THE SABS DO IT AGAIN — THE CULTURE OF KILLING FOR FUN MUST END.

 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗯𝘀

𝑹𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑾𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕 – 16/11/24 – 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒘, 𝒏𝒓 𝑷𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆

Meet host at Barrow Leasow was Oliver Whittall, one of the fantasists behind a pro hunt Facebook group that makes up nonsense about our activities. Two weeks ago one of our sabs was nearly run down by a horse ridden by H and C senior master Rob Parsons, on Whittall's parents in laws' farm at Great Wacton. Did he write the lies about that incident that are totally refuted by our footage? 

Anyway, back to the Radnor meet which turned out to be a pretty dull day all in all, made remarkable only by sabs having the company of a stalker. Welsh Borders Sabs had joined us for the day, a couple more sabs on the ground always make it easier to keep tabs on the hunt. The seven of us split into four teams (we are well practised in the art of making effective use of a small team of sabs) and the hunt spent the day running from one team straight into another.

The hunt covered a remarkably small area of country, such as you might expect for a morning's cub hunting not a full day in main season, making our job even easier. More and more landowners are denying hunts access to their land as sab groups expose the lie that is 'trail' hunting.

Hounds picked up on a line from first covert, but the pack split, and our vehicle team were well placed to see the fox as it crossed the road. Our vehicle team quickly covered its line with citronella. Next huntsman Shaun Marles tried his hand at finding a fox in a beet field, sabs were close on him here, but soon after the hounds went into cry again. Once again it was the vehicle team who spotted the fox, which doubled back to escape the hounds, before crossing the road where once again the vehicle team covered its line. 

Hounds then spent a while in and out of cry in Winney Wood, but shortly after three deer were seen running from there, so it's likely they were rioting on deer. From here the hunt moved to Broxwood before heading along the drive to Colliers Farm, across fields to Sherrington Wood (more fleeing deer seen here), on towards Heath Wood and finally towards the delightfully named Maggots Green. 

Near Luntley sabs overheard that Marles' horse had a loose shoe and by 3.30pm he was seen heading back to where the hound lorry was parked at Lower Green, on the back of a quad. We do appreciate an early pack up, none of this hunting till dark, followed by the huntsman realising he's lost half the pack in dense woodland nonsense thank you very much!

Thank you to everyone who has donated recently, it is so much appreciated as we rely on your support to keep us out in the fields sabbing the scummy hunts. Also thank you to everyone who has contacted us with info about the Herefordshire and Clifton Hunt in the last couple of weeks.

HUNT SABS GET THE EVIDENCE — CONVICTION FOLLOWS BUT THE PENALTY IS INSIGNIFICANT

 

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more GUILTY: Wynnstay terrierman sentenced for interfering with badger sett Wynnstay Hunt terrierman Ryan Brennan avoids prison ELIZA EGRET NOV 19   READ IN APP   Wynnstay Hunt terrierman Ryan Brennan has pleaded guilty to interfering with a badger sett in Shropshire. Blocking badger setts is illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act. Like every man who is found guilty of offences related to fox hunting, he avoided prison. The incident took place in January 2024. Brennan was given a ten-month sentence, suspended for one year, meaning that if he commits no other offences in one year, he walks away free. Footage of the incident hadn't yet been published at the time of publishing this article. Protect the Wild spoke to Cheshire Borderland Monitors, which is regularly on the ground monitoring the criminal Wynnstay. The group said: "The Wynnstay Hunt are prolific sett blockers, and we've caught them so many times. A few of them have been investigated for it, and Brennan was charged. There have been at least three incidents of sett blocking under three different police forces. They do it masked up so they can't get caught. We're really pleased that this footage has been gathered and that Brennan has been prosecuted. Hopefully it will stop the Wynnstay from blocking more setts - we'll wait and see how the season progresses." Terrierman Ryan Brennan sits at the front of a Wynnstay quad bike. Photo by Cheshire Borderland Monitors HSA Footage Brennan has found himself in the spotlight this week, having appeared in different covert footage of the Wynnstay Hunt, published by the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA). The HSA said: "The video, taken on 5th November near Wrexham, features the hunt’s employed terrierman Ryan Brennan – currently under investigation for causing a dog to enter a badger sett – and Alistair Johnson, a regular lackey for the Wynnstay." The HSA continued: "This latest covert footage shows the previously convicted hunt preventing a fox going to ground in a badger sett and scaring her back towards their pack of hounds." Trail hunting lies Of course, hunts across England continue to say that they’re trail hunting (following an artificially-laid scent) when they’re really killing foxes. But their use of terriermen is evidence of their illegal activity: because terriermen are never needed for trail or drag hunting. They are employed by a hunt to block badger setts and fox earths prior to a meet, and to send their terriers to bolt a fox if she goes to ground. Or they’ll use their terriers to hold the poor fox at bay while they dig out a sett she is hiding in. And so where there are terriermen on a hunt, there is also sure to be illegal hunting. On 9 November, Cheshire Monitors photographed Brennan and Johnson carrying a fence pole on their quad bike, pretending that they were mending fences rather than digging out badger setts. The monitors wrote: "With their trousers covered in mud from digging out or filling in badger setts, their terriers peeping out of their quad box and their one token fence post to pretend to be repairing the countryside they knew the whole thing was a total circus act." Wynnstay Hunt terriers can be seen through holes in the box carried on the quad bike Breaking the law twice a week Cheshire Borderland Monitors, along with their colleagues at Welsh Border Wildlife Protectors as well as hunt saboteurs, regularly catch the Wynnstay illegally hunting and blocking badger setts. So far this month, the groups have documented the hunt chasing foxes on 12 November, 9 November, 2 November, and the killing of a fox on 5 November. This shows that the Hunting Act is doing absolutely nothing to deter the Wynnstay, despite a growing list of convictions. Ex-huntsman Chris Woodward was found guilty under Section 1 of the Hunting Act in December 2023 after Wynnstay hounds chased a fox. Months before that conviction, in August 2023, Woodward pleaded guilty to interfering with a badger sett. And in October 2022, Jamie Barnes and Ben Davies were convicted for digging out a badger sett the day before the Wynnstay Hunt were planning to meet there. The court was told the hunt had asked Barnes to “get a rogue fox” ahead of its meet. All of these men only received fines - clearly not enough to deter the hunt from carrying on with business as usual. Protect the Wild argues that the Hunting Act needs to be scrapped and urgently replaced with stronger legislation, which would stop the Wynnstay once and for all. We are campaigning for the Act to be replaced with the Hunting of Mammals Bill. You can read the Bill in its entirety by downloading a pdf version here. And  Pick up our 2025 Calendar! Support our vital work and get twelve glorious animal photos hanging on your wall for just £8.50! Printed here in the UK by Anglia Print (a climate positive printing company) Get a 2025 Calendar   SHARE     LIKE COMMENT RESTACK   © 2024 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ  Unsubscribe

WILD SERVICE — A BOOK TO CHERISH AND TO LOVE

 REVIEW

Book Title Wild Service — Why Nature Needs You

Edited by Nick Hayes with Jon Moses

Publisher Bloomsbury

A wonderful book and so lovely to hold in the hand. 

Full of concepts to absorb and a call to do what we should do.

It’s a call for action and have the right to roam.

I have already reviewed the Prologue which is an informative read, also Reconnection written by Jon Moses and Recommoning by Nadia Shaikh. All three previous pieces are different and introduce their own concepts.

My eyes were drawn to the next chapter, Rope Swing, ‘The Archtecture of Belonging, and  an invitation to share relationship. The Rope Swing is an invitation to come on over. The single thought of grabbing that rope to swing out over a space is simply just that — an invitation. This is where space becomes a place. That instance of freedom over owned land is brought to the reader’s attention by a simple device. The thoughts here in under three pages introduce another concept. A gradual process of common law to common lore — a custom with knowledge of knowing what is there without anyone’s consent. 

Adrian, Marsh Man, takes us into a different place with different ideas. He has claimed, in his way, and by his own endeavors to recreate what others have messed with on his wetland. And this is within 10 minutes of Reading town centre! Holybrook, i a channel cut by monks to feed Reading Abbey is still running. The monks nurtured this wetland and saw it as a living larder, an Eden brimming with edible wildfowl. Not lingering in despair when the heavy machinery churned up the mud Adrian collected the brash, planted the sticks and now there is a natural screen. That is what wildlife love; a home, for insects and for birds too.

He is an innovative man and by collecting suitable fallen  sticks from London Plane trees he creates catapults. Seeds are imbedded into a globule of clay and fired out over the water. He claims not to control but says he is acting as a vector, like birds in the wind. Wonderful ideas and I used to love catapults. I may have a second coming and try it again. 

The next ten pages are dedicated to Stewardship by Guy Shrubsole. He is the author of The Book of Trespass, Who Owns Britain and the Lost Rainforests of Britain and all three sit on my desk. It is impossible to review everything in this chapter but I can bring certain aspects to the fore.

Shrubsole asks these;

‘Landowners, we are told, are the rightful stewards of the land. But who holds them to account? Why are the public at large not regarded as capable of stewardship of the land?’

To enhance that the Country Landowners Association and the National Farmers’ Union published a joint statement entitled ‘Caring for the Countryside’. And of course some government ministers have supported outright their intent. This chapter does not maintain there are not good stewards among them but the power is in too many controlling hands.

There is a disconnect as people have lost contact with the natural and that is why so many writers argue that it has to be recovered. It is happening with Rebel Botanists who talk of ‘plant blindness’ and others who encourage awareness. Lastly, and enough for now, trespassing is needed to look, to see and to report on misdemeanours and also unwanted invasive species. 

Wonderful reading and this book should be a must for all.

I HAD TO PUT THIS POST ON FROM HEREFORDSHIRE SABS

 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗯

Opening meet - Ripplewood, Collington - 2/11/24

Towards the end of what must have been a frustrating day for hunt staff, with huntsman Will Hanson scattering hounds across a wide area of countryside, sabs found the hunt in a field behind Great Wacton Farm. Hanson headed off quickly taking the hounds, accompanied by joint master Tom Hadley who was whipping in for the day. Sabs set off after them, with one sab running on ahead, as they were heading back into an area where a fox had been seen earlier that day.

As can be seen in the video, the sab gets to a closed gate, (closed no doubt by Tom Hadley after Hanson and hounds). She goes through it, closes it again behind her and continues along the public footpath after huntsman, whipper in and hounds. 

Moments later, the field led by joint master Rob Parsons, come through the gate, and as the sab turned to watch the riders pass, she realises Parsons is deliberately riding his horse at speed towards her. She steps back out of the way, saving herself from being trampled to the ground and seriously injured. Behind Parsons is another joint master Jon Rudge (also in red), the rider behind Rudge is clearly so shocked he calls out an apology to the sab.

Here is both handheld and bodycam footage from the incident showing exactly what happened. 

The hunt also wrote up their version of events and posted on Facebook (see screenshot in comments) dropping Parsons in it by admitting two masters were present - Parsons can be identified by his voice as he shouts at the sab, and by his chestnut horse with distinctive white blaze which he always rides. Rudge always rides a dark brown horse. The hunt claim no one else was present - our footage shows otherwise.

Full and unedited footage from both cameras has been given to West Mercia Police.

FOX RIPPED TO PIECES BY INTRUSIVE HOUNDS — FROM PROTECT THE WILD

 

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hounds tear up fox in residential garden Notorious hunt caught breaking the law yet again ELIZA EGRET NOV 17   READ IN APP   Hunting hounds caused yet more havoc this week when the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale's dogs ran rampage in a residential garden, chasing and killing a fox. The heartbreaking incident took place in West Camel, Somerset, on 11 November. Footage was captured on the home's security camera and given to North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs. The sabs uploaded the video to their Facebook page, and said: "'Sorry the hounds popped into your garden' says Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt Master Vicky Heal after the entire pack rampaged around in a frenzy, jumping up at windows, and ultimately killing a fox. Terriermen then barge in and grab the body parts without so much as a 'by your leave'! The kill is just out of sight behind a fence panel but the sickening noise as it happens is unbearable." One of the residents also thought her cat had been killed by the pack, too, but thankfully the pet returned home later that night. The sabs also uploaded another video recorded by a local of the terriermen removing the remains of the fox and driving off. BSV hounds trespass and kill a fox in a garden. Screenshot from residential security camera footage BSV master Vicky Heal apologies that the hounds "popped" into the residential garden. Screenshot from residential security camera footage One in a long list of kills The BSV has a reputation for blatantly breaking the law. Earlier this year, the hunt caused nationwide outrage when North Dorset Sabs' drone footage of BSV hounds killing a fox aired on Channel 4 News. The harrowing video, filmed on 4 December 2023, shows the hounds chasing a fox. The terrified animal seeks cover in a barn while hunt members and hounds surround the building. The footage then shows the fox running away, but she is caught by the hounds and ripped apart. Hunt staff watch on and do nothing to call the hounds off. They make sure that they retrieve the fox’s mauled body afterwards – presumably to get rid of the evidence. Because the incident made the mainstream media, the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) was forced to take token action, briefly suspending the hunt. But the BSV continued to hunt despite the suspension, reportedly with someone from the BHSA in attendance. This week, the North Dorset Sabs said: "We have been told that the BSV have a Community Protection Warning in place following the killing of the Pelsham Farm Fox in December. Without doubt Avon and Somerset Police must at the very least escalate this to a full Community Protection Notice with far stricter conditions. Four members of the hunt are in Poole Magistrates court in April for a 3 day trial after drone footage caught them hunting and killing the poor fox. 5 other members are also in court next year for public order offences from last season." Protect the Wild's annual report, A Case for a Proper Ban on Hunting, showed that the BSV was the most prolific offender of all the hunts of the 2023/24 season. Glen Black wrote in the report: "the BSV had approximately 96 meets during the 2023/24 season. A total of 29 meets or 30.2% involved chasing or killing a fox. If averaging the total number of foxes chased or killed, then the BSV chased or killed a fox nearly 47% of the time. Two of these meets also included chasing a hare and a deer. There was also one meet where the BSV’s hounds rioted onto a deer but didn’t reportedly chase any other animal." As well as being the hunt at the centre of our campaign asking The Newt in Somerset - 'the world's best boutique hotel' - t0 stop supporting these lawbreakers, we also regularly feature the BSV on Protect the Wild in news articles. Protect the Wild: Men from Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt charged with illegal hunting (June 2024) Protect the Wild: Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hunter guilty of ABH (April 2024) Protect the Wild: Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt murder or dig out foxes three times in one week (Sept 2023) It's time for a ban Enough is enough. This latest incident is just one of hundreds that the Labour government needs to take note of as it considers strengthening the Hunting Act. Protect the Wild argues that the government needs to get rid of ALL loopholes in the Act, and ensure that hunts who engage in reckless behaviour are immediately punished. It's time to consign the hunting of wildlife to the history books once and for all. Header image credit North Dorset Hunt saboteurs. Support the sabs! You can donate to North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs here.   SHARE     LIKE COMMENT RESTACK   © 2024 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ  Unsubscribe