UPDATE FROM LEGAL JUSTICE & MORE ON THE WOODCOCK

 Woodcock: Our petition asking for a change to the shooting season of Woodcock will be debated this afternoon at 430pm.  Thank you to all of you who have sent your MP a briefing on this subject. Big organisations send their briefings directly to MPs but we think that you are the best person to tell your MP what you think - and if our briefing is in line with your views then feel free to use it. Have a look here - click here.

 

Westminster Hall debates allow backbench MPs to debate issues shown to be important to the public by dint of passing 100,000 signatures in a petition. The debates are non-binding on the government. However, the last two speakers in such debates are an opposition shadow minister (we think it will be Alex Sobel MP, Leeds North West) and a government minister (we think  it will be Trudy Harrison MP, Copeland). It is an opportunity to put the government on the spot and call for change - that's what you have helped to do if you signed the Woodcock petition.

 

 

You can watch the debate online on the Parliament You Tube channel on Monday 27 February from 16:30 - click here for link.

 

 

Lead in game meat: today a paper is published on the ongoing failure of the shooting industry to remove toxic lead shot from the human food chain. Three years into a 5-year initiative the progress has been practically zero. At this rate it will take another 47 years to get rid of lead from food. Wild Justice has been very tangentially involved in this particular study but we have our own 'lead in meat' results coming soon so this is a useful introduction to the subject for new subscribers. 

 

Here is a link to our blog on the subject - click here - which also has a link to the detailed study published today. 

 

We believe that lead ammunition should be banned, on human health and environmental grounds.

 

 

And a thank you: a mammal gave us £2000 last week - for lack of details click here. 

 

 

Our next newsletter: we'll comment on the Woodcock debate and we think we may have some other news too but the next newsletter is likely to be towards the end of the week as we are rushing around doing other things... 

 

 

If you like what we do and would like to make a general donation which will be used across our range of work, then please consider donating through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here. Thank you for all your donations.

 

That's it for now. We couldn't do any of this without you.    

 

Thank you,

 

Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).

 

SABS REPORT AGAIN ON A BRAVE DAY OUT TO STOP THE KILLING

Here is the latest news from the HSA.

On Wednesday over 50 sabs joined Devon County Hunt Sabs to take part in a mass sab on Dartmoor to scupper the day’s fox hunting planned by the Two Bridges Hunt Club: the Dartmoor Hunt, Spooners & West Dartmoor Hunt, Mid Devon Hunt and the South Devon Hunt.

Perversely, the meet – which was hosted by the Dartmoor Hunt at the Princes Hall Hotel – is held every year to mark the anniversary of the Hunting Act. Their plan was to spend the day killing Dartmoor’s foxes, however sabs from all over the south – and Ireland – totally ruined their day, with a number of foxes helped to safety.

Groups included: Plymouth & West Devon Hunt Sabs, Somerset Sabs, Bath Hunt Saboteurs, Mendip Hunt Sabs, Bristol Hunt Saboteurs, Reading Hunt Saboteurs, Weymouth Animal Rights, North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs, Wiltshire Hunt Sabs, Surrey Hunt Sabs, South Coast Hunt Sabs and Leinster Hunt Saboteurs.

Dartmoor landowner Alexander Darwall owns the 4,000-acre Blachford estate. His estate is used for hunting and shooting and he is listed as a member of the Dartmoor Hunt. He recently got wild camping banned on his land. This mass sab was also in solidarity with the Right to Roam movement. Dartmoor should be a safe place for wildlife, not a playground for bloodsport junkies.

The weather was typically wet and wild, there was even snow! Between all of the sab groups and excellent sab runners, there was no escape for the hunters.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the HSA. The South Devon Hunt was the first hunt ever to be sabbed in 1963. While they keep hunting, we will keep sabbing.

THE HUNT SABS - SEEMINGLY GUILTY CAUGHT ON CCTV

Here is the latest news from the HSA.

Hounds from the West Norfolk Hunt have invaded the garden of an elderly woman and killed a fox on her patio. The hunt terrier man can be seen climbing into the garden and furtively removing the body whilst the hounds are left to roam the garden.The incident happened on Monday 20th February in the vicinity of Hingham, Norfolk. CCTV footage shows hounds hunting through gardens whilst being actively encouraged by the huntsman. No attempt is made to stop the hounds from chasing the fox. 

The terrified fox seeks refuge in a fenced patio area but the hounds chase it there, corner it and kill it. The West Norfolk Hunt terrier man then scales a six foot high fence, furtively removes the fox’s body and escapes through a gate, making no effort to remove the pack of hounds from the private property.

This awful incident was witnessed by the terrified homeowner, who had been enjoying a peaceful spring afternoon in her own home prior to the hunt invasion. It is now being investigated by Norfolk Police.

A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson commented:

Sadly this is not an unusual situation, the only thing unusual about it is the excellent CCTV coverage of the kill. Just weeks after the leaked Avon Vale video once again showed the world the depravity of the hunting community you would expect the hunts to be on their best behaviour but it appears they just can’t control themselves. Hunts are organised criminal gangs who think the law doesn’t apply to them. We commend the courageous householder for being prepared to take a stand against this shocking act and sharing it with the world.”

Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Sabs said:

Our thoughts are with the family who’ve had to endure this frightening and deeply shocking crime in their own home. We understand the homeowner’s elderly mother is undergoing chemotherapy and was resting at her daughters home at the time. We particularly sympathise with her situation and wish her well.

Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt saboteurs regularly attend illegal hunts conducted by the West Norfolk Foxhounds. We have observed and recorded them routinely hunting outside of the law as well as a litany of associated crimes. The West Norfolk Foxhounds have a well earned reputation for violence and intimidation meted out to sabs and local residents alike.

This week is the 18th anniversary of the hunting act. The act is clear, hunting animals with a pack of dogs is illegal. We call for the full enforcement of the law to bring hunters and the complicit landowners who host them to justice.”

The post West Norfolk Hunt Invade Garden and Kill Fox appeared first on Hunt Saboteurs Association.

WOODCOCK SHOOTING

         

FROM ME - ANOTHER SUCCESS FOR PUBLIC OPINION MAKING THE LEGISLATORS THINK

FROM WILD JUSTICE

         Our petition asking for a change to the shooting season of Woodcock will be debated next Monday - here we ask you to get in touch with your MP about this issue.  Also raptor news, renewed thanks for your actions on SSSIs, a heads-up on glyphosate and a word about our next newsletter.

Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay (Wild Justice) want the

opening of the Woodcock shooting season to be pushed back to 1 December. 160,000 Woodcock are shot for fun across the UK whilst their population is declining. The Defra Secretary of State has powers to vary

the shooting season.

MORE ON THE TERRIERMEN WITH PHOTOS SHOWING WHO THEY ARE

 Work: The Soft Underbelly Of Illegal Fox Hunting

Following a number of recent scandals, hunting’s governing body – the British Hound Sports Association – has announced a ‘review’ of terrier work. But what is this secretive practice and why is it so important to the criminal fox hunters?

At first sight, fox hunting looks like the random pursuit of foxes across the countryside…let a pack of hounds loose and hope for the best.

The reality is very different: fox hunting is, in fact, a highly organised, pre-meditated activity, designed to guarantee the pursuit of foxes for the enjoyment of paying subscribers. Hunt terriermen play a crucial role in this process behind the scenes. 

Terriermen

Terriermen are a familiar sight on fox hunts. They travel on quad bikes which allow them easy access to the woods and fields where they ply their grim trade. Typically, there is a grilled box on the front of the quad containing a couple of terriers, with a longer box on the back for their tools: spades, digging bars, drainage rods, nets, and other equipment.

Earth Stopping

It is totally unnatural for a predator like a fox to run for extended periods. Their first line of defence when hunted is to ‘go to earth’ – to seek refuge underground. But this is a serious impediment to the fox hunters, who want to enjoy the spectacle of a terrified fox being hunted across open fields.

The first job of the terriermen is therefore to trap foxes above ground on the day of the hunt. They achieve this by visiting all known fox earths, badger setts, and other potential refuges the night before the hunt and ‘stopping’ them – filling them in – with earth or other material.

The next day, the hunted fox will make for a known refuge, find it blocked, and be forced to run on, thus producing the extended chase that the subscribers are paying for.

Terrier Work

Despite the best efforts of the ‘earth stoppers’, a hunted fox may eventually find an unblocked refuge during the course of the hunt. Again, this is an interruption to the subscriber’s ‘sport’ and, again, terriermen are crucial to getting the day back on track.

Brutalised terriers are sent into the hole to locate the fox and attack her underground. These days, terriers are fitted with a locator collar that transmits their exact location back to the terriermen above ground. While the terrier savages the fox, the terriermen will dig down – often several feet – to expose their terrified victim.

GUIILTY ON CÁMARA?

HUNT SABOTEURS ASSOCIATION

www.huntsabs.org.uk

Fed up with the constant interference and blocking up of badger setts by the Sir Watkin Williams Wynn (Wynnstay) Hunt, activists decided something had to be done and a plan was hatched to catch the suspects in the act.

On 3rd February, they did just that. The Wynnstay’s huntsman Christopher Woodward and whipper in Charlie Young were caught red-handed blocking a badger sett near Whitchurch, Shropshire, in preparation for the following day’s hunting in the area. Sabs confronted the two, who quickly scarpered the scene.

Just three weeks prior, the two were also caught on camera blocking the same sett.

Hunt staff such as Woodward and Young take orders and are directed by hunt masters. One of these for the Wynnstay Hunt is Lord Daresbury (Peter Greenhall) who sits on the board of the Countryside Alliance. It seems this blatant wildlife crime goes all the way to the top.

Hunts block badger setts to prevent foxes escaping hounds and ‘going to ground’. Badger setts have been protected since 1992 against acts like obstructing access and being interfering with, but this cruel, yet routine activity happens regularly across the UK.

Despite badgers ability to live underground and with lower levels of oxygen, in some cases badgers can suffocate underground as a result of their setts being damaged.

The post Wynnstay Huntsman Caught Red-Handed Blocking Badger Sett appeared first on Hunt Saboteurs Association.

(I Have not included photos. The said perpetrators can be seen on the Sabs website)

WELL DONE SABS

 WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT SIXTY YEARS AND STILL DOING IT. WELL DONE TO THE SABS.

Here is the latest news from the HSA.

2023 is the 60th anniversary of the Hunt Saboteurs Association, the oldest direct action organisation in the world.  To celebrate we’ve given away sixty thousand pounds, one thousand to each of our affiliated local groups.  We’re able to give such a large sum because the HSA is run entirely by volunteers and all donations received from our generous supporters go directly to support sabs in the field.  

As the recently exposed Avon Vale video shows, hunts across the country are routinely flouting the Hunting Act and chasing and killing wildlife. Sabs are the only people who directly intervene to save hunted animals and they’re supported to do so by the Hunt Saboteurs Association.

To celebrate our 60th birthday we’ll be sharing videos from our celebrity supporters throughout the year. The first of which is from actor and animal rights activist Peter Egan who has been a staunch supporter of the HSA for many years.

A spokesperson commented 

We’re incredibly proud of our history and the fact we’ve achieved so much without paid staff but we’re even prouder of the support we’re able to give to sabs as they intervene between the hunters and their quarry. This is a significant sum that we’re giving away to mark our anniversary but over the years we’ve given far more and will continue to do so whilst hunt saboteurs are required.