moy Estate, near Inverness said he found the bird of prey in a trap set for stoats and weasels but picked it up put the bird in a Land Rover rather than leave it and inform his bosses, the police, or RSPB. The bird was not poisoned. RSPB Scotland said it was pleased the sheriff had sent out "a clear message" that society would not tolerate "reckless and deplorable behaviour in the countryside". Rolfe was found with the dead red kite by police who had arrived on Moy estate with search warrants, issued under the wildlife crimes act on 3 June 2010. Defence lawyer Iain Fleming said his client was 19 at the time and he had panicked after finding the kite dead in the trap.

Gamekeeper fined after killing badger
David Stephen Welford, of Thornthorpe, Malton, was fined £385 at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court for wilfully killing a badger in Laysikes Wood, Menethorpe, last September and ordered to pay £100 costs, with a £15 victim surcharge. Jean Thorpe, of Ryedale Badger Group, said she hoped the sentence would send out a message to others that such crimes would result in prosecution. A spokesman for N. Yorkshire Police added: “Protecting our wildlife is something we will continue to do in partnership with other agencies. If anyone knows of people committing this type of offence they should contact N. Yorkshire Police or Crimestoppers straight away.”

A golfer has been fined £750 for battering a tame fox with a golf club after it stole his chocolate biscuit. Donald Forbes lashed out at the animal, striking it on the head, after he spotted it rummaging through his golf bag. It was so badly injured it had to be killed by another golfer. Forbes went on trial accused of striking the fox with the "intent to inflict unnecessary suffering" at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Shooter mistakes swan for goose
A member of an exclusive £2,000-a-year shooting syndicate killed a young swan after mistaking it for a goose and gunning it down with both barrels of his 12-gauge shotgun. Harrogate magistrates heard how electrical company director Simon Quince fatally injured the juvenile male swan while taking part in a pheasant shoot on land in N. Yorkshire. Quince, of Hart Hills, Hemingfield, near Barnsley, pleaded guilty to a charge brought under the 1971 Criminal Damage Act of destroying the mute swan, the property of the Crown. He also admitted using lead shot to shoot a wild bird, the first prosecution to be brought under 1999 Environmental Protection Regulations which restrict the use of lead shot in favour of steel or combination pellets. Kim Coley, prosecuting, told the court that 9 guns had been involved in a beater-driven pheasant shoot at Spellow Grange Farm in Minskip Road at Staveley, near Knaresborough, on Dec 8. In the first drive, Quince had bagged 2 pheasants, and when the second drive took place he had been stationed at the end of the line near a disused railway track. Mrs Coley told magistrates that it was a cold day with a clear blue sky and snow was on the ground when Quince spotted 4 birds he believed were geese. He discharged both barrels, hitting one of the quartet, which fell to ground. The court heard that Quince realised immediately something was wrong and put his gun away before the swan was taken to a vet in Boroughbridge. However, the bird was found to be too badly injured to save and was put down. He maintained that he had not known he was firing at a swan, was unaware he could not use lead shot and wished he had done more research before going on the shoot. Quince was fined £445 and ordered to pay £85 in costs along with a £15 victim surcharge for shooting the swan, and he was given a £100 fine by magistrates for using lead shot. Outside the court, RSPB species policy officer Jeff Knott said he was happy with the outcome of the case and confirmed the lead shot prosecution was a first in the UK and would act as a timely reminder to other shooters.

Cruelty claim as Kentish Town resident arranges fox shootings
A quiet street has become the centre of an animal rights row after “marksmen” were called in to shoot foxes.  Residents near Talacre Park in Kentish Town staged a protest after a neighbour used a pest controller to cull urban foxes that had been digging holes in his garden. The man, who has asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by animal rights protesters, said the foxes were living 12 feet from his bathroom and that he feared this was causing hygiene dangers. He said he was advised culling was the best form of action as trapping foxes and then abandoning them in the wild leaves them open to starvation and attack. But Karen Heath, who runs Camden-based animal organisation The Mama Cat Trust, posted leaflets through his neighbours’ doors in a bid to halt the killing after she saw foxes being trapped in the garden. She said: “I was so upset when I saw a trap in his garden with a baby cub trapped in it. It was in great distress.  “I begged him to let me deal with the problem for free in a humane way. I offered to cancel my animal rescue trip to help him but he wasn’t interested.  “There are other more humane ways to make your garden uninhabitable for foxes.” Experts estimate there are 16 foxes per sq. mile in London.  They have become a divisive issue, portrayed as either furry friends or dangerous pests.  Last year, pest controllers called for widespread culls after the twins from Hackney were reportedly mauled by a fox as they slept in their cots.  Shooting foxes in urban areas is not illegal if the hunter has the correct licence.  Yasmin Allen, who lives in Malden Rd, said it was “absurd” that residents are forced to apply for planning permission to cut down a tree but are allowed to shoot foxes. She added: “On top of that it is taking place right next door to a primary school and I think the last thing we want children to be hearing is gunshots during the school day.”  The Kentish Town resident behind the cull said the foxes had since moved on and he is currently seeking advice on preventative methods to stop them returning. He added: “I am completely opposed to unnecessary cruelty like hunting with hounds, but I was concerned by the fact that I had foxes 12 feet from my bathroom, and right next to and underneath part of a primary school playground.  “I was advised to retain a pest control company. I asked this com­pany about deterrent measures and employed chemical deterrent measures in tandem with humane trapping and destruction.” Sue Royal, a spokeswoman from the ­RSPCA, said: “The most humane and long-term solution to discourage foxes from your garden is to remove or prevent access to what attracts them to the area.”  Camden New Journal 3^rd June

Operation Blue Rage kicked off this week with 2 of our vessels heading from the port of Toulon, France bound for the waters of war-torn Libya.  This campaign is focused on intervening against any bluefin tuna fishing operations taking place in Libyan waters, a region closed to the exploitation of these fish, by order of the International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and the European Union fishing commission. Last year, during Operation Blue Rage, we cut nets and liberated more than 800 illegally caught bluefin tuna. This year, the poachers are going to try to take advantage of the war zone, but we have other plans.  Learn about our current campaign to defend bluefin tuna and get updates at: www.seashepherd.org/blue-rage-2011 Our fast interceptor and scout vessel, the Gojira, has received a new paint job and a new name! Honouring a longtime friend of Sea Shepherd and someone who played a critical role in bringing the world's attention to the need to protect harp seals off the coast of Canada, we are proud to announce the new name of our vessel is the Brigitte Bardot.   After Operation Blue Rage, we will take the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot to the International Whaling Commission meeting in July, which will be held in the Isle of Jersey. After that, we'll head up to the Danish Faeroe islands to interfere with the killing of pilot whales there.

Huntsman first to be convicted twice under Hunting Act
A huntsman from Somerset has become the first person to be convicted twice under the Hunting Act. Richard Down from W. Bagborough, was found guilty at Taunton Magistrates Court of hunting a wild mammal with more than 2 dogs. He was convicted for chasing an injured stag with 3 hounds. Under the act, only 2 are allowed if the purpose is to relieve the animal's suffering. The Quantock Staghound huntsman was first convicted in June 2007.  On that occasion he was found guilty of chasing deer with hounds. The latest conviction was based on video footage gathered by a monitor from the League Against Cruel Sports. The video showed an injured stag race across the combe in the Quantock Hills while being pursued by 3 hounds. The defence said that when Down entered the combe, he was looking for the stag and under the Act, more than 2 hounds were allowed. But as soon as the injured stag was found, the prosecution said only 2 dogs were allowed to gather the mammal which then had to be shot straight away to relieve suffering. Down, who was described as one of the most experienced huntsmen in the country with 21 years' experience, said he was not in a position to stop the dogs once they had found the stag. Prosecuter Kerry Barker said the chase caused the stag "great distress". District Judge Martin Brown said he was "in control of the hounds and could have called them back". He was ordered to pay a total of £2,920.

Monitors attacked by hunt supporting thugs
On Sat 16^th Oct members of the S.W. hunt saboteurs were out monitoring the Chilmark and Clifton Foot beagle hunt at Emborough, near Midsomer Norton, Somerset.  Whilst standing on a public footpath watching the hunt, the group of 8 male & female anti-hunt protesters were approached by 5 vehicles whose number plates had been obscured with mud.  Approximately a dozen men jumped out of the vehicles and proceeded to attack the hunt saboteurs shouting “get the cameras”.  People were punched in the face and one man had his leg repeatedly stamped on.  The attackers did not stop until they had stolen 3 video cameras and one digital camera.  Members of the anti-hunt group were left severely battered and shocked by this un-provoked and brutal attack and robbery.  The incident has been reported to the police who are making enquiries.  The Chilmark and Clifton foot beagles are closely linked with the Mendip Farmers Foxhunt (MFFH) and several of the attackers were wearing Mendip Farmers FH rugby shirts.  Whilst there is no suggestion that the Mendip Farmers officially sanctioned this attack it seems certain that some of their supporters were involved.  For several years the MFFH have been involved in a high profile battle with local residents to move to new Kennels at Chewton Mendip in Somerset.  The local residents do not want them as they feel they will bring increased traffic, noise and disruption to the community but despite vociferous local protests the hunt seem determined to go ahead, painting themselves as an upright, integral part of the local community. Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association stated:  “We are sick and tired of seeing hunts trying to portray themselves as part of the tradition and fabric of this country.  If our traditions include violence, intimidation and robbery then perhaps they are.  It is time the police showed these people that the Countryside is not their own private playground and prosecute them for the crimes they commit against animals and people.  Would you want these violent thugs moving into your community?”

Woman witnesses cub hunting
Sara Starkey, from Tonbridge, claimed that she saw Old Surrey & Burstow West Kent Hunt "real" cub hunting while walking her dog in the countryside near her home. Claims denied by the hunt. "I understand this ugly business is to train the new batch of dogs to kill," she said. "To see around 15 people on horseback strategically placed on guard around a copse while 40 or more dogs and terrier men/women were in the copse screaming, shouting and hooting on a horn was both upsetting and intimidating. "What I saw was not drag hunting it was the real thing. No way do horsemen and women stay screaming and shouting in one confined area for nigh on an hour in drag hunting." She said the incident happened at between 10.15am and 11am on Oct 19, between Eldridge and Porters Locks. William Meakin, chairman of the hunt, said although he was not there on the hunt day he was confident that she could not have seen ‘real’ hunting. He said: "We hunt within the law. I cannot comment further."

Farmer’s land invaded by hunt
The East Devon Hunt has been banned from Stephen Owen’s farmland for more than 30 years because of the wildlife that thrives within it. But he returned to his farm in Dunkeswell, near Honiton, to find that a pack of hounds and riders had been 'tearing' through his 100-acre site during an alleged trail hunt. The farmer now claims his herd of 32 mixed breed suckler cows are 'like wild animals' after being frightened by the dogs. He also believes one heifer may have lost her unborn calf and is waiting for a vet to visit his property to examine her. The Joint Master of The East Devon Hunt has apologised but said he 'could not comment' on whether their hounds entered the land. Mr Owen said: "We don't allow them on our land because large parts of it are conservation areas, with lots of wildlife including otters, kingfishers and deer. There are also rare plants that we don't want damaged. "My wife and I went to market at Bridgwater and came back to find they had been tearing around on my land. "The neighbours had seen them doing it and tried calling to warn us, but we weren't there. "The whole pack of hounds had run through my herd, with the horns blowing and everything – it scared the living daylights out of them. "The hunt has said they are very sorry and that they will pay for the veterinary costs. I don't think that is enough though. "Before the weekend the herd would eat from my hands but now they're too frightened to come near me, they aren't even approaching the feeders." Chris Stephens, Joint Master of the East Devon Hunt, said he and his horses had not entered the farm. According to their website they’re a trail hunt – so they lay trails across people’s land, do they?

Majority of public & MPs oppose hunting
Research by LACS indicates that a minority of MPs – 253 out of 650 – are committed to repealing the Act. And 22 Conservative MPs are among more than 300 who would vote against a repeal. Within Tory ranks, traditionally seen as pro-hunting, there is dissent. A pressure group, Conservativesagainstfoxhunting.com, was set up earlier this year. Its spokeswoman, Lorraine Platt, said: "We felt we were being misrepresented by the myth that all Conservatives were pro-hunting." Douglas Batchelor, LACs' chief executive, branded any hopes of reversing the ban a "pipe dream". He told The Independent on Sunday: "The hunts have realised that resistance is futile, public opposition to a repeal of the ban on hunting is sustained, and... we know there is no appetite in Parliament for repeal." The Countryside Alliance dismissed the claims last night. A spokesman said: "We remain confident the case for repeal is absolutely clear; this is a useless and confusing, vindictive piece of legislation, and it is utterly wasting police time." Yet the alliance is keeping a low profile, its spokesman saying that it would be foolhardy to make hunting a priority when the economic situation was so dire. Fewer than 1 in 5 people in the UK would support a repeal of the ban on hunting with dogs, according to a poll commissioned to coincide with the start of the hunting season this weekend. The YouGov poll of more than 3,400 people reveals that 59% oppose the ban being overturned. And 63% disagree that it amounts to an infringement of civil liberties. A large majority, 77%, want to see the hunting ban properly enforced. Opinion is divided on whether hunts are respecting the law – 32%  say hunts act within the law and 38% believe they act illegally.  The poll, commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports (Lacs), shows that 1 in 7(16%) are in favour of prison sentences for people who break the law, with almost half, 48%, in favour of people being fined up to £10,000.

Not enough support for repeal
There will not be a House of Commons vote on repealing the Hunting Act before 2012. MPs close to the campaign admit they do not have the numbers at the moment to win a vote and say the PM will only call one when he knows it can be won. The MPs said a well-organised campaign was under way at Westminster to try to win new supporters to the cause. A list has been drawn up of people thought to be persuadable - and they are being wined and dined. One of the MPs involved in the operation said that it would take at least another year before enough people have been won over, which is why no vote is being planned before early 2012. The coalition government has promised to hold a free vote on repealing the Act at some stage during the 5 year term.  Conservatives against hunting have set up a website

March won't happen, says Countryside Alliance chief
The new chief executive of the Countryside Alliance has ruled out another mass march through the streets of London, despite a repeal of the hunting ban looking as distant as ever. Alice Barnard said there were "other ways of connecting" with the media, the public and with the MPs who have not yet been given a timetable for the all-important vote on whether to even hold a debate on the Hunting Act. Since the election in May, both sides of the hunting debate have been lobbying the new intake of MPs.  The Western Daily Press revealed the first to declare themselves the victor in the battle for the hearts and minds of those MPs were the anti-hunt League Against Cruel Sports, who said they had the support of almost 320 MPs, while the Alliance lagged behind with little more than 250.  LACS dealt another blow with a YouGov poll – using the alliance's own questions – which found that 75% of people wanted the ban on hunting properly enforced. Now Ms Barnard, who took over running the Countryside Alliance after previous chief executive Simon Hart was elected as a Tory MP, said she was confident their plans for a Hunting Regulatory Authority would sway wavering MPs. "It will be like FIFA. It will have a set of guidelines and authorities. Hunts will have to answer to it," she said. "Hunting should not be one of the top economic priorities, however, it is a bad piece of legislation. "The Hunting Act has not saved a single fox's life. (‘cos they’re illegally hunting) Every time a hunt goes out it does so under the threat of prosecution. They endeavour to follow the law. "But should an accident happen and it be deemed that you did not follow the exemptions you will be taken down to the police station. "Law abiding people are being accused of a criminal offence. Should we be in a situation where we think that's acceptable? I don't think Britain is that sort of country. "Something should be done to address this and not criminalise. If hounds are already running and hunt staff are not there then accidents do happen." Oh come on. Not those lies and lame excuses again! The pro-hunt lobby is now in a quandary over whether to gamble and press for a vote they might then lose, or dig in and keep lobbying for the long run. But Mrs Barnard said whichever option was chosen, the prospect of 300,000 people marching through central London as they did in 2002 was not going to happen. That number goes up every time it’s quoted!  "I think we did marching, and we did it really well, but we need to be looking at other ways at connecting both with Parliament, the media and the general public and of course our members," she said. "All those people who marched are still out there and they are still supporting us. We are incredibly lucky to have a very strong membership and hugely strong support out there, right across Britain. But times change, and we are moving on."  

Claim that job lost due to anti-hunt views
Joe Hashman is arguing that his anti-hunting beliefs deserve protection in the workplace.  His undercover filming helped convict celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson-Wright of attending illegal hare coursing. The next day, the owners of the centre allegedly had him sacked by email because they were keen fox hunters. He was instructed not to bother coming back to work. The professional gardener is suing Orchard Park Garden Centre, of Gillingham, Dorset, for discrimination on the grounds of philosophical belief. The centre's owners Sheila Clarke and Ron Clarke are keen supporters of the S. & W. Wiltshire Hunt, and its company secretary Lucinda Stokes is the former joint Master of the Hunt. Tensions were also allegedly heightened by the death of a keen local huntsman with whom Mr Hashman had regular run-ins over the years. Mr Hashman, of nearby Shaftesbury, is seeking £50,000 for loss of earnings and injury to feelings. He claims that his concern about the environment, animal rights, veganism and, in particular, his opposition to hunting, amount to a philosophical belief under the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations 2003. His case comes after property executive Tim Nicholson won a judges ruling that his green beliefs were as worthy of protection as religious ones. Mr Nicholsons strong views on climate change went beyond a mere opinion, it was held. If Mr Hashman succeeds in his claim next year it could open the floodgates to other cases. His solicitor Shah Qureshi, of law firm Bindmans, said: If Joe succeeds it will give protection to the many people whose belief in animal rights is central to the way they live. Employers would no longer be able to discriminate against them merely because of those beliefs. Mr Hashman began attending animals rights demos in 1982 aged 14. He became a life member of the Hunt Saboteurs Association in 1984 and is a consultant on hunting issues for IFAW. In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights overturned an English courts decision to bind over Mr Hashman for blowing a horn and shouting at a hunt, ruling that it breached his right to freedom of expression. He has appeared extensively on TV and radio, written for national newspapers campaigning against hunting and worked with organisations such as the RSPCA, Animal Aid, Compassion in World Farming and the League Against Cruel Sport. Mr Hashman has had several books published on fruit and vegetable gardening and was hired by the centre in March 2009 as a designer. In September, his covert video evidence of Dickson-Wight at a hare coursing event in N. Yorkshire in 2007 helped convict her at Scarborough Magistrates' Court.  IFAW took her to court in a private prosecution after the CPS refused to pursue the matter. But the chef was given an absolute discharge with the prosecution estimated to have cost the IFAW as much as £80,000. [but it resulted in the defence she used being inadmissable in the future] According to legal papers submitted by Mr Hashman to Southampton Employment Tribunal, the garden centre’s managing director Richard Cumming emailed him the day after the court case. Mr Cumming confirmed that his contract had been terminated because Lucinda Stokes, Sheila Clarke and her husband, as board members, were not happy that the claimant was working for Orchard Park because he was an animal-rights activist and a hunt saboteur. Mr Hashman had been working on a vegetable garden at the centre and says his employers had not previously voiced any dissatisfaction with his performance. Mr Hashman said: "It is my fundamental belief that it is wrong to kill animals for sport. ….."Politics and morality as to how we live our lives should not be brought into the workplace. "This is how people behaved years ago. .."  In 2008, Mr Hashman won £10,000 in compensation after succeeding in an unfair dismissal claim against Shaftesbury Town Council. Mr Hashman was sacked from his post as head groundsman after a row with a pest controller over pigeons nesting on the town hall balcony. The tribunal found that the council's disciplinary procedure was "fatally flawed". Orchard Park and its bosses deny that Mr Hashman was dismissed because of his beliefs and insist that he lost his job because the vegetable plot was not financially viable. The timing of Mr Hashman going was coincidental. "We are a small country garden centre. We let Mr Hashman build a demonstration vegetable garden to try and help him and create interest among customers. "Sadly, we did not get enough people going to look at it. It was not cost effective and we ended it."

Pressure mounts against Royal Parks deer shoots
'Culls' of deer in the Royal Parks were set to last a fortnight. Red and fallow deer will be shot in this senseless slaughter, with their carcasses sold onto top end restaurants to be eaten by the rich. This brings in over £25,000 for the Royal Parks and other methods could be used to control the population, instead of killing the deer. 3 Royal Parks are involved – Richmond, Greenwich and Bushy.  Security has been upped during the period of the 'cull' in an attempt to keep the killing secret, with over 20 guards patrolling the site in bicycle teams, jogging teams and in 2 motor vehicles. However, this has not stopped local hunt saboteurs who are determined to bring about an end to this pointless slaughter of animals. Last night was the first night of the cull, and hunt saboteurs were active in patrolling Richmond Park, with a number of different teams across the area. The park security knew sabs were in the area, however were unable to find us and this resulted in no shooting happening on that night.  Deer shoots are easy to stop, even with a handful of people. All you need is some noise making equipment, such as airhorns and whistles, flashlights and letting the shooters know you are in the area. Sabs are continuing patrols in all 3 Royal Parks, from dusk until dawn each day, throughout the period of the cull. 

Who shot the Emperor?
A red stag dubbed the Emperor of Exmoor - a 9 ft giant reported to be the biggest wild animal in the British Isles - was found dead days after his picture appeared in the national press. The Emperor's size set him apart from the herd, but may also have made him prize prey for hunters willing to pay handsomely for such a majestic trophy.  For the 12 years of his life, the Emperor roamed Exmoor. At 300 lbs he towered over the other stags around him, and during the autumn mating season he easily kept smaller animals at bay as he attracted a harem of female deer. Richard Austin photographed the stag during last year's mating season and again this year, publishing photos that expanded the animal's renown. The photos, first published Oct. 5, showed the Emperor standing regally in a field, his dramatic antlers held high, and roaring as 2 female deer looked on. Mystery surrounds the stag's demise. Douglas Batchelor, head of the League Against Cruel Sports, said he was shot near a place called Rackenford Moor. Local and national media including the BBC gave a similar location, close to a main road between the towns of Barnstaple and Tiverton. The Emperor's body is long gone - his head possibly to a taxidermist, the rest probably to a butcher. In most cases the hunter - for a fee - takes the antlers or entire head as a trophy. The landowner keeps the carcass, which often ends up being sold for meat. Exmoor's stags are also stalked by poachers, who sell their meat for cash. Local people were speculating furiously about the identity and nationality of the hunter.  "Whoever has got the trophy is going to keep pretty quiet about it, because it has stirred the most awful furore," said Peter Donnelly, a deer management expert in the Exmoor area.  A former royal hunting ground, Exmoor is popular with local hunters and wealthy outsiders, who jet in to stalk red deer - Britain's largest land animal. Hunters pay landowners for the right to hunt on their land and take away sets of antlers as trophies - or, for a higher fee, the whole head. If the hunter has a license and it's done during the hunting season, as in this case, it's perfectly legal. Donnelly said it was wrong to shoot the Emperor during the rutting season, when the strongest stags compete to mate with the choicest female deer, locking antlers with rivals as they fight for supremacy. "He was still in his prime. He did not need to be culled," Donnelly said. "There is a moral and ethical code about this - you don't shoot the best beast before they have had a chance to mate." Shooting is wrong under any circumstances but that it’s allowed in the mating season is outrageous

Badger baiters guilty
A Staffordshire man has avoided an immediate prison sentence after being found guilty of disturbing a protected badger sett on an isolated farm in E. Yorkshire. Gary Douglas, of Railway Cottages, Great Bridgeford, was given a 12 week suspended prison sentence, ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay £2,000 costs. District Judge Frederick Rutherford told Douglas, along with Shaun Chapman from Doncaster and Hull resident Terry Murry: “I found you approached a live sett knowing at the time it to be active. Your intention was to bait or kill animals by digging out the sett with the sole purpose of causing terror to a protected species. You had intended to cause extreme cruelty to the animals in this sett. All 3 were found guilty of a charge of interfering with a badger sett under section 3 of the Protection of Badgers’ Act 1992. They were armed with 2 shovels, 3 terriers and an electronic dog collar locator. The court heard the farm had a large number of badgers and a highly active sett 100 yards from where the men were digging. In the latest hearing the men were told they were all working and could afford to pay a share of the £6,000 costs in bringing the case. The men all claimed they were looking for a fox when it bolted down a hole. They began digging down through heavy clay soil only to be reported to the police who filmed them from Humberside Police’s force helicopter. Farm manager William Osgerby told the earlier trial the hole where the men were digging was a badger sett not a fox hole. Douglas had his English bull terrier with him when arrested by the police. He said he had gone to E. Yorkshire on invitation having met Chapman at a Welsh game fair. He said he didn’t go anywhere without his dog. “I went out bushing to bolt a few foxes and rabbits,” said Douglas. “I didn’t dig.” Asked why not, he laughed: “I’m too lazy...”  Eagle and Star 2 Nov

Hunting may soon be prohibited in Israel
As part of a new Bill nearly all animals in Israel will be accorded protected species status instead of just some animals. While fewer and fewer hunting licenses have been renewed each year for the past 10 years and no new licenses are granted at all, the sport could disappear entirely if a bill by the Environmental Protection Ministry passes into law. The bill was approved by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, giving it government backing and paving the way for swift passage through the Knesset.  Only in a few instances would hunting be permissible – to prevent ecological damage or a threat to people. Additionally, spreading poison on the ground would be prohibited. The fines and jail time for illegal hunting would also increase under the new bill. There are about 2,000 hunters with permits in Israel and the types of animals that are permissible to hunt have been narrowing each year. At one point, there were 6,000 licensed hunters but the area could only sustain about 2,000 hunters. Even those 2,000 have been whittled down by the Nature and Parks Authority through non-renewal of licenses. These days, with the pace of urban development and the encroachment on open spaces, conservation agencies see little need for hunting. The new Bill would cancel the entire licensing process and in essence do away with hunting for sport altogether. The original law was passed in the 1950s and doesn’t provide sufficient protection to wild animals, the ministry said. Whereas hunting was considered a normal activity in the 20th century, in the 21st century preservation of species and habitats has taken precedence. www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=192646

 Hunting in Vienna deer park
The “Lainzer Tiergarten” (a kind of deer park) in Vienna closes its doors each November – officially to allow the game a “rest period”.  Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, they organise hunts, during which deer flee in panic with their guts hanging out or on 3 legs - to die miserably later. Families of wild boar are chased for miles and eventually shot apart. The animals are fed throughout the year and so the numbers are artificially kept high – providing an excuse each year for “having to cull” certain numbers. The city of Vienna earns €4000 per shot wild boar. So the motivation should be obvious.  Please protest to the mayor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Haeupl, and ask him to end the hunts in the “Lainzer Tiergarten”: michael.haeupl@spoe.at

Zimbabwean hunter suffocates in rabbit hole
A hunter died after squeezing his head into a rabbit hole and suffocating.  Energy Kamuruko was out tracking with dogs when he noticed a rabbit dart into a tunnel near the village of Mandipaka. The 20-year-old peered inside but his head got stuck. His body was found the following day by a neighbour. A postmortem confirmed he died of asphyxiation.

Tame bear killed
An animal rights group has posted a video of country music star Troy Gentry killing a captive, tame black bear in Minnesota. The group SHARK — Showing Animals Respect and Kindness — obtained the video from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, and posted it on YouTube. Steve Hindi, president of the Geneva, Illinois-based group, said SHARK wanted to make the video public because it thought Gentry got off too lightly. Gentry, half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, pleaded guilty in 2006 to falsely registering the bear as shot in the wild. He was fined $15,000 and put on probation for 3 months. He also forfeited the stuffed bear and the bow he used. Montgomery Gentry's management company did not immediately respond to messages.

Bird killers jailed
2 council workers who killed almost 100 wild birds for fun have been jailed.  Terrence Webb and Mark Page intentionally poisoned wildlife at Wanstead Flats, killing 90 birds including geese, moorhens, ducks and coot.  The pair were working for Newham Council as pest controllers and they used bread laced with poison to carry out the crime. Snaresbrook Crown Court today heard that during their lunch breaks on March 8 and 9 the men drove to Alexandra Lake at Wanstead Flats and baited bread with a strong pesticide.  They later boasted of what they had done, describing how crows had taken the bait and they had watched them die.  A German shepherd which was the only companion of an elderly woman was also killed by the poison. The popular beauty spot had to be cordoned off to the public for more than 3 weeks as a result of the incident. The Metropolitan Police's Wildlife Crime Unit worked with officers from Natural England's Wildlife Management Team and tests established the poison used was a pesticide commonly used to control infestations of cockroaches, fleas and bed bugs. PC David Flint, of the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit, said: "These men showed a complete disregard for public safety with the indiscriminate use of dangerous chemicals.  They derived personal amusement from the death of birds and caused the death of a pet dog.  It is small consolation following the destruction caused that these men were brought to justice." Paul Butt, senior specialist with the Wildlife Management and Licensing Team of Natural England, said: "The deliberate and reckless use of pesticides as occurred in this case is both illegal and irresponsible.  "The fact that this action was taken by trained professional pest controllers is of particular concern.  The placing of toxic material in areas to which the public and animals have access poses a significant hazard to wildlife and domestic animals, and could expose the public particularly children, to the risks of being poisoned. The successful outcome of this case was made possible by the co-operation between the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit, Natural England, Newham Council and other agencies, without whom it would not have been possible to bring the matter to the attention of the court." Webb, of Peregrine Road, Ilford and Page, of White Hart Lane, Romford, were sacked by Newham Council following the investigation into the incident.  The pair admitted 2 counts of misuse of pesticides and 2 counts of theft of pesticides. The CPS dropped charges relating to the storing of pesticide and the theft of a sprayer.  The pair were fined £7,000 each and jailed for 4 months.

Protest as marksmen called in to cul-de-sac to kill foxes.
A middle class revolt against the "inhumane" slaughter of foxes has forced a pest control company to abandon a planned shooting session. Residents of a quiet cul-de-sac had complained that the animals were fouling on the path and digging holes in the grounds.  Managers immediately called in pest controllers who arranged to take “marksmen” on to the estate in Roehampton, S.W. London, and use live ammunition to kill up to 10 foxes.  But no sooner had notice been given that the planned cull would take place than protesters rose up and demanded it be cancelled. Resident Matthew Woodcock said: “If there’s a man in a residential area with a rifle and night vision goggles, it doesn’t look good for any council."  Property management company Nightingale Chancellors admitted it was forced to abandon the booking after police warned that campaigners were planning to stage a protest.  A spokesman, who did not wish to be named, said: “We’ve been saturated by emails from people who know nothing about it.  Apparently there’s a West Sussex Wildlife Protection Group. We’ve also been contacted by the police.  Richmond-based Nightingale Chancellors have now consulted a “humane pest control” expert to discuss how to deal with the fox problem in Roehampton Close.  Daily Telegraph. 18 Oct

Japanese dolphin hunt
The Japanese village notorious for the dolphin hunt documented in the film "The Cove" has slaughtered a pod of dolphins but spared the youngest animals, activists said. Most of the dolphins caught by residents of the seaside village of Taiji were butchered, except for 2 that will be sold to aquariums and 6 young animals that were released into the ocean, said Scott West, a member of the Sea Shepherd conservation group who is in Taiji as part of a campaign to protect the marine mammals. Unlike previous years, Taiji has been setting some of the captured dolphins free, probably because of the growing pressure.  The young dolphins released appeared confused, perhaps looking for their parents, and it was unclear how well they will survive.

Same as it ever was
Hunters have been out on their brutal pursuit of fox cubs, pretending that they’re either flushing to a bird of prey or trail hunting.  However they’ve been out in the very early morning (or late afternoon), surrounding copses, whooping and slapping on their saddles – all signs of cub hunting.  And their stewards are just as harassing and obnoxious.  Well, we now all know why the police didn’t bother – they’d been told not to interfere by Hazel Blears on instructions from Tony B’Liar.  However, no sign from the Tories of the free vote in Parliament yet – too many against repealing the ban, even amongst their own ranks, Brighton Kemp Town & Hove for starters! Ask your Tory MP where s/he stands.

New Chief Exec for Countryside Alliance
Former Countryside Alliance Regional Director, Alice Barnard has been appointed the new Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance and The Countryside Alliance Foundation. Countryside Alliance Chairman, Kate Hoey MP, commented: "I am delighted that Alice has accepted the position of Chief Executive. She is a talented and outstanding person who is well placed to take the Countryside Alliance through the many exciting challenges that lie ahead." She replaces Simon Hart.  She said: ….. “The Alliance has a wide agenda but field sports will remain its backbone, and repeal of the Hunting Act is a key objective."  New head, same dirty pastime

Anti-snaring demo
About 30 protesters gathered at the gates of Arundel Castle to protest the use of snares on the Duke of Norfolk’s estate.  An eye-catching display of posters and banners + a table of leaflets and petitions ensured that those visiting the castle were informed about the slaughter of wildlife in order to protect the shooting interests of the estate. A letter was handed to one of the Duke’s staff, asking that snares be removed or we’d be back with more protests. There was then a vocal march round the historic town, which was very busy with tourists from home and abroad.  It ended back at the castle gates.

A guide to the practice of snaring has been launched in Perthshire by Scottish environment minister Roseanna Cunningham. The document has been produced by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (Basc) and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association to provide a simple outline for snarers to keep within the law.  The minister will also attend a course run by the conservation trust for people who use snares to control rabbits and foxes on hunting estates and farmland. New rules for snaring, including training and accreditation for users, are being considered in the Wildlife & Natural Environment Bill, which is currently going through the Scottish Parliament. Ms Cunningham said: “There has been considerable controversy over the continuing use of snares in Scotland and this government has taken the view that, in certain instances, their use remains necessary as a means of pest control. “This guide takes into account changes to snaring legislation which are designed to address animal welfare issues and ensure a professional approach to setting and checking snares.  We will continue to closely monitor the use of snares and the progress of the industry in ensuring that all those who use them are properly trained.” Colin Shedden, director of BASC Scotland, said the guide and accreditation course were now essential for everyone wishing to set snares. “Both promote best practice but also communicate what the current legal responsibilities are,” he said. “To date, 730 individuals have successfully completed the accreditation course.” Hugo Straker, the conservation trust’s senior advisor and snaring course tutor, said: “We cannot stress enough that fox and rabbit control in Scotland is necessary to ensure that damage to crops, livestock, trees, game and other wildlife and their habitats can be reduced to acceptable levels to maintain Scotland’s unique rural biodiversity. “Snaring is a vital tool to achieve these ends in Scotland due to diverse landscape and types of cover.”  A load of excuses to support big landowners’ shooting estates.

Walkers alerted the National Anti Snaring Campaign to a huge stinking animal dump that included deer, foxes, eggs, pheasants, and all surrounded by snares. While the use of dead animals to lure unsuspecting foxes into snares on shooting estates is not uncommon in the north of England, the use of a whole deer is a shocking site not seen before. Research with the Land Registry shows that the land is owned by David Peter John Ross of Nevill Holt Hall, Nevill Holt, Leicestershire.  He owns "The Rosedale Estate" which he bought for £7m in 2007 and where the animals and snares were found - he is also the multi millionare owner of the Carphone Warehouse. We have contacted PC Marsden a wildlife officer with N. Yorkshire police and as a result the gamekeeper has moved the deer. We have also contacted Trading Standards who are advising the estate on Animal Health matters. Simon Wild, a spokesman for the National Anti Snaring Campaign said:  "This is the vilest example of an snared animal dump we have ever seen: they are meant to attract foxes to their deaths to stop predation on gamebirds, but naturally are a magnate for badgers and dogs and a potential hazard for deer. Game-birds are often used as bait because they are worthless once shot, but the use of a whole deer is a sight we have never seen before and is doubly shocking."  "Once people invest in shooting estates, their income is perilous if they cannot increase gamebirds numbers, and so there is a process of ruthless persecution of predators.  Badgers are supposed to be protected, but we find they are often wiped out as there is no limit on the number of snares that can be set." Simon Wild  , National Anti Snaring Campaign 07990522712

Highland estates specialising in shooting have been accused of driving mountain hares towards extinction by killing tens of thousands of them illegally. Conservationists claim the animals are slaughtered by estate owners who blame the hares for spreading a tick which carries a virus fatal to grouse chicks. The Hare Preservation Trust fears over-shooting could lead to the mountain hare becoming extinct in some parts of Scotland within the next 10 years. It has urged Scottish ministers to introduce tougher legislation to protect the country’s 350,000 mountain hares, including conditions on when culls can take place. In a submission to the Scottish Government’s Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, the HPT quotes a former police officer specialising in wildlife crime, who says Highland estates are “systematically culling” hares.  In its submission, the trust said: “It is already the case that, in some areas where mountain hares were once abundant, they no longer exist.” The HPT wants hare shooting only to be carried under licence with proof of serious economic damage to crops or forestry, and suggests that culling should take place during the main breeding period between Feb and Sept. A report commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2008 said that of 24,529 hares killed on Scottish estates in 2006-07, almost 80% were shot, but more than 5,000 were snared. Around 200 licences allowing hares to be snared were issued, which the HPT said “clearly shows” European law has been broken. Doug McAdam, from the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, which represents landowners, said: “The scientific evidence would suggest that the mountain hare range appears to be stable, despite increasing management.” A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We are proposing further protection with the introduction of a close season as part of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill which is being considered by parliament.”

Ministers in Scotland are considering tougher legal controls to protect birds of prey on grouse moors as a new study claimed that last year was one of the worst for persecution of the wild predators by gamekeepers on record. Senior ministers and officials in the Scottish government are closely studying proposals to licence grouse moors and make moor owners personally liable for the actions of their gamekeepers. The proposals, being studied in a new wildlife bill, could also mean that inspectors with Scotland's leading animal welfare charity would be given greater legal powers to investigate bird of prey cases – instead of the police. The new measures were discussed by MSPs at the Scottish parliament as the RSPB claimed that 2009 was the second worst year for reported persecution cases across the UK in the last 20 years. Its annual Birdcrime report said there 384 reported incidents involving poisoning, shooting, illegal trapping and nest disturbance against legally protected birds of prey last year. It said only cases reported in 2007 were higher, at 389 cases. The charity acknowledged that not all these reported cases were proven, but said there had been 85 confirmed incidents of poisoning and 32 confirmed cases of shooting against rare birds of prey such as golden eagles, sea eagles, red kites, buzzards, hen harriers and peregrines. Leading landowners' organisations have repeatedly condemned the practice but last year there were 119 proven cases of persecution, compared to 89 in 2008 and a record 129 in 2007 across the UK. Many reported cases go unproven due to a lack of evidence. Mark Avery, the RSPB's UK conservation director, said: "Wildlife crimes are an abhorrent feature of our countryside. We have to take more action to consign these crimes to history. Over time, egg collecting has diminished, but the killing of birds of prey is as big a threat today as it was 2 decades ago." Avery urged UK ministers to introduce new powers of "vicarious liability" where landowners in England can be prosecuted for illegal persecution by their employees – similar to health and safety legislation which makes company directors liable for safety breaches in workplaces. This proposal is opposed by Scottish landowners groups who say existing laws are adequate but should be better enforced. Similar powers are now being studied by Scottish ministers in the devolved government in Edinburgh for inclusion in a new wildlife and natural environment bill now going through the Scottish parliament. Meanwhile, MSPs on the Scottish parliament's environment committee were urged by the SSPCA to give them added powers to investigate bird of prey persecution – a measure supported by the RSPB. Unlike its English counterpart, the RSPCA, the SSPCA already has authority to report alleged cases of cruelty against domestic and farm animals directly to prosecutors, independent of the police. It now wants the same legal authority to investigate cases where birds of prey are shot, poisoned or illegally trapped to be introduced in the new bill. The new measures were heavily criticised by Sheriff Kevin Drummond QC, a judge expert in wildlife crime. He told the environment committee the existing laws on wildlife crime were already very complex and unwieldy and suggested further powers would further confuse the situation. He said giving SSPCA inspectors, who were members of a charity, further powers and making employers liable for illegal acts by gamekeepers raised substantial questions about liberty, standards of evidence, and their supervision by the state. "This whole subject has to be looked at in the context of criminal law, the presumption of innocence, the concept of reasonable doubt and the rules of evidence. That sometimes gets lost sight off in the environmental point of view," he said.

Dolphin slaughter in the Faeroes
On August 5^th a pod of 80 pilot whales was cruelly slaughtered on the beach of Leynar in the Danish Faeroe Islands. Even pregnant females fell victim to the knives of the Faeroe Islanders. Every summer pilot whales are deliberately stranded before their spinal cords are severed with knives in a centuries-old bloody ritual.  Sea Shepherd activist and marine biologist Sofia Jonsson switched out with veteran Peter Hammarstedt after his cover was compromised in Klaksvik. When Jonsson heard news of the bloodshed in Leynar, she immediately headed to the town of Kivik, where the cetaceans had been transported. According to Jonsson, “When I arrived, I noticed that several pregnant females had been killed, but their babies were nowhere to be seen. The foetuses had all been moved into either big plastic containers or black garbage bags. I realised that they were hiding them from any prying eyes. I was still able to count at least 4 dead babies.” In Klaksvik, Sea Shepherd was able to document several cases where foetuses had been cut directly out of their mothers’ wombs, left to rot on the docks while still attached to the umbilical cord. The images received worldwide attention.  “There was a forklift on the docks that arranged the pilot whales in neat rows,” said Jonsson. “As the whalers were cutting up one of the female pilot whales, they realised that she was pregnant. The whalers asked the forklift driver to turn the cetacean around so that they could cut the foetus out without being seen by the public.” In addition to images that show the indiscriminate nature of the grind, Jonsson was also able to document that several whales had multiple wounds to the head, showing that their deaths were far from painless; and she was able to photograph disturbing images of children partaking in the grind. Jonsson stated, “I saw children helping their parents cut the whales up. I saw children sitting on whales; their idea of play was to make carvings in the blubber of the dead pilot whales. In the Faeroes, slaughtering cetaceans is definitely a family affair.” The grind in Leynar took place before the discovery of the Sea Shepherd vessel Golfo Azzuro by Faeroese authorities. Since then, no pilot whales have been killed in the Faeroe Islands. Sea Shepherd is using noise deterrents to keep the pilot whales away from the Ferocious Islands.  

Dolphin ‘massacre’ protested
Dozens of French protesters gathered outside the Danish Embassy in Paris to demonstrate against what they call ‘a massacre’ of pilot whales in the Faeroe Islands. The event was supported by Sea World and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which works to promote animal rights. In August, Bardot jointed with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in condemning the hunt of pilot whales – which, despite their name are dolphins – in the Faeroe Islands.  In a letter sent to Queen Margrethe at that time urging the hunt to be put to an end, Bardot described the autumn hunt as ‘a macabre spectacle for Denmark and the Faeroe Islands’. In the Faeroe Islands and Greenland whale hunting is defended as an important cultural institution.

Unjust sentence
Greenpeace has condemned as disproportionate and unjust a one year jail term, suspended for 3 years, imposed on 2 Greenpeace activists, who exposed widespread corruption in the Japanese government's Southern Ocean whaling programme. Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki were convicted of theft and trespass after carrying out a public interest investigation into embezzlement, during which they intercepted as evidence one of numerous boxes of whale meat coming from the whaling factory ship the Nisshin Maru and destined for private use, which breaches the regulations of the taxpayer-funded programme. Responding to the verdict Sato said, "While the court acknowledged that there were questionable practices in the whaling industry, it did not recognise the right to expose these, as is guaranteed under international law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on which our defence was based, supersedes domestic criminal law, but the judgement did not properly take this into account." "This sentence is totally disproportionate and completely undeserved," said Suzuki. "We set out to reveal the truth about the government's whaling programme, but instead have been punished, while those behind the misuse of public money walk free." Following the news of the verdict Greenpeace supporters hung black flags and banners outside Japanese embassies around the world, to signal that the judgement cast a dark shadow over democracy and civil rights. Following their arrest in June 2008, Sato and Suzuki were subjected to a 26-day detention, that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considered a breach of their human rights and politically motivated, followed by a 2-year prosecution. During the trial, whalers and whaling officials consistently contradicted their own and each others' evidence about the embezzlement. Commenting on the case, international law expert and defence witness in the case, Professor Dirk Voorhoof of Ghent University, Belgium, stated "The Tokyo Two's treatment was already a violation of international human rights law. While a suspended sentence is preferable to a jail term, it still constitutes a further failure to respect the rights of 2 activists who should never have been arrested and charged in the first place. It also discourages other organisations and journalists from investigating and reporting misconduct by the authorities." The case of Sato and Suzuki has generated significant international attention, from senior political figures, including Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, international human rights groups and legal experts. During a visit to Japan earlier this year, the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressed concern about the case particularly with regard to freedom of expression and association. She emphasised the importance of investigations by NGOs to society in general and how their work should be respected. "Activists are not criminals, and to treat them as such has a chilling effect in society, undermining the quality of democracy," said Greenpeace International Executive Director Dr. Kumi Naidoo, who travelled to Japan to hear the verdict. "The freedom to peacefully expose wrongdoing is not only a crucial part of any democracy, it is a right that must be defended. Greenpeace will continue to make this case a global priority until this unjust conviction is overturned."

Solomon Island dolphin success
Earth Island team successfully negotiated an end to a 450-year tradition of killing dolphins with 3 of 8 tribes in the Solomon Islands. This is a victory for the dolphins and will result in thousands of lives saved. The Solomon Islands is right behind Japan in terms of the number of dolphins brutally killed each year. It is so engrained in local customs that the teeth are used for currency. The team went there unsure of what to expect. So we listened, heard local concerns and together came to a reasonable conclusion. As a result, we have agreed to help them develop sustainable long-term solutions to dolphin hunting. And they will stop killing dolphins.

Trailer overturns at shoot
12 men and a woman have been injured - 2 seriously - when a trailer carrying them overturned at Lodge Farm, Plough Rd, Great Bentley, Essex, during a shooting event. The trailer was carrying about 17 people. Doctors said the casualties were mostly elderly men who it is believed were working as beaters, people working on a shoot tasked with flushing birds from cover in the direction of the guns.

Blair sabotaged Hunting Act (as if we didn’t realise)

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said introducing legislation to ban fox hunting was one of the measures he most regrets from his time in power. In his memoir, A Journey, Mr Blair said he deliberately sabotaged the 2004 Hunting Act to ensure there were enough loopholes to allow hunting to continue. Describing the act as a "masterly British compromise", Mr Blair said it left people able to hunt foxes "provided certain steps were taken to avoid cruelty when the fox was killed. He also told then-Home Office minister Hazel Blears to steer police away from enforcing the law. In the book, Blair said he had not realised how passionate the hunting community was about the ban, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of hunt supporters marching through London in 2002. "The passions aroused by the issue were primeval," he said.  "If I'd proposed solving the pension problem by compulsory euthanasia for every 5^th pensioner I'd have got less trouble. By the end of it, I felt like the damn fox."  Blair said he also had a bet with Prince Charles that fox hunting would continue "He thought the ban was absurd and raised the issue with me in a slightly pained way.  "The wager was that after I left office, people would still be hunting." The former Prime Minister said he initially agreed to a ban without properly understanding the issue. During a trip to Italy he spoke to the mistress of a hunt near Oxford and realised banning hunting was the wrong thing to do. "She took me calmly and persuasively through what they did, the jobs that were dependent on it, the social contribution of keeping the hunt and the social consequence of banning it and did it with an effect that completely convinced me," Blair said. This disgusting, self-seeking man was prepared to sabotage the wishes of the vast majority of the population and treat them with disdain. No wonder the arrogant hunting fraternity have continued hunting with impunity whilst lying about trail hunting.

The mysterious ‘mistress of the hunt’ who persuaded Tony Blair to water down moves to ban fox hunting was Chrissie Down who met him during a Mediterranean holiday in 1999, at a time when demonstrations by countryside campaigners against a ban were at their height. She was Master of the N. Cotswold Hunt for 5 years until 2003. When he discovered what she did “his face hit the floor. He paused, got a bit uptight and said, “I can’t get away from you people. Is that really what you do? I had no idea that there were women who did that.”  Which just shows how much he knows about hunting.

Dorset cub hunting

The Cattistock hunt were cub hunting in Dorset 10^th Aug. 6am behind the kennels thinking they were away from prying eyes & cameras. The gorse they drew was at Lankham Bottom nature reserve - a fox was put to ground and terriermen attempted to dig out. Later the hounds nearly caused chaos on the busy A37 Dorchester - Yeovil road during 'rush hour'.  This is 5 ½ years after a ban on hunting with hounds...  Fortunately the dogs didn’t cross the A37.  If this was trail hunting, what laid the trail?  No person pushed through dense gorse and brambles or went underground or laid a trail within 50ft of a busy road.  At least Dorset police saw what was going on. But will they do anything?

A hunt terrierman is being prosecuted for an offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 following an incident on 7^th April  when it is alleged a badger sett was interfered with. Investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports were monitoring the S. Devon Foxhounds when Andrew Bellamy was spotted allegedly interfering with the sett. The incident was caught on film by League investigators, and this was later passed to Devon & Cornwall Police. Bellamy – whose wife is the master of the Spooner’s & West Dartmoor Foxhounds – has been bailed to appear before South Devon Magistrates Court in Newton Abbot on 14^th Sept.

Shooting cruelty

2 new League videos highlight the cruelty inflicted upon animals for the shooting industry. The first film, titled ‘Blood Still on the Wire’ was released to coincide with the start of the grouse shooting season. The 'Glorious Twelfth' traditionally celebrates the first day of shooting but the League is using this to highlight the terrible suffering caused by snares on Scottish estates rearing game birds for shooting. The recently introduced Snaring (Scotland) Order 2010 has done very little to eradicate the threat snares pose to the welfare of animals. The second film ‘A Good Shot’, filmed on estates in England, graphically illustrates the extent of suffering inflicted on game birds and exposes the reality of commercial shooting in response to the spin and propaganda peddled by the industry. The footage gathered in both of these films completely contradicts the various claims by the industry such as; most birds are killed outright and if not are immediately retrieved by gun dogs and dispatched, and the claim that animals captured in snares do not suffer. If these videos shock you, you can contact the Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, to call for an end to the manufacture, sale and use of snares in England and Wales.

Badger digger loses appeal

A man found guilty of attempting to kill badgers on a farm has been ordered to pay £5,000 towards the cost of his failed appeal. Paul Billington, of Rossett and Gerard Monk, of Wheelton in Lancashire, were both convicted of attempting to kill a badger, digging for badgers, 3 charges of interfering with a badger’s sett and hunting a wild mammal with dogs on May 11, 2008. The trial followed an incident at a Shropshire farm. Last  year Shrewsbury Magistrates sentenced them to 4-month suspended prison sentences and banned them from keeping dogs for 5 years. They were also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £12,376.25 in costs. Sitting at Shrewsbury Crown Court the Recorder Ben Nicholls, accompanied by 2 justices, dismissed an appeal against conviction. He said they were satisfied the evidence of James Ashley, chairman of the Shropshire Badger Group, could be relied on and said they did not accept Billington’s evidence. Billington was ordered to pay £5,000 towards the £10,922 court costs. The court was told Billington had met Monk to view 2 of his terriers and they took the dogs to Ashford Grange Farm in Whitchurch to hunt rabbits so he could see them in action. Mr Billington told the court one of the dogs ran into Pond Wood and went down a hole. It was yapping and whining and did not come out so a tracker collar was put on the other dog which went down the hole. Billington said: “It definitely didn’t look like a badger sett to me so I wasn’t worried on that score, I thought it may be a fox. “I had a go at digging and Gerard had a go at digging. Gerard was kneeling down and calling and the first dog came out. There was grass growing in the entrances of the holes, if a badger was going back and forth that would be cleaned out. In 20 years I have always been in the woods and the fields and I have come into contact with badger setts. “I didn’t think we had done anything wrong, to this day I don’t think I have done anything wrong. There was nothing to indicate it was a badger sett.” The court had previously heard from Mr Ashley who said: “It was obvious to me it was a badger sett.”

Guga hunt

Every August, a small group of men from the northern Hebrides sets sail in secret on an ancient expedition – to hunt and kill thousands of young seabirds on a remote island in the Atlantic. The annual hunt for "guga", or young gannets, by the men of Ness, a group of a dozen or so small villages on the northernmost tip of the Isle of Lewis, is centuries-old, but now Scotland's foremost animal welfare charity wants ministers to ban the practice on grounds of cruelty. Each year, 10 hunters perch precariously on sheer cliffs on the uninhabited islet of Sula Sgeir, some 40 miles north of Lewis, to collect about 2,000 plump guga chicks, during an expedition that can last several weeks. The birds are taken from their nests and despatched with a sharp blow to the head, to be plucked, quartered and salted for transport back to Lewis. The pungent and strongly-flavoured meat is prized as a delicacy on Lewis, although others find the flavour repellent. Some of the birds, which are landed secretly, are also sent abroad for homesick islanders and gastronomes. Last year, a single guga fetched £16. The SSPCA claims the hunt breaches strict animal welfare laws, and it has written to Scottish ministers urging them to revoke the special temporary licence that allows the annual hunt to take place on cultural grounds. The dispute has parallels with the often violent disagreements over seal-hunting by first nation peoples in Canada and subsistence whaling by other countries. The practice is "barbaric and inhumane," said the SSPCA's chief superintendent, Mike Flynn. "The suffering starts before any attempt to kill takes place because the chicks are hauled from cliff tops using nooses attached to long poles, which in itself will terrify the birds. They are then struck on the head with a heavy implement until dead. A competent person may kill one or two birds outright with a single blow, but in our opinion most will take more than one blow to be killed." The hunt breaches the Animal Welfare and Protection (Scotland) Act 2006, which prohibits any act which causes unnecessary suffering, he said. "We accept that maybe 150 to 200 years ago the guga formed part of the staple diet of the islanders, but that is certainly no longer the case today. It may be argued that the cull is sustainable or it simply doesn't matter because the gannet is not an endangered species, but these arguments are irrelevant when suffering is being caused. The killing of any animal must be carried out in the most humane manner possible and this practice has no place in modern society." The SSPCA is an investigative agency with the legal power in Scotland to report alleged cruelty direct to prosecutors in parallel to the police. Yet the issue remains controversial in conservation circles; not all environmentalists agree with the SSPCA. Although its stance was "totally" backed by Advocates for Animals, which said "We've been campaigning on this for years." The RSPB said it was "neutral" on the issue, partly because it did not generally comment on animal welfare issues. They said the hunt was licensed and monitored by the Scottish government's rural policy department and the conservation agency Scottish Natural Heritage. "In conservation terms gannets are doing rather well, and are actually increasing nationally," a spokesman said. "If the population is seen to be affected we would expect the terms of the licence to be reviewed." A spokeswoman for the Scottish government said: "This is a tradition going back centuries. We are satisfied that there is no conservation risk to the local gannet population posed by this traditional hunt. We are also satisfied that, provided it is done effectively and competently, the method used to dispatch the birds is not inhumane." Donald S Murray, author of the Guga Hunters, said the critics misunderstood the practice. The Western Isles are impoverished, facing depopulation, and the hunters were men who survived on temporary jobs and low incomes, so partly relied on it to make a living. They were the last men carrying out a form of subsistence culling which was once common across northern Britain and Ireland, most famously on St Kilda, the Hebridean island group cleared of its residents 80 years ago. Its critics were "modern suburbanites who have still not gotten over the assumption that he knows best how to live on the periphery." He added: "In a way, you're depriving a low income society of its right to exist." For a population living in some of the harshest conditions in the British Isles, the birds were an essential source of vitamin D and other essential nutrients. Guga hunting was also an essential survival skill which gave the community a measure of independence, while gannet numbers were soaring. "My argument would be who knows what the future might bring? What might happen after the next banking crisis? It's important for the people of the periphery to maintain the skills that enable them to survive; because we have to prepare for all eventualities." Guardian 25^th Aug

Japan seek fellow animal abusers

Japan is inviting pro-whaling nations to a meeting aimed at building support for lifting a decades old ban on commercial whale hunts. After failing to get the ban lifted at this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Japan is hoping about 40 pro-whaling nations will attend. The meeting is intended to build solidarity among pro-whaling nations in support of "sustainable use" and to strengthen the lobby against the ban on commercial whaling in place since 1986. Japan has long been one of the strongest opponents of the ban and lobbied at the IWC meeting in June for the moratorium to be suspended for 10 yrs. That effort failed amid intense opposition from anti-whaling members and environmental groups who wanted whaling nations to agree to gradually phase out all catches.  Japan, Norway and Iceland take whales annually under the ban's various exemptions. Japan claims to hunt whales along its coastal waters and in the Antarctic under the research exemption to the ban. Critics say the ‘scientific’ hunts are a cover for commercial whaling because the meat gleaned from the killed whales often ends up in restaurants or stores. Opponents of Japan 's whaling policy also allege the country has used its economic clout to unjustly woo votes in the IWC from countries that have no real stake in whaling. The Independent 26 Aug

Activists ready to sabotage French bird hunters

French ornithologists are waging an increasingly sophisticated war against the hunting of the ortolan, a songbird which is regarded by gastronomes when eaten beak, bones and all as the ultimate in sinful pleasure. In S.W. France people will be systematically springing "live" traps set to capture the tiny ortolan buntings as they migrate from N. Europe to Africa. Although the capture of the ortolan has been illegal in France for more than a decade, hunting as an "age old tradition" is tolerated semi officially in the south. Up to 50,000 birds are captured each Sept and sold to chefs and gourmets as far away as New York, despite a ban on their sale. The Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux (LPO) has hired helicopters and light aircraft to survey the maize fields, thick scrub and pine forests to locate the main hunting sites. The traps consist of rings of cages, some of which contain live ortolans. The bird's distinctive call and the prospect of food brings other migrating ortolans into the cages The population of these birds is in decline all over Europe . Hunting has been outlawed in France since 1999. Although the government has promised zero tolerance this year, the captures are going on in many areas. Afterwards, the birds are fattened in darkness for one month and then killed by drowning in armagnac." Ortolans are, by Gascon tradition, served whole and aflame. Only the feet are removed, although some chefs are now said to take off most of the feathers. By tradition an ortolan must be eaten with a large white napkin draped over the diner's head. Some experts say this is intended to heighten the intensity of the experience. The Independent 31 Aug

Squirrel hunter kills himself

A man hunting squirrels on his employer's ranch in the USA was killed Monday morning when he fired a shotgun shell that hit a large oak limb, causing it to fall onto his head .Co workers discovered his body lying unconscious. According to a Sheriff's Office press release, the victim suffered major head trauma. Emergency crews were initially told the accident involved a motorcycle hitting a tree. The California Highway Patrol responded to the accident initially, then turned the investigation over to the Coroner's Office. It wasn't immediately disclosed if the incident would be investigated as an industrial accident. Perhaps the squirrels would consider nominating the deceased for a Darwin Award? Chico ER 20 July

Hunt supporters have offered their opponents a major concession in an attempt to win parliamentary support for an overturn of the ban on hunting. Hunts have backed plans for the sport to be put under tight regulation to stamp out any unnecessary cruelty if hunting was made legal.  The proposal, led by Lord Donoughue, the senior Labour peer, has also won the backing of Tory and Labour MPs and peers.  The move comes after months of uncertainty over the issue and with growing doubt about whether David Cameron can deliver his promised repeal of the Hunting Act. In a significant change of strategy, the hunting community has agreed that Lord Donoughue should chair a proposed Hunting Regulatory Authority which would oversee the sport if it was legalised.  The HRA will apply a strict code of practice to ensure that hunting is carried out without causing unnecessary suffering; that hunts respect animals, property, land and crops; that it is only carried out on land with the permission of the owner and that no one involved brings the sport into disrepute. Breeches of the rules could result in prosecution in the courts with those found guilty fined or permanently disbarred from hunting.

Keep the Hunting Act

Nick Clegg has proposed a new website which is dedicated for people to comment on laws they want removing, He has particularly mentioned laws which 'affect civil liberties'.  This proposal may be a covert way to allow the Countryside Alliance to attempt to remove the Hunting Act from the statute books.  Many Tory MP's are members of the Countryside Alliance or affiliated to it in some way, many are pro hunt and have had donations made to their 'fighting funds' by hunt masters and the like.   Therefore, the CA and their cronies will be using this new website and be voting like mad against the Hunting Act.  Ask Nick Clegg, via your MP, how then can people who are against the removal of such laws be heard?  Past and present polls shows that 76% of the public are against bloodspots and want the Hunting Act to be strengthened not repealed. If he allows people to make their views known against certain laws, how can those who oppose this also be heard?  It seems this is very unfair unless he listens to both sides of any dispute as to which laws are good or bad!  Please let us get as many letters/e mails to him, which can only be done via your own MP, to ensure this is not a way for the CA to get their way about repealing the Hunting Act.

Government bows to shooting groups

The government has acceded to the wishes of shooting groups and scrapped plans that would have freed millions of pheasants from small cages. Jim Paice, the new farming minister, withdrew a new code of practice for the welfare of Britain's 40m game birds after pressure from country sports organisations including the Game Farmers' Association and the Countryside Alliance. His predecessor Jim Fitzpatrick placed the code before Parliament in May, in one of the last acts of the Labour government. It set out minimum space requirements for breeding birds. Mr Paice, who killed it off days before it would have come into force, is expected to introduce a revised code within 2 months, without rules that would force farmers to use larger ground pens instead of raised wire cages. Pro-hunting groups welcomed the move, saying they were confident the revised code would "address welfare concerns without imposing unjustified restrictions on game farmers". The RSPCA complained that the move meant birds would remain in cramped, unnatural conditions and is urging its members to protest to MPs. Mr Paice's decision is the latest twist in a long-running controversy over the intensive rearing of pheasants and partridges for shooting. Although many people assume the semi-wild animals are reared on farmland, they only spend their last few weeks roaming around on moors after being bred and kept on specialist farms. 2 years ago the Farm Animal Welfare Council, the Government's veterinary advisers, expressed concern about breeding birds in barren wire mesh cages suspended from the ground. It also criticised the placing in their mouths of plastic "bits" to stop cannibalistic behaviour in the confined space and especially the use of mask-like contraptions called "bumpa-bits". "Birds were kept in a barren environment on wire floors, with minimal opportunity for seclusion," the report said. "Design appeared to be influenced more by cost and manufacturing requirements than welfare." In March the Labour government published a Code of Practice for the Welfare of Game Birds that dropped a requirement to ban the cages, but specified a pheasant must have a square metre of space and a grey partridge half a square metre, together with guidance on space for perches and exercise. It also banned "bumpa-bits". The RSPCA said, in effect, the code would have banned small cages and exposed any farmer using them to potential prosecution under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Farmers would have had to keep pheasants and partridges in larger pens built over natural ground. When the Government was elected, 5 shooting organisations wrote to Defra. The Game Farmer's Association warned the new code would have affected 43% of partridge and 6% of pheasant production, leaving game rearers facing "chaos and bills running to millions of pounds" and forcing production to unregulated overseas operators. At the end of May, Defra removed the code from its website. At a confidential meeting of its Gamebird Working Group on 7 June, Mr Paice said the code was being withdrawn, indicating the ban on bumpa-bits would be kept and the space requirements dropped. Alice Clark, senior scientific officer at the RSPCA, said: "We are extremely concerned it was withdrawn, because ... the version laid before Parliament offered a number of improvements for game birds, specifically on cages."

A number of Hunting Act prosecutions are getting under way across England and Wales. As some cases are still in the police stages we could compromise the police investigation by revealing more here, but information will be published in due course. Richard Down, Huntsman with the Quantock Staghounds, is facing trial for a Hunting Act offence, as is Alistair Richardson, a terrierman linked to the Ullswater Foxhounds in Cumbria who will go on trial on 21^st  & 22^nd July in Penrith. North West Hunt Saboteurs Association  LATEST RESULT: FOUND GUILTY

2 supporters of the Coniston Foxhounds in Cumbria have been cautioned following an altercation in which a hunt monitor was pushed off a wall. The incident, which took place in March this year, was captured on video camera used by the hunt monitors, who were working for the League Against Cruel Sports, which has now published film of the assault on their website. They had been monitoring the Coniston Foxhounds but, on losing sight of the hunt, they were returning to their vehicle when the incident took place. Ed Shephard, the League’s Investigation Officer who was on the scene on the day of the incident, said it had been a “terrifying” experience and it had been one of the worst experiences of his many years hunt monitoring. “I’m very disappointed that these bullies are getting away with a caution. The police dealt with the case admirably, but the CPS decision to leave it at a caution makes no sense.” In the film, also published on YouTube, an elderly hunt supporter is seen pointing at a hunt monitor and saying, “that bugger needs doing”. The monitor is then pushed off a wall down a steep embankment. The League Against Cruel Sports’ chief executive, Douglas Batchelor, said that this was only the latest example of the verbal and physical abuse meted out to his staff and volunteers by hunt supporters. “If these thugs were carrying on like this down some high street, there would be hell to pay. There seems to be one law for the hunters and one for everyone else,” he said.

3 officials of the Sinnington Hunt in N. Yorkshire have been summoned to court to answer claims they hunted illegally. The CPS has begun proceedings against huntsman Anthony Graham Winter, whipper-in Caroline Scott and Wilfred Gamble. The alleged offence took place on 16^th Dec 2009 and evidence was collected by covert monitors working for the League Against Cruel Sports. Winter, Scott and Gamble have all been summoned to appear at Scarborough Magistrates' Court on 23^rd July. This is the same week that Alistair Robinson, a terrierman connected to the Ullswater Foxhounds in Cumbria will stand trial at Penrith Magistrates' Court accused of offences under the Hunting Act. A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports said he was "encouraged" by the news of the prosecution. "Our legal and operations teams work incredibly hard to gather evidence to police standards, using a variety of covert surveillance techniques. It's good to see N. Yorkshire Police and the CPS taking the matter seriously, and as we head closer to the next hunting season we look forward to seeing this approach mirrored around the country," he said.

Fox attack/scare stories

Twins attacked in cots in London. First reports on London media said “the dog didn’t stir as the fox went past the room where the family were watching TV and went up the stairs”. Now all reports say the family don’t have a dog.

Pupils at 2 primary schools have been kept indoors at lunch-time after a fox was spotted in the playground. The animal was spotted outside Cefn Onn Primary School, which shares a site with Ysgol Y Wern Primary School in Llanishen, Cardiff.

A playgroup at Dorothy Stringer School in Brighton had fox under prefab in the playground. When a child reached underneath for a ball he got bitten. To their credit, the parents have kept it all in perspective, called in John Bryant for advice of deterring foxes and the playgroup is up and running again.  Even the local paper didn’t condemn foxes.

A woman reported in Daily Mail had her foot bitten twice by a fox, who jumped on her bed.  Comments after the story said it all!!!!  Nobody seems to be going along with all the paranoia and hunters are being bashed on every comments page. The Countryside Alliance is keeping a VERY low profile.

A family's pet Chihuahua is savaged to death in the latest attack by an urban fox. Princess, a 2-year-old Chihuahua did not stand a chance when she was snapped up by the jaws of a large fox which crept onto Toby Khanna's property in broad daylight. Watched by his devastated young children, the 38-year-old immediately chased after the intruder as it leapt over a 4ft high fence, and although he managed to wrest Princess from its grip, she was already dead.

Pest Control companies are happy as the spreading paranoia is causing more people to contact them.

Sick thugs are catching foxes in nets and then using them in vicious illegal fights with pit bull terriers. The animals have become targets since twins were attacked in their cot by a fox. Wildlife volunteer Toby Horrod said: "These yobs used to train dogs by fighting them against stray cats. Then they started catching the foxes for the same reason." He added: "They take their dogs and nets into the park to round up and catch the foxes. It's sick. "Some guy even came up and asked if there were badgers in the park. That's next, I guess - badger baiting." The horrific fights have been on a housing estate near Russia Dock Woodlands in Rotherhithe, S. London. One wounded creature was found tied to a bench - a chain through its paw. Fox expert Trevor Williams said the animals would be ripped to pieces by any pit bull. He added: "Despite the uproar after the Hackney twins attack, foxes don't have any weaponry when it comes to animals. "They're like whippets in their build - cats are forever seeing them off." Posters around the estate warn: "Certain persons are indulging in fox-hunting and baiting in this area. This can result in heavy penalties, including fines, removing of dogs from owners and other punishments." Receptionist Carol Cox, who lives on the estate, said: "They lay fox traps in the woods which sometimes trap cats. It's been awful. We had to keep pets inside because they were going missing." Local conservation chairman Steve Cornish said: "One woman saw a man in the park with a large dog, a club and a net one night. She shouted 'The police are coming'. He ran off but it shows it is happening." The 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act in England and Wales was the first legislation in the world that made it an offence to indulge in dog fighting.  Last year the League Against Cruel Sports started a campaign to tackle dog fighting. The new campaign, called Fighting Dogs, will tackle not just dogs fighting other dogs, but all the instances where dogs are made to fight other animals.  This includes dog fighting, badger baiting, terrier work, and the use of dogs to fight foxes in urban areas.

ASA ruling on Lush campaign

Lush boss Mark Constantine has defended his company’s anti-hunting campaign after it was banned by the advertising watchdog. following 129 complaints.  A leaflet by the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) and distributed in Lush stores read: “Hunting ban, what hunting ban?”, while a postcard by Lush stated : “The hunts are still at it! The foxes still need your help”, with a note inviting customers to forward it to their local police chief constable.  Complainants to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) raised a range of issues with the campaign, including complaints that it unfairly denigrated hunts and hunters (complaint not upheld) and misleadingly implied that hunts were intentionally and regularly breaking the law (complaint upheld). But Mr Constantine, who founded the Poole-based ethical beauty products company, said: “Of the 9 things that were complained about the ASA agreed with us on 7, including the fact that 75% of the general public do not wish to see hunting return. “One of the things they felt we were too critical of was in relation to the policing of hunts.  “We said police spend around £400,000 policing the hunt, and around £9m on policing the animal rights people who film the hunts. “I think this is a question of the resources being reapplied.”  Complaints also argued the campaign misleadingly implied that the Hunting Act was not being properly enforced and that any form of hunting with dogs was illegal, and a claim that “hunting hounds usually lead short lives and are often killed and fed back to the pack” could not be substantiated. Lush says it regularly undertakes animal welfare campaigns and aims to raise awareness of the 2004 Hunting Act and highlight alleged breaches of the act and its perceived limitations.  It added that the campaign did not use any graphic or shocking images, bad language or demeaning or abusive names, and believed that customers were unlikely to find the advertising offensive.  The ASA ruled that the ads must not appear again in their current form.

Hare coursing banned in N. Ireland

The Assembly has voted to ban hare coursing in N. Ireland. A motion to outlaw the use of greyhounds to chase and kill hares was passed by 23 to 18 and has been incorporated into the Wildlife and Natural Environment (NI) Bill.  It is expected to come into force after the summer. It follows a series of temporary bans by successive Environment Ministers on taking hares. Assembly Members will also be considering a Private Members Bill introduced by the Green Party aimed at banning fox hunting. N. Ireland is the only part of the UK where hunting foxes with dogs remains legal. Amendments were tabled and debated as the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill had its first reading. The Bill introduces jail sentences for persistent wildlife criminals as well as larger fines. Added investigation and enforcement powers have been given to the police to tackle wildlife crime. Public bodies will now have a new duty to ‘conserve biodiversity’ so that all work done by public bodies will need to take the effects on wildlife into account. New offences have been introduced for reckless damage or disturbance to protected birds, animals and their habitats, including those in Areas of Special Scientific Interest. It’s already illegal to cut hedges during the breeding season but this new rule will mean there is no need to prove that damage was intentional, just reckless. The Bill also gives new protection to the nests of certain birds whose nests are used year after year, including birds of prey such as red kite, barn owl and peregrine as well as the golden eagle, osprey and white-tailed eagle. The RSPB welcomed the new measures, but said it was disappointed that more bird species can now be kept in captivity to be shown at competitions. It promised to work with the Dept of the Environment to make sure this does not lead to illegal trapping of birds to supply the trade. “All in all it has been a good result for nature,” RSPB conservation manager Anne-Marie McDevitt said. “We campaigned hard to ensure these changes took place, including petitioning for stronger protection for birds of prey.” The Bill is expected to go through its 2^nd reading in the autumn.

The vote on legislation to ban the Ward Union carted stag hunt has just been voted through by the majority – we can now safely say the Ward Union hunt’s days are up. On  July 2^nd the vital legislation was sent to the president for approval and then sworn into law. This new legislation marks an historic day for our battle against cruelty to animals in Ireland.

Less than 24 hours prior to the Ward Union hunt ban legislation debate, over 100 supporters of ARAN descended on Dail Eireann to bring attention to animal abuse in Ireland and to urge the passage of the impending Ward Union hunt ban and the Dog Breeding Establishment Bill.  During the lively demonstration, members and supporters kept arriving from 5.45pm right through to 8.30pm. Many held signs and placards whilst waving to urge support from passing traffic. The demonstration also gained considerable press coverage from various radio stations, including a 25 minute interview with ARAN and RISE’s Liam Cahill. RTE’s Morning Ireland also covered our campaign event as did various other stations. Newspapers including The Irish Sun, The Irish Times and Sunday Business Post covered the campaign, along with a TV3 news television crew who covered the demonstration. On another radio interview, ARAN blasted Labour’s Joanna Tuff for doing a u-turn on their decision to back the Ward Union hunt. During our event, we were joined by independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan and a team of staff from our friends at 2 of Dublin’s LUSH stores armed with petitions and letters signed by their many hundreds of customers.  The entire event was hugely peaceful, extremely well supported, upbeat and very welcoming to the many of our supporters who were attending for their first time. We were able to descend on Dail Eireann to remind legislators that people that have the power to end all blood sports and all forms of animal abuse, and hear the animals’ plea.

Germany Delivers an Ultimatum to Iceland on Whaling

It has been a very bad news week for the whalers. First, the Japanese were caught red-handed by the Sunday Times of the U.K. in a bribery scandal and vote-buying scheme with the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Then a former whaler spilt the beans on his colleagues by blowing the whistle on illegal activity onboard the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru. Palau announced it would no longer vote for Japan, and Germany has openly declared that if Iceland wants in the European Community, it will have to abolish the killing of the whales. The German congress had passed a decree on April 22^nd, 2010 to declare full support for formal negotiations with Iceland with the aim of bringing Iceland in as a full member of the EU. But the decree carried the stipulation that Iceland must make amends with regards to whale preservation in accordance with international and EU law. Iceland must join the EU to maintain its economy at the standard it has until recently enjoyed. The price for joining will be to end their barbaric whaling practices. So it appears that the Axis of Whalers will soon be down from 3 to 2, leaving only Norway and Japan as the last 2 stubborn hold-outs in a world that views whaling as unnecessary, barbaric, cruel, and ecologically destructive.

Victory for anti-whaling campaigners

The controversial attempt to scrap the 24 yr old international moratorium on commercial whaling has collapsed, to the delight of anti-whaling campaigners and the frustration of Japan, Norway and Iceland, the 3 countries which continue to hunt whales in defiance of world opinion. Delegates from the 88 member states of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), meeting in Agadir, Morocco, were unable to reach agreement, after 2 days of talks behind closed doors, on the 3 yr old proposal to abandon the official whaling ban in exchange for smaller, agreed kills by the whaling states. Britain was part of an EU group that strongly opposed the plan. The issue is now off the agenda for at least a year, until the next meeting of the IWC, but the result was greeted as a triumph by some environment groups who feared that the deal would put the future of the great whales in jeopardy once again. "We have won the battle to keep the ban in place, but we must continue to fight to win the war on all whaling," said the chief executive of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Chris Butler-Stroud. "Yes, the moratorium still stands but we must not forget that Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to whale outside of the sanction of the IWC, and that is a situation that has to change. Their whaling activities must come to an end once and for all." The leader of the British delegation at the talks, the Minister for the Marine Environment, Richard Benyon, said. "We in the UK have been consistently clear that any new agreement must reduce the numbers of whales that are killed each year with the aim of a complete phase-out of all commercial whaling. We could not support an agreement that did not have conservation at its heart." However, the Japanese whaling commissioner Yasue Funayama, said her country had offered major concessions to reach a compromise and blamed anti whaling countries that refused to accept the killing of a single animal. "We must rise above politics and engage in a broader perspective," she said. The deal which failed was originally proposed by the US which was seeking agreement with Japan to secure whaling permissions for its Inuit native peoples in Alaska, without the Japanese making tit-for-at trouble because of US support for the moratorium  something which had happened in 2002. It would have allowed commercial whaling to be legitimised once again for a period of 10 yrs, with official IWC "quotas" set for the number of whales which each country would catch.  The sweetener of the deal was that these numbers would supposedly be lower than the number of whales actually being killed by Japan, Norway and Iceland outside the IWC, a figure currently running at about 1,500 a year, so in the end whales as a whole would benefit. But no quotas had actually been agreed, and many of the anti whaling countries thought such a deal would be virtually impossible to police, besides opening up commercial whaling to potential new participants, such as S. Korea. The Independent 24 June

Capt Bethune’s trial

The trial resumed on June 10^th, and Captain Bethune’s attorneys and the prosecutor read their closing statements. Capt Bethune also read a statement in Japanese – intended for the court, the world, and, in particular, the Japanese people. He wanted to do that as a sign of respect for the Japanese people. It is important to him that Japan understand that neither he nor Sea Shepherd has ever had any problem with Japan or its people. The actions of Capt Bethune and of Sea Shepherd are designed to end whaling wherever it may be happening. The issue is whaling, not Japan. After the June 10^th hearing, the 3 judges in charge of trying Capt Bethune retired to issue their verdict and sentence, if any. He has been in a Japanese jail since March 12^th and he was held in custody on the Shonan Maru 2 prior to that, totaling well over 100 days in captivity to date.  The Japanese Coast Guard continues to refuse to investigate the Shonan Maru 2’s intentional sinking of the Ady Gil (the ship that Capt Bethune was at the helm of) or even to cooperate with the ongoing investigations of the New Zealand and Australian maritime authorities.

Latest: New Zealand anti-whaling activist Pete Bethune has been sentenced to jail for 2 years by a Japanese court, but it has been suspended, Tokyo media report. Bethune pleaded guilty last month to charges relating to the illegal boarding of a Japanese whaling ship, but not guilty to assault, after being held in custody since February, when he boarded the Japanese whaling fleet's security ship the Shonan Maru II during its annual trip south. Bethune was captain of the US-based environmentalist group's futuristic powerboat, the Ady Gil - his former record-setting trimaran Earthrace - which sank after an earlier collision with the Shonan Maru II. He tried to serve a citizen's arrest warrant to the captain of the Shonan Maru II over the sinking of his vessel and the attempted murder of him and his crew, but was captured.

Interpol has placed the head of US-based anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd on an international wanted list at Japan's request, authorities in Tokyo said. The Japan Coastguard was informed by Interpol about the listing of Canadian Paul Watson for allegedly conspiring to harass whaling ships in Antarctic clashes in February, a coastguard spokeswoman said. The coastguard filed the request with the French-based police service in April as part of Japan's long-running battle with militant environmentalists from Watson's Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Kyodo News said Japan had asked Interpol to issue a so-called blue notice, asking national police forces to provide information on Watson's whereabouts and activities, but not a red notice requesting his arrest.

Japanese cinemas cancel screenings of The Cove

2 more cinemas in Japan have cancelled screenings of "The Cove," an Oscar winning documentary that shows footage of a dolphin hunt in a Japanese village. In recent months, protesters with loudspeakers have been shouting slogans at the Tokyo office of Unplugged, the distributor of "The Cove," criticising the film as a betrayal of Japanese pride. Unplugged claim the cancellations at Cinemart in Tokyo and Osaka were triggered by worries about safety of filmgoers and businesses nearby. The Tokyo cinema where the film was to open changed its mind after getting angry phone calls and warnings of protests. Most Japanese have never eaten dolphin meat. But some believe killing dolphins and whales is part of traditional culinary culture and resent the interference of outsiders focused on species protection. "The Cove" was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival in Oct and at smaller events in Japan but has not opened to the Japanese public. The Japanese version blurs the faces of some people on screen to lessen the possibility of trouble. Unplugged said talks were under way with other cinemas to show the film, although details weren't released.

Hunting and the election

This is the reality of the coming election in the UK. The bloodsports fanatics have assembled an army of thousands whose sole mission is to see elected to power politicians who will allow them to restore in full their barbaric pastimes of hunting foxes, red deer, hares and aquatic mammals with packs of dogs. Important issues such as health, education, employment and foreign policy are irrelevant to them. All they want is to see killing for fun restored to the UK countryside. The 2004 Hunting Act proved that humane hunting can thrive without animals being hunted and killed but hard core hunters are determined to return to their old pastimes of encouraging dogs to rip animals apart. Please don't make the mistake of regarding this as a UK problem that will not affect the rest of the world. The next UK government will be a major player on the world stage, particularly in environmental terms, and yet the UK risks being saddled with a government addicted to killing animals for entertainment. Do you think such a government would give much concern to issues of compassion or even common sense? Remember foxhunters built homes for foxes to breed in, put out food for foxes and then damned them as "pests". This is illogical and yet this doctrine will be at the heart of a government led by David Cameron. UK hunters are confident that by a mixture of intimidation, threats and violence and media compliance they can force to power the politicians they want. Even though it looks bad now for the compassionate side it is not a done deal. If we can but harness the power of the animal welfare movement we can yet match and beat our opponents. I appreciate that many have no time for politicians but think of the quote that we all use so often: "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". If we do nothing UK hunters will gain a government with contempt for wildlife and that will be a disaster for the natural world. Remember the 1970s in England? The otter was being hunted to the brink of extinction yet hunters were pleading for help to kill otters just to show there were still otters about. And hunt-loving MPs were promising to block any legislation aimed at giving protection to the otter. Mercifully the hunters failed that time. The otter was protected and has returned to UK waters. But the ignorant, cruel and bigoted hunt loving politicians have also returned in number. Unless we act resolutely now they will be in power in 6 months time and what then for our wildlife?  Please consider one, more or all of the following as your New Years resolutions:- Please support compassionate and caring politicians and oppose those the hunters support. Please make your views known through letters and e-mails to politicians, the media and to your friends and colleagues. Please support the League Against Cruel Sports "Keep Cruelty History" campaign. Visit: www.keepcrueltyhistory.com Please support the Hunt Saboteurs Association. Visit: www.huntsabs.org.uk Finally, please vote. It doesn't take much effort. Don't make the mistake of not bothering. Every single vote can make a real difference. You have to be in it for our wildlife to win it! The hunters will certainly be bothered. They will do just about anything, endure any hardship to see their sordid and brutal pastimes restored. We need to match them. If you need extra motivation think of the heavily pregnant red deer hind forced to flee for hours before the pack of dogs for what? Just to entertain a callous minority who could gain their fun by having their hounds chase a scented rag but simply choose not to. In fact UK hunters seem to have some weird obsession with tormenting and killing pregnant animals. The foxhunting season was scheduled so that heavily pregnant vixens were hunted and killed, and there have been sickening sights of hunt terriermen gleefully cutting out and counting the foetuses from their victims. And what about hare coursing? Female hares were coursed and killed both when they were nursing leverets and when they had virtually full-term foetuses in their bodies. And they called it sport?? Please, do whatever you lawfully can to keep this brutal hunting mob out of power in the UK. If you have heard little of the Animal Cruelty Investigation Group before and are wondering what we are about please take a look at our web site. We have been in existence since 1989 and I personally have been working for animal welfare since 1971. My book, Outfoxed, that reveals the cruelty inherent in bloodsports can be found on Google book search. Happy New Year and lets together make 2010 a year of success for animals, the environment and the real issues of our time. Kindest regards, Mike Huskisson

David Cameron's closest friends and relatives spearheaded a campaign to overturn the ban on fox-hunting. William Astor, stepfather of the Tory leader's wife Samantha, and his close friend and fellow MP Ed Vaizey called for hunting to be legalised immediately if the Tories win the next General Election. Viscount Astor, chairman of the Old Berkshire Hunt, and Wantage MP Mr Vaizey demanded the repeal of the ban at the Boxing Day hunt at Faringdon, near Mr Cameron's country home in Oxfordshire. Their calls to axe the ban on hunting with hounds are supported by Conservative Party headquarters. Mr Cameron says he believes the ban "doesn't work" and "doesn't make sense". Mirror 27^th Dec

David Cameron had to leave by the back door on a visit to Stroud on 4^th Jan. Cameron, whose car sped away at speed, was greeted by anti-bloodsports campaigners and a wonderful big fox photo. The local ITV regional news featured the demonstration and people were shown with 'no return to bloodsports' posters. These were clearly visible in the news report. Protesters went along at short notice. Cameron is going to face these kinds of demonstrations all the way up until polling day and the Tory brand will be synonymous with bloodsports in the minds of a great many people!

On Boxing Day Labour launched a hard-hitting campaign against David Cameron's proposal to repeal the ban on hunting with dogs. Ministers will point to Mr Cameron's record of supporting fox-hunting and condemn his proposal to give MPs the chance to overturn the Hunting Act if he becomes Prime Minister. Writing in The Independent, the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn says: "Quite why this is something that would be a priority for a Tory government, instead of the economy or tackling other concerns, is hard to explain to the public and the Conservatives have failed to do so." Mr Benn explained: "David Cameron used to hunt foxes. He talked about fox-hunting in his first speech to Parliament, and he has said that if he becomes Prime Minister he will get rid of the fox-hunting ban.  But like the vast majority of people, I think the barbaric act of letting dogs tear foxes to pieces should not return to our countryside. If you think the Tories have changed, their views on fox-hunting with dogs make it absolutely clear that their priorities haven't." One senior Labour source said: "We are not saying hunting will be the centrepiece of our election campaign. But it is an issue that concerns many people and it says something about the Conservatives. They say 'we are all in it together' but their policies, whether on inheritance tax or hunting, show that under a Cameron government there would be one rule for their friends and another for the rest of us." When Labour's focus groups remind voters of the Tories' stance on hunting, many people are said to reply: "I guess they haven't changed." People are surprised that Mr Cameron wants to overturn the ban, and Labour believes the policy undermines his claim to have modernised the Conservative Party. The "back the ban" campaign was endorsed by the television presenter Tony Robinson and actors Patrick Stewart and Jenny Seagrove. Its survey of parliamentary candidates found that 84% of Tories who responded did not support prohibition of hunting with dogs, but 98% of Labour candidates did. The emotive campaign will challenge Tory parliamentary candidates to make public their positions on hunting. Labour activists and hunting opponents will be told: "Find out what your MP and candidates think about allowing foxes to be ripped apart by the teeth of hounds." Amid signs that the Tories are playing down the issue, their candidates are said to have been advised not to state their view on hunting but to promise to consult their constituents before deciding how to vote. The Tory manifesto will promise a free vote on a government rather than a private member's Bill, a move which guarantees parliamentary time and would make it harder for opponents to block. If the Tories win an overall majority, the Commons is expected to overturn the ban.

6 foxhounds from the Beaufort Hunt were killed after being hit by a train on New Year’s Day. The accident happened near Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, at about 3.15pm. Captain Ian Farquhar, joint master of the hunt, said:… "It was a good scent day and we presume, because we don't know exactly what happened, that the hounds got a scent of a fox when they were running the trail and ran off towards the unfenced rail line where they were hit by a train. (what were they doing laying a trail near the line?) I have been doing this for 37years and it is the first time I have seen an accident like this. (It’s happened on other hunts)  He said the hunt would investigate what had happened and wanted to contact the train driver, as he understood it must have been distressing.. The train was the 3.02pm First Great Western service from Bristol Parkway to London Paddington. Passenger Josh Farrington, from Cowbridge, near Cardiff, said he heard a grinding sound coming from beneath the train about 15minutes after leaving Bristol.  "The train slowed down very quickly. We were in the middle of nowhere. A call came over the tannoy for the train manager and then there was an announcement that the train had been involved in an incident involving about 20 dogs. "They checked that the driver was OK to carry on and then the train moved off again after about 20 minutes." A spokeswoman for Network Rail said the line had been closed for about 30 minutes.  Western Daily Press 1^st Jan

Hunt havoc reports

Hounds tore through Rebekah Gardens in Droitwich, Worcester over the weekend. Resident Campbell Deaswas outside taking down the Christmas lights when he saw a fox running down the street. 'About 30 seconds later a whole pack of baying hounds came charging after it. I didn't see where the fox went but the hounds were running through people's front and back gardens looking for it. 'Some of the dogs managed to get over a 6ft fence at the end of the road before a man came along and attempted to round them up. 'He was shouting and yelling trying to get them all together which just added to the chaos of the whole situation. 'He didn't offer any apologies to the residents. He was just bothered about getting the hounds under control. 'The other residents in the street were in shock. There are a lot of youngsters living around here. 'Had it not been so cold there would have been lots of kids out in the street playing with their new toys. 'Why were they chasing the fox in the first place? It is supposed to be illegal.' Another neighbour said: 'A young mum was walking with her little boy in a pushchair when the dogs came haring round the corner straight for her. 'Luckily she managed to push the chair out of their way. It was terrifying to watch.' The hounds were part of the Worcestershire Hunt who were out on a training run. David Palmer, joint master of the Worcestershire Hunt, said: 'The ground was too icy for the horses so we laid a trail and went out on foot. 'A real fox then came running past and the hounds went after it. We managed to stop them as soon as we could and the fox got away. It was just a bit of exercise that went slightly wrong.'  Louise Robertson, spokeswoman for the League Against Cruel Sports, said: 'We have reports all the time about hunts getting out of control in this way.  Mail 6^th Jan

A couple have accused the North Cotswold Hunt of letting their hounds “run riot” in their garden. Alex and Pam Peters were at their Little Buckland home when they discovered about 10 hounds had come through a fence into their back garden. Mrs Peters said she ran to retrieve their pet dalmatian Suki while the dogs trampled a vegetable patch, knocked over plant pots, disturbed a wildlife area and ran through a plot where she had laid the ashes of her parents. The 65-year-old said she feared what might have happened had her 2-year-old grandson and 10-year-old granddaughter been playing in the garden at the time. “The hounds were going absolutely berserk,” she said.  “It’s an awful sight to see. “There’s just no consideration for other people.”  Mrs Peters said Suki would have to be kept out of the garden until the fence was repaired and that the couple had written to the hunt and reported the incident to police. A spokesman from West Mercia Police confirmed they were aware of the incident. Major Nigel Peel, joint Master of North Cotswold Hunt, told the Journal: “I was not aware that there had been an incident or a complaint. “When I know the nature of it we will, of course, visit the people and put everything right. Meanwhile, I unreservedly apologise.”

Thousands of lions face slaughter in S. Africa under new rules, backed by animal rights groups, that would lead to the abolition of a lucrative hunting practice, according to game parks. An attempt to regulate the hunting of lions bred in captivity and released as prey would force parks to cull animals, it is claimed. Lions are reared for clients who pay as much as £20,000 to hunt them.  The S. African authorities have come under pressure to outlaw so-called “canned hunting” and have put forward a measure stipulating that lions must roam freely for 2 years before they can be targeted. Breeders have fought the new regulations, claiming that they would be driven out of business. A court action brought by breeders failed and they were denied leave to appeal. They have now asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether the measure violates constitutional protections of private property. Carel van Heerden, the chairman of the S. African Predator Breeders’ Association, said that if judges decided not to hear the case, “it will be the end of the road for us”.  “It will be a devastating effect on our members, it will be a sad day for S. Africa. It will take away the economic value of every lion,” he added. The association’s members own around 4,300 lions, each of which costs about £800 a month to feed. “They will have to kill them,” said Mr van Heerden. “It’s going to be a slaughter.  “If you have to make a decision whether you are going to have to feed those lions and you are not going to get any income from that you are going to have no alternative but to kill them, which is very sad. We don’t breed lions to kill them, we breed them to hunt them.” Lionesses fetched trophy fees of around £3,000, he said, with males worth as much as £20,000. More than 1,000 government permits are issued annually for the hunting of lions and the export of trophies, mostly to America.  Critics claim that the captive lions are inbred and vulnerable to illness. Fiona Miles, a spokesman for Lionsrock, the biggest lion sanctuary in the country, said: “Canned hunting means hunting in a small space where an animal has no chance of escape. People are doing it and satisfying their ego to say they killed a lion.  "They don’t particularly care how they shot that animal. The animals are looked at as a completely commercial tool, but these are living beings.” Chris Mercer, the director of the Campaign Against Canned Hunting, dismissed the breeders concerns as “just waffle, kicking up dust”.

The Pakistani government is awarding hunting permits 
to sheiks and dignitaries of the Persian Gulf States and Saudi Arabia to kill the endangered houbara bustard. These gentle creatures are facing extinction and are protected under Pakistani and international law. The Pakistani government is allowing foreign VIPs and kings to carry out an illegal act for which a Pakistani citizen could go to prison. At one time these birds migrated through the Gulf nations, but years of shooting sprees eventually extirpated them from that flight path. Now their killers are venturing into neighbouring countries like Pakistan to destroy the remnant houbaras. These kings and sheiks who claim to be protectors of Islamic values by enforcing Sharia laws are hunting contrary to the teaching of Muhammad, who said "One who kills even a sparrow or anything smaller without a justifiable reason, will be answerable to Allah.

Wolves to be hunted again in Sweden
Wolves are to be hunted in Sweden this winter for the first time in 45 yrs. It is expected that 20 to 40 animals will be culled in Jan & Feb as the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency tries to limit the population to keep the public happy. The number of wolves has increased to between 182 and 217 in the country after almost dying out in the 1970s. Their increase has raised concerns because they have been seen near towns and cities, including Stockholm , and there have been reports of attacks on pets. Sweden allows other protected species, such as the brown bear and lynx, to be hunted. The Times 3 Dec

The North West League Against Cruel Sports has reluctantly decided that it can no longer represent the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS). Without going into details, we do not feel that they are the campaign group we joined many years ago. The biggest hindrance will be the loss of our website (www.nwlacs.co.uk) for media contacts. We shall shortly be launching a new group to highlight our campaign work against hunting, shooting and snares here in the North West. In the meantime we'll be launching a campaign website against the Hoghton Tower duck shoot (www.unethicaltimes.co.uk)

The Countryside Alliance has slammed animal rights activists, who last week received substantial compensation from police after they were "wrongfully arrested" while out with the Meynell & S. Staffordshire Hunt. A lawyer for 11 anti-hunt protestors negotiated an out-of-court settlement of £38,300 with Derbyshire police over an incident in Jan 2008. The protestors denied breaking any laws when they were arrested, handcuffed and held in custody overnight. Deputy Chief Constable Alan Goodwin last week confirmed the payout, and that the force had agreed to destroy any protestors' fingerprints, DNA or photographs. He said in a statement: "The force and individual officers will learn from this mistake." But CA spokesman Tim Bonner said the protestors' behaviour was in stark contrast to those arrested wrongfully within the hunting community. "This money comes out of the public purse - the hunting community doesn't penalise the taxpayer for mistakes the police make, whereas animal rights activists are in it for what they can get," he said. Maurice Scott, joint master of the Devon & Somerset Staghounds, told H&H that claiming for compensation didn't cross his mind after his arrest 2 years ago, aged 63. "We have a good relationship with the police, and we have to live with them," he said. "The hunting community behaves in a completely different way." Mr Bonner added that the action is bound to have an impact on the way police officers deal with the disruption of hunting activities. But a spokesman for Derbyshire police denied the payout would have any impact, saying: "We will continue to police hunts as and when we can."

National Trust should reveal hunt dates
Animal rights campaigners have forced the National Trust to debate whether they should effectively play a role in policing hunts which operate on their property. The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) has moved a resolution to be put to the trust's annual meeting in Nov calling for it to publish the dates and times when hunts will take place on its estates. Such a move would allow hunt monitors to track the activities of hunters more easily – but the trust's board of trustees has recommended it is rejected when it goes to a members' vote on Nov 7. LACS chief executive Douglas Batchelor insisted the organisation had video footage which indicated hunts were operating illegally on National Trust properties, including some in Devon &Cornwall. He said he was unable to elaborate, because the evidence had been passed on to police. But he said: "We have undertaken a lot of monitoring on National Trust properties in the Westcountry since the hunting ban was passed, and some of our footage certainly looks very suspicious." He said he was "not surprised" that the organisation's trustees had recommended rejection of the motion, and accused the charity of largely supporting hunting. He added: "We think it's ridiculous that an organisation that can administer a membership of well over a million people would find it difficult to collate the times and locations of when around 150 hunts will operate on their land." Andrew Mclaughlin, spokesman for the National Trust, said the reason for the rejection advice was that it did not have the resources to publish the times and locations of every sport which took place on its land. He added: "The resolution doesn't reference hunting specifically – it's about all sporting activities. "As an organisation, we don't have any view on hunting whatsoever. We aren't political in any way." He said any illegal activity would be a matter for the police and the courts, but said the trust would co-operate with officers in any investigations. Alison Hawes, South West director for the Countryside Alliance, said the resolution had "next to no hope" of being voted through, after refusal was recommended. She added: "We aren't the slightest bit worried about it. It's not going to happen unless the board goes against what they have said in their response, which is highly unlikely. "LACS has a go at the National Trust every year – they have their agenda, and they just want to keep this issue in the news."

Huntsmen filmed on deer sanctuary
Anti-hunt activists filmed huntsmen trespassing on Sir Paul McCartney's deer sanctuary. The footage was taken by the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS), which members claim shows the Quantock Staghounds on Sir Paul's estate in St John's Wood, near Bampton in Somerset. The hunters appear to chase a herd of deer across land owned by LACS, and then use 2 hounds to flush a stag out of St John's Wood. Sir Paul bought the 87-acre pine wood with his late wife, Linda, in 1991 with the purpose of protecting the wild deer by providing an area where the staghounds could not enter. Paul Tillsley and Graham Hyde, monitors for LACS, witnessed and recorded the alleged incident. Mr Tillsley told the Western Daily Press: "From our point of view it was clear that the hunt was pursuing the stag. But more clear cut was the trespass that occurred in St John's Wood." Avon &Somerset Police said they had not received any reports of illegal activity following the alleged incident. LACS plans to post the footage of the hunt on the video sharing website YouTube so the public could view it. James Hawthorne, assistant manager of the Quantock Staghound Hunt, rejected the allegations. He said: "I can categorically say those dogs are not Quantock Staghounds. Hunt staff did not go into St John's on that day and we have not gone on to this land. "There is a bridle path through the top of St John's, and on occasion we have ridden through it, but not this time. It is disappointing to be accused like this."

The parakeet is now fair game under new rules from Natural England which allow the birds to be shot without a licence. The ring-necked parakeet was first spotted in the UK 40 years ago and is now a common sight in London and the S. E., as well as flying as far north as Scotland. However, the parrot has become a nuisance for fruit growers, raiding orchards in Surrey, and could even threaten native species such as woodpeckers and nuthatches. Now Natural England has officially designated the bird as a pest under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, meaning it is legal to shoot the bird without a licence. From Jan 1, 2010 it will also be possible to destroy nests and take eggs as long as there is proof the animal is causing a nuisance. Other birds added to the list include the monk parakeet from S. America, the Canada goose and Egyptian goose that can destroy gardens. The addition to the list does not mean the birds can be shot like pheasant or other game, which come under different rules about "legal quarry". However it does mean that if a landowner or any other “authorised person” has good reason to believe the birds are causing a specific problem, they can be shot without a licence. Helen Phillips, Chief Exec of Natural England, said there was a vital need to control exotic species. "Non-native species are a major threat to global biodiversity and it is important that licences can operate as an effective tool in helping to tackle the problem," she said. Graham Madge, of the RSPB, was confident that the new rules would not be abused. "Parakeets have been causing localised problems to some fruit growers and this will allow them to control the birds without a licence," he said. With emerald green feathers and a rose-red beak, the ring-necked parakeet was brought to the UK from India and was first reported in the wild in 1969. It is unclear how the bird escaped into the wild, with theories ranging from a pair escaping from a container at Heathrow airport to the possibility that a number escaped during the making of the 1951 film the African Queen at Shepperton Studios. The latest estimate puts numbers at above 20,000, more than native species like kingfishers and lesser-spotted woodpeckers, with the majority around London and the South East.

The pheasant season has opened, but the countryside will be much quieter this year. Commercial shoots - and there are about 3,000 across the country - are expecting a dearth of guns, especially from the City. A new analysis from Smiths Gore, the land management consultant, has found that about 60% of shoots expect to lose income this year. With bookings 20 to 30% down, many shoots have reduced the number of birds they intend to release, which cuts the price of a day’s shooting. The cost of a shoot is calculated by the number of birds. A typical day is based on a bag of 300 or 400 birds, which costs from £10,000 to £20,000. But this year bags are as low as 150 birds a day, which brings costs down to £5,000, a sum that may be shared between 7 to 9 shooters. Leading banks and finance houses, which previously would think nothing of spending £10,000 to £25,000 a day entertaining clients, are taking no risks being seen squandering cash, especially if they have been bailed out by the Government.

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The Shoreham Protester, 7 Stoneham Road, Hove, BN3 5HJ, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1273 885750. Email: shoreham.protester@ntlworld.com

Last Updated 13 December 2008