Harrowing photos show hunting hound plummeting off bridge

West Norfolk Hunt hound left by hunt, aided by Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs

ELIZA EGRET

OCT 28

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Hunt saboteurs have captured the moment a hunting hound tumbled off a railway bridge. As Protect the Wild launches our new campaign to rehome the hounds, their photos are a clear example of how little hunts care for their dogs, despite their claims otherwise.

The pictures, published by Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs on 17 October, show the hound in mid-air. The sabs wrote:

"This is a West Norfolk Hound plummeting off a railway bridge onto the road face first."

The sabs told Protect the Wild what happened, saying:

"Hounds were scattered far and wide as the pack gave chase, urged on by huntsman Mikey Bell. They were only called off the line when the hounds followed the fox through a field of sheep, causing great distress on land that the hunt has been banned from entering. One hound was witnessed leaping from the top of a disused railway bridge, four metres onto a public road, injuring themself in the process, desperate to rejoin the pack, which was now over a mile away."

Bell was completely disinterested in the safety of the hound. The sabs said:

"It took Bell about an hour to gather his hounds. We think one was left behind, perhaps this hound if it limped off and collapsed. We did tell Mikey where this was, but all he did was blow his horn in that general direction before leaving the meet."

Unlike the hunt, the sabs at the scene immediately ran to help the dog. They said:

"We do not know the outcome for the dog but we are hopeful we will receive an update from the police or RSPCA."

Images of the hound falling off the bridge. Provided by Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs[/caption]

This is just one in a long list of incidents where hunts have neglected and endangered their hounds. Too often, this neglect results in the hounds dying. We have extensively covered news of hounds being killed on roads, knocked down on railway tracks, and even repeatedly falling down a mineshaft.

Protect the Wild's founder, Rob Pownall, said of this latest West Norfolk Foxhounds incident:

"As has been seen yet again, hounds have quite literally fallen victim to the reckless behaviour of those on horseback. And it’s even more disgusting that the hunting lobby continues to voice concern about the future of “their” hounds when the treatment of these animals hardly suggests much in the way of love for these animals."

Indeed, Protect the Wild has previously funded undercover investigations by the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT), exposing how hunts treat their dogs. One investigation revealed harrowing undercover footage showing the notorious Beaufort Hunt shooting dead four of its hounds. The videos showmen shooting the animals and carrying them off for disposal in wheelbarrows.

Fake concern

Protect the Wild has previously written about how the hunting industry often cries crocodile tears, arguing that hounds will have to be put down if Labour bans hunting. This is, of course, a falsehood to try to pull on the public's heartstrings.

Back in June, the Chair of the BHSA, William Astor – a Tory member of the House of Lords, and former Master and Chairman of the Old Berkshire Hunt – penned his own piece for The Telegraph.

He said:

“Hounds are pack animals, difficult to rehome. They are more likely to eat a sofa than sit on one. Does an incoming Labour government really want to be responsible for the unnecessary euthanasia of 12,000 animals?”

Of course, the public shouldn't be fooled by Astor's desperate attempt to save hunting by threatening to kill the very hounds that it uses to keep hunting alive. As Protect the Wild has recently shown, hounds could easily be rehomed - if the hunting industry actually wanted to do it.

Give hounds a happy life

Hounds don't need to continue to be controlled by hunts that continually abuse or murder them. Our founder Rob Pownall stated:

"Last week we launched a new campaign to not only shine a spotlight on hound welfare but to demonstrate that these animals can and should be given the chance of a happy life. A future where they’re rehomed is more than possible and we continue to prove it!