FROM THE HUNT SABS - DOING A GREAT JOB AGAINST FOX HUNTING

 

View this email in your browser Hi,  Getting Away With Murder:  North Shropshire Hunt Evade Justice Almost twenty years after the passing of the Hunting Act, the HSA today releases yet more clear-cut footage of illegal hunting. However, in a familiar sequence of events, the CPS failed to get this compelling case to court.  The film, shot near Hodnet in Shropshire last November, captures a hunted fox fleeing left to right from one wood to another in full view of the joint master and huntsman, Rhys Matcham. The terrified fox (circled) makes for the first wood. Matcham then gallops after the fox, using his horn to call the hounds into the wood where they proceed to hunt the fox. Meanwhile, his assistant - known as the whipper-in - races his quadbike to an ‘on point’ position where he can keep watch for the fox breaking cover. Matcham calls hounds over the scent line of the fox. The terrified fox then breaks onto open ground back in the direction of the original wood and, again, Matcham and his hounds take off in pursuit.  From here, the fox flees across a busy road and Matcham continues the hunt, this time ‘doubling’ his horn - using short bursts of staccato notes - and calling “on to him” to further encourage the hounds as they cross the road.  The fate of the fox is unknown.  Blocking a busy road in pursuit of the fox. An HSA spokesperson commented, “This sickening video show us two things. Firstly, that the North Shropshire Hunt - like all hunts - are openly engaged in traditional, illegal fox hunting. Matcham repeatedly shows his intention to hunt the fox by using a range of horn and voice calls to direct his pack of hounds.  Secondly, the video shows that the Hunting Act is not working. This clear-cut case did not proceed to court because the CPS claimed that they could not find an independent hunting expert to ‘interpret’ the video! The Hunt Saboteurs Association is calling for the incoming government to end this nonsense. We are demanding an immediate ban on the smokescreen of ‘trail hunting,’ an end to terrier work, the closing of all loopholes, and the introduction of tougher sentences that will act as a deterrent to committed foxhunters like Rhys Matcham.” Get involved! Find out how you can be part of our campaign to strengthen the Hunting Act Take Action Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Copyright (C) 2024 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe