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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.  

 

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and present polls shows that 76% of the public are against bloodspots and want the Hunting Act to be strengthened not repealed.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 21st  & 22nd 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 16th 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 23rd 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 2nd 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 2nd 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 22nd, 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 10th, 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 10th 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 12th 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 27th Dec

David Cameron had to leave by the back door on a visit to Stroud on 4th 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 1st 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 6th 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.”

Rampaging dogs caused chaos as they chased a fox across a popular beauty spot. Barlow Common Nature Reserve's Rachel Stanhope was "horrified" to witness baying hounds in pursuit towards the wildlife centre soon after leaving a group of animal-loving youngsters. She immediately ran to mounted hunters to urge them to call the pack off as shocked families watched from a nearby car park. "I felt this was unacceptable. I had just been with a party of children from Selby Watch Group – the junior arm of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – for a Christmas party and tree planting when I heard a commotion. "I heard dogs yelping and the noise became louder and louder. When the hounds came in sight, I saw a fox running towards the centre pursued by them. "I couldn't believe it. This is supposed to be a sanctuary for wildlife," stormed Selby District Council's countryside officer. "I shouted to huntsmen in a nearby field to call the dogs off and clear off the reserve. They claimed they weren't hunting and, when I said I'd seen dogs chasing the fox, they said this was public land. It's owned by SDC." Police were scrambled to the scene. Local authority environmental health officers, now investigating the incident, will send a strongly-worded complaint to organisers now the hunt responsible has been identified. A distressed pensioner, who lives in the village, blasted: "We're fortunate to have the reserve at our disposal and it's with sadness, not to say anger, we see this tranquil facility for wildlife, young families and dog walkers so cruelly abused by the hunting fraternity. Putting the rights and wrongs of fox hunting aside, why should several horses and a 40 to 50-strong pack of large dogs be able to crash through such a beautiful family facility, frightening babies, toddlers and dog walkers with impunity? "There are notices telling people to keep their dogs on leads and not to ride horses there. It's a disgrace and a fiasco." Countryside Alliance regional director Steve Clark confirmed hounds responsible for breaking through onto the reserve were from the Bramham and Badsworth Hunt. Speaking on their behalf, he said: "I had a long talk with them and they expressed regret for what happened. "They were hunting with a trail and, at some time during that, a fox popped up and the hounds got away. The hounds got through the fence of the reserve. "Unfortunately, it took the huntsmen 5-10 minutes to stop them. They made every effort to restrain them. They're very sorry for any distress caused. "They apologise for what happened. The hounds were eventually stopped and the fox escaped. This is one of those regrettable incidents. "From the warden's point of view, this was very distressing but fortunately it was over in 10 minutes. This was accidental."

Isle of Wight hunt disgrace

Newly released  video of the totally disgraceful state of affairs on the Isle of Wight as police do nothing to stop illegal interference with a badger sett and contraventions of the Hunting Act. A national scandal is taking place on the Isle of Wight in regards to illegal hunting.  I believe the hunt master is a judge.  Says it all!  www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOEIhH4nZzA&feature=sub

Covert filming could be illegal

A judge cast doubt on the legality of covert filming by anti-hunt activists. The ruling, in a case that cannot yet be reported, lays down that covert surveillance by third parties must be authorised in line with procedures in the Regulation of Investigating Powers Act (Ripa). The Home Office says that the Act must be used in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. “It also requires, in particular, those authorising the use of covert techniques to give proper consideration to whether their use is necessary and proportionate,” official guidance states. This suggests that the type of speculative surveillance carried out by some organisations and hunt monitors cannot be authorised because it is not necessary or proportionate for the prevention or detection of an offence under the Hunting Act. The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) is so anxious that forces may be acting unlawfully that it has asked for advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. Richard Crompton, Chief Constable of Lincolnshire and Acpo’s spokesman on rural affairs, said that until the prosecutors’ guidance had been received, police would continue to accept information from members of the public and third parties if they believed that the Hunting Act had been broken. Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, however, has written to all chief constables to notify them about the court ruling. He said: “It means that police forces are regularly being presented with evidence unlawfully gathered without authorisation under Ripa. Most examples of covert surveillance we are aware of in relation to hunting could never be authorised whoever was carrying it out as the surveillance was in no way proportionate to what it sought to achieve.”  Times 26th Dec  Probably a hunting judge and we’ll see how far this ruling gets since the case can’t be reported yet the ruling can????

The Charity Commission has banned a "keep cruelty history" newspaper advertisement planned by the League Against Cruel Sports, which opposes the repeal of the Act. According to Whitehall sources, the commission ruled that the advertisement – which highlighted the words "cruel Tory" in blue type – would have breached charity rules that ban party political campaigns.

Flint & Denbigh Boxing Day Demo

This year the Mayor was not part of the hunt ceremony and instead stood with us to have his picture taken. For once the fox had a say in this years Boxing day parade. We would have had more support, but many people who promised to attend stayed away for fear of reprisals by hunt supporters. Having said that - there were plenty of people in agreement with us. Only a handful took leaflets and deliberately screwed them up throwing them back at us. One elderly hunt supporter stood stony faced and very slowly tore one of our leaflets up in front of us to make a point. It took guts for us to stand in the midst of hunt supporters and even more guts to speak out openly through a megaphone about hunt cruelty. It felt we were a bit like David and Goliath, but I'm a firm believer that good will always overcome evil in the end, so it was worth being intimidated by the odd huntsman. Judi (Hewitt) 

The traditional Boxing Day hunts went ahead as normal in Chard, llrninster and Crewkerne. Large crowds gathered in the town centres for the annual festivities of the Cotley Hunt in Chard, the Seavington Hunt in Crewkerne and the Taunton Vale Hunt in Ilminster. There was a small and peaceful protest staged by anti-hunt campaigners as the Cotley Hunt prepared to move off. Labour's parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Lee Skevington, joined the Protect Our Wild Animals group during the protest.

Huntsman cleared of assault on monitors

A hunt master has been cleared of assaulting 2 campaigners who were trying to film his activities from bushes. Gary Watchman, joint master of the S. Durham Hunt, demanded that 2 camouflage-clad women “get off private land” when they attracted the attention of hounds in Sedgefield on Feb 28. Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ Court found him not guilty of hitting League Against Cruel Sports protestors Lyn Edwards and Hazel Greaves with a riding crop. They hid near the Castle Eden Walkway to film the hunt. The court was told that when Mr Watchman discovered the pair, he became angry and said they were trespassing. He admitted his anger with campaigners who repeatedly “crop up” at his farm, in Bradbury, and while he is out hunting. He said: “I did not use foul language. I was annoyed because of the length of time these people have been pursuing us.” Derek Walton, prosecuting, said there was “no love lost” between the trio, but that the women were on public land. Both women said he hit them with a riding crop and barged into Mrs Edwards. They also said he tried to take equipment. Mrs Edwards said: “He was shouting loudly, I did not know what he would do.” Mrs Greaves said: “He was coming through the trees like a raging bull.” Stephen Welford, defending, said Mrs Edwards had “walked into Mr Watchman”. He said the pair pushed for an assault prosecution after failing to uncover illegal activities, and added: “They dislike what they (hunters) stand for. They dislike what they do. These are 2 people who cannot get what they want, so they have manufactured something.” The bench acquitted Mr Watchman of both charges. Chairman Glynn Wales said: “If you had known where the land boundaries were, this whole thing would never have arisen.” Speaking after the trial, S. Durham Hunt chairman John Littlefair said: “It is a shame an innocent person has had to wait 9 months to be found not guilty of these allegations.”  Typical biased result

European Court of Human Rights judgement

Ban on hunting with hounds; complaints rejected. The first application was lodged by Brian Leonard Friend, a British national who was born in 1939 and lives in Axminster. The second application was lodged by the Countryside Alliance, a non-governmental organisation and 10 other applicants. The applicants claim to have been affected negatively by various bans on fox hunting and the hunting of other wild mammals with dogs in the UK. In addition, the first applicant brought an unsuccessful petition seeking judicial review of the Scottish Protection of Wild Mammals Act 2002.The applications were lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 23 April 2006 and 28 May 2008, respectively. The Court found that the hunt ban did not affect negatively the applicants’ right to private and family life. In particular, the Court held that not every activity a person might seek to engage in together with others was protected under that Article. Hunting was, by its very nature, an essentially public activity, and there was no case law of the Court which suggested that the right to private life extended to public activities. Further, the hunting community could not be regarded as ethnic or national minority, nor did it represent a particular lifestyle which was indispensable for a person’s identity. In addition, the concept of home did not include land over which the owners practised or allowed sport to be practised. No evidence had been provided that some of the applicants would indeed lose their homes as a result of the bans. Last but not least, the hunting bans had not created serious difficulties for earning one’s living, and therefore the Court rejected the applicants’ complaints under this Article. The Court noted that the hunting bans in Scotland, England and Wales did not prevent or restrict the first applicant’s right to assemble with other huntsmen as he remained free to engage in many alternatives to hunting such as drag or trail hunting, which did not involve live quarry. The bans had been designed to eliminate the hunting and killing of animals for sport in a manner causing suffering and being morally objectionable.  The bans had been introduced after extensive debate by the democratically elected representatives of the State on the social and ethical issues raised by that type of hunting. The Court therefore rejected the applicants’ complaints under this Article. The Court recalled the extensive public debate which had preceded the 2004 Act. It did not find arbitrary or unreasonable the absence of compensation for the adverse financial impact of the bans on those whose businesses depended on hunting, given in particular that people had continued to gather for hunts, albeit without live quarry, even after the passage of the Act. Accordingly, the Court rejected also the complaints under this Article. The Court rejected the complaints of the applicants under the other Articles.

Help ban gamebird breeding cages

A draft Code of Practice on the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes has been published by the Gamebird Working Group, which was established under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. The Working Group looked at a broad range of issues relating to game bird production, including diet, veterinary care, transportation and housing. The draft Code is open to public consultation, which ends on 18 January 2010. We would like as many people as possible to write to DEFRA, calling for a ban on the use of battery cages and of devices that restrain and restrict the vision of birds during their breeding and growing cycle. 1) On the issue of battery cages for breeding birds, the draft Code offers 3 options for public consultation – to keep the cage system as it stands, to allow 'enriched' cages, or to ban the cages outright. Please call for an outright ban on the cages. 2) Another especially contentious area is the industry's routine use of various restraint and vision-limiting devices on birds as they pass from cages to sheds and finally to the large pens, in which they are held prior to release for shooting. Apart from calling for a ban on the nasal septum-piercing bits, the draft Code fails to set out clear restrictions. Typically, it urges that the devices should not be 'generally' or 'routinely' used. Please call for an outright ban on all restraint and vision-limiting devices. 3) You may also wish to leave additional comments on the rest of the Code.  Please send a concise and polite response to: Animalwelfareconsultations@defra.gsi.gov.uk Or by post: Phil Alder, Defra, Animal Welfare Act Implementation Team, Area 8B, 9 Millbank, c/o 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR. Or by fax: 020 7238 6009 clearly stating the name of the consultation and addressed to the Animal Welfare Team.

The freezing conditions have led to a temporary ban on the shooting of wildfowl in Scotland. Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham has announced that the shooting of certain species will be prohibited. The Scottish government has enforced a law which protects birds in severe weather. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said it was the first suspension of its kind for 13 years. Scottish Natural Heritage advised the government that species such as ducks, geese and shore waders were unable to feed in the current freezing conditions, threatening the birds' natural survival. The suspension, brought into force under Section 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, prohibits the shooting of birds from 5 January. It could last for 14 days but will be reviewed after 7 days. Birds covered by the order include coot, tufted duck, gadwall, goldeneye, Canada geese, greylag and pink-footed goose, mallard, moorhen, pintail, golden plover, pochard, shoveler, common snipe, teal, wigeon and woodcock. 

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.

Man dressed in animal skin shot dead during hunt
A Greek man dressed in animal hide was mistakenly shot dead while out hunting wild boar for a Xmas dinner. Police said members of a shooting party made up of families opened fire when Christos Constantinou moved through the undergrowth. They are thought to have been confused by the fact the victim was disguised in dark goat skins, which are used to camouflage and to mislead their prey.

Bird hunter shoots self in face with shotgun
A 43 yr  old pheasant hunter in the US accidentally shot himself in the face with a shotgun. King and 2 fellow animal abusers were hunting last Dec when one heard a shot, then saw King falling backward with his semiautomatic 12 gauge shotgun between his legs...

Another hunter killed…
A Benson man was killed in a Christmas Eve hunting accident on a Sampson County hunting reserve. He was with a group hunting deer on private property about 3 miles outside of Garland when he was shot and killed by Sanford Walter Smith, a member of the same hunting party.

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

Man denies killing hunt supporter
A man has denied the manslaughter of a hunt supporter who was killed by the rotor blades of a gyrocopter.  Bryan Griffiths is alleged to have killed Trevor Morse unlawfully at Long Marston airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on 9 March. Mr Griffiths spoke only to enter his plea at Birmingham Crown Court. He is expected to return to court for trial on 1 March next year at a venue to be fixed. Mr Morse, a committee member with the Warwickshire Hunt, was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident after suffering severe head injuries. He had followed the gyrocopter in his vehicle and run onto the airfield

Hunting & the Tories
Foxhunting could be legal within a year of the Tories being able to take power. MPs would be given a free vote on repealing the ban, David Cameron confirmed. The Tory leader described the Hunting Act as a farce. A party source said a new vote would take place in the first few months of a Conservative administration. He said a Bill to repeal the ban could be forced through the Commons in a single day, with the Government using its powers to curtail the lengthy debates that dogged the original legislation. 'This is not the biggest priority but it is important, and if we are elected we will get on with it,' he added. 'It will be a free vote, but if it goes in favour of repeal then we will use the guillotine and push it through the Commons. There will be no repeat of the 700 hours of Parliamentary time wasted on the ban.'  Government business managers have powers to push legislation through very quickly but they are rarely used and traditionally reserved for emergency measures. Legislation passed in this way still has to go through all its normal stages, including 3 readings in the Commons and consideration by a committee. Any legislation would still need to be considered by the Lords and given Royal Assent before it becomes law. Pushing a repeal of the hunting ban through in this way would be controversial. But the Tories believe a repeal Bill would be very simple. Hunt opponents condemned the move. Douglas Batchelor, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said opinion polls consistently showed the public was strongly opposed to hunting. 'I also very much doubt that reversing the ban will be the easy ride they may think,' he said. 'They will need a large majority in the Commons and could have trouble in the Lords where there are now many more supporters of the ban. 'The ban on hunting and hare coursing was passed after years of controversy. The pro-hunting Countryside Alliance is already drawing up plans for a new independent hunting regulatory authority to police the sport if the ban is lifted.

Nick Herbert MP’s former job was a lobbyist for blood sports where he worked for 6 years. Cameron has made Nick Herbert their spokesman of rural affairs.  He received £24,500 from 7 separate donations, including known critics of the hunting ban. He made a declaration in the MPs' register of interests 8 days after attacking the hunting ban. On 22 July Herbert announced that it would be a Tory manifesto commitment to hold a free vote on whether to overturn the hunting ban. On the same day as the policy was reported in the magazine, Herbert received the £24,500 from 7 separate donors. They included 3 donations from advocates of hunting and shooting. Herbert received: • £1,500 from gun seller and hunting outfitter William and Sons. • £2,000 from Michael Cannon, grouse-shooting magnate and owner of Wemmergill in County Durham. • £2,000 from Altnaharra estate, a 47,000-acre hunting, fishing and shooting estate in Sutherland. The Tories do not want to  make this a high profile issue. The majority of the public supports the ban. Few are in favour of devoting months of parliamentary time dismantling a civilised animal welfare measure. Cameron has said, "My own view is clear. I support the freedom to hunt." To the millions who rate animal welfare as a prime issue, this is a vote changing decision. Simon Hart, the Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance is the Tory candidate against popular Labour MP Nick Ainger in Carmarthen. Bringing back the killing in hunting could be the crucial issue there.

David Cameron confesses: "I was brought up in the country. I have taken part in a number of rural sports, including hunting, from time to time, but not for several years," Cameron said when asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme if he had ever gone hunting himself. "Personally, I think the hunting ban has been a farce. I don't think it works. I think it wastes a huge amount of police time. "For someone who feels passionately that it should be banned, I would just argue that there are some areas where when you take the criminal law into that area it makes the law a mess, it makes the law a bit of a farce, and I think the hunting ban is a good example of that."

The Countryside Alliance has written to Thames Valley and Gloucestershire Police claiming that hunt monitors are trying to incite violence.  They have warned their supporters to ‘ride away’ and for the hunts to lay  their trails away from a source of any trouble – interpret that to mean away from where monitors can see that the trail is just a false bit of theatre! Of course there’s no mention in the Horse & Hound article about monitors being harassed and attacked by stewards employed by hunts.  But then they wouldn’t, would they?

Lush supports hunt sabs
The cosmetics company Lush is launching a bubble bath it hopes will raise tens of thousands of pounds for anti-blood sports activists. The Hunt Saboteurs Association will be the latest beneficiary of proceeds from Lush, the ethical producer of handmade soaps which has gained a reputation for backing radical protest groups. The citronella and peppermint bubble bath, called The Fabulous Mr Fox, will arrive on the shelves in the coming weeks and will be on sale until Boxing Day, a traditional day for fox hunts. The company hopes the product will raise £50,000 for the activists, and said they money will be used to fund vehicles and video equipment. Mark Constantine, the 59-year-old co-founder of Lush, based in Poole, Dorset, has previously donated large portions of his profits to human rights groups, animal welfare organisations and environmental protesters such as Plane Stupid, who promote non-violent civil disobedience to opposed airport expansion. Proceeds from the Lush cosmetics empire, which is thought to be worth around £150m, have also been used to fund campaigns to support Sumatran orangutans and oppose the widening of the M1 motorway. Sea Shepherd, that operates vessels to scupper rival ships it finds whaling in the middle of the ocean, has received £22,000 from the sale of Lush products. Lush, founded by Constantine in 1995, has become a multinational company, with branches in N. America, Japan and Australia. The company claims to give around 2% of profits to charity and is keen to promote itself as an ethical brand. Constantine said funding activists groups was "central to what we do".

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)

Labour says it is planning a fresh assault on hunting and shooting with a ban on the intensive rearing of game birds, such as pheasants. It also wants to bring in fresh measures to protect wild animals, including phasing out the use of snares to catch foxes and rabbits. They held a shooting fringe at their conference.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is officially returning to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary for it's 6th Whale Defence Campaign Operation Waltzing Matilda. They are scheduled to depart in early Dec and intend to shut down illegal whaling in the Antarctic once and for all. This year, the Steve Irwin will be joined by the fast interceptor vessel Earthrace. Together these ships and the Sea Shepherd crew intend to waltz on down to the Southern Ocean with a bedroll full of tactics and surprises, and intend to do a dangerous but effective dance with the Japanese whaling fleet to save the lives of as many whales as possible.

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.

Anti-shooting demo - Animal Aid held a demonstration and leafleted outside the Labour Party Conference in Brighton  on 28th Sept.  The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) – a pro-shooting lobby group – held a fringe meeting at the conference. Their guest speaker was the Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, who was reported last year as saying ‘I do not support killing birds’. This is at odds with the stated aim of the BASC, which is ‘to promote and protect sporting shooting and the well-being of the countryside throughout the UK and overseas. We represent our members' interests by providing a voice for sporting shooting which includes wildfowling, game, and rough shooting, deer stalking, target shooting and air gunning, pigeon shooting and pest control...’ Giant mascot, Phileas the Pheasant, attended the demo too.

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.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole has been captured on camera killing a chicken with a catapult while filming Intrepid Journey on the Vanuatu islands.  He was seen smiling as he shot the bird during a hunting lesson. Cole, the most outspoken of the dance partners, is shown cornering the tame bird and stoning it with a catapult. The scenes, filmed by a New Zealand company for state-owned TVNZ, is unlikely to impress his dance partner Jo Wood, whose natural skincare range Jo Wood Organics prides itself on its animal cruelty-free ingredients. Cole is seen wringing the rooster’s neck, hits it with a stick before asking: “Is he dead yet?” as it limply hangs from his hands.

Britain lodged an official objection to the Icelandic Government’s continued increase in hunting endangered whales. Defra, joined by 25 nations including the US, sent a formal diplomatic protest to Iceland about the illegal hunting, which has killed 125 fin and 79 minke whales this season. Iceland’s outgoing Government last year increased its quota of fin whales from 9 to 150. Expectations that the new Government would reduce this were dashed in June when the quotas of both fin and minke whales were increased to 200 animals a year. The obvious lack of market for the meat means these whales are being killed just to be stored in a freezer for years to come.  Opinion polling and independent economic research in Iceland has revealed little appetite for whale meat, while responsible whale watching, by contrast, is financially lucrative and one of the country’s most popular tourist activities, generating almost £5m a year for coastal communities.

A judge has cleared the way for wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana, ruling it would not irreparably harm wolf populations. Wolf populations have exploded since the animal's reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and Idaho – prompting the Obama administration to remove Rocky Mountain grey wolves from the endangered species list. The current wolf population in the region – about 1,800 – exceeds the targets set by scientists in the mid 1990s. But many conservationists oppose the hunt, citing the wolf's lack of genetic diversity. While the wolf population does exceed the recovery programme's original goal, that number was arbitrarily set, largely out of political concerns. "Common sense tells us," writes Ken Fischman, a contributor to Writers on the Range, "that a few 100 wolves in each state can't be defended as a biologically viable population … that the full recovery of these … populations requires not 100s, but 1,000s of animals." This controversy is another chapter in the long battle over wolves, the purpose and spirit of the Endangered Species Act and the very idea of wilderness. In the 19th century the US government, to protect frontier livestock, sponsored the hunting of wolves and nearly eradicated them from the lower 48 states. The wolf population declined to a few 100 animals from an estimated pre-colonial population of 250,000. But killing off wolves had unforeseen consequences. Without predators, elk numbers soared, which had devastating consequences on the local vegetation. The elk suffered then, too, their numbers thinned by disease and starvation, and the government was forced to actively manage them. Wolf recovery plans were dogged from the start by political concerns, as ranchers were riled up by stories of wolves slipping across the border from Canada and killing livestock, and a plan for reintroduction wasn't accepted until 1995. Reintroduction only intensified the controversy, especially after Yellowstone wolves preyed on local livestock. The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone has already caused positive change in the local ecosystem, as willow and aspen trees are returning after years of absence. The presence of wolves also benefits scavengers, such as cougars and grizzly bears. In short, if anything, the benefits of the wolf to its ecosystem were underestimated. On the other hand, despite the headlines, wolves are not hurting local livelihoods, as only 2% of all livestock deaths are down to wolves – and conservation groups and state governments compensate local ranchers for livestock taken by wolves.

How NOT to bring up your child
A 5-year-old boy has shot dead a 12ft, 800lb alligator in Texas. Simon Hughes was on a hunting trip with his father. Afterwards Simon said: "I wasn't afraid for a second. Next year I'm going to kill me a bigger alligator." The alligator’s head will be mounted and it will also be turned into book shelve holders.  Simon’s father had a permit to kill 2 of the 40 alligators on his 5,000-acre ranch near Houston.  Expletive deleted

South Africa is witnessing a massive surge in rhino poaching, an activity blamed on criminal syndicates striving to meet an "insatiable appetite" for rhinoceros horn in east Asia. 84 rhinos have been killed by poachers in the country so far this year, a jump from the 13 deaths in 2007. Kruger Park, a worldwide tourist attraction, has been hardest hit, suffering the loss of 33 rhinos since January. 19 have been killed in KwaZulu-Natal province, and some privately owned reserves have lost 7 animals. Conservationists say it is the biggest spike in poaching for 15 years and blame the smuggling trade connected to countries, such as China and Vietnam, where rhino horn can fetch thousands of pounds for its perceived medicinal value.

Namibian seals clubbed to death - Animal rights activists have released shocking footage of baby seals being clubbed to death in Namibia. An estimated 80,000 seal pups are clubbed to death each year, and their fur is sold internationally. The Dutch animal welfare group who shot the film are hoping to bring the cruelty to the attention of tourists who come to the country.

The Cove director risks arrest
The director of an award-winning documentary about Japan's dolphin slaughter said that he plans to attend the screening of "The Cove" at the Tokyo film festival even though he could be arrested. Japanese police say American director Louie Psihoyos and other members of his crew violated trespassing laws when they documented the hunt in the seaside town of Taiji, where 2,000 dolphins are killed every year, mostly to be sold as meat. The film shows fishermen on small boats banging on poles to frighten the dolphins into a cove, where they are then killed with spears. The cove is closed off by barbed wire, and the film crew had to film much of the footage covertly. The film has won more than a dozen awards and led to an outpouring of outrage at the hunt. Initially, it wasn't part of the programme for the Tokyo International Film Festival, which opens Oct. 17, but was added partly because of pressure from abroad. Psihoyos said he wasn't concerned about getting arrested if it was for the right cause, saying he sees covert filming as a form of civil disobedience. He also says he disagrees with how Japanese authorities were defining trespassing, because the cove is in a national park. "You can't trespass in almost any other national park in the world that's made for people." Psihoyos, a National Geographic photographer, said he was excited about the film being shown in Japan. "To me, it's like a dream" he said. "It's going to be a win for the dolphins. It's going to be a win for the Japanese people. And it's going to be a win for the environment." Psihoyos said he hopes "The Cove" warns Taiji residents and other Japanese about the dangers of eating dolphin meat, which he says has been found to be loaded with toxic mercury. But things appear to have changed after "The Cove," even before its Tokyo premiere. Earlier this week, 70 dolphins from this year's first catch were set free. "I was elated. I am cautiously optimistic it's the start of good things….," Psihoyos said.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Last Updated 13 December 2008