Hounds from a fox hunt ran riot in the Somerset village of Oake earlier this month, forcing a primary school to evacuate children from their playground and shelter indoors, and scaring local residents.
Fox hunt hounds run amok
Between 20 and 30 unattended hounds were seen running loose in fields next to the Oake, Bradford and Nynehead Primary School on a Monday lunchtime forcing the teachers to bring their pupils inside.
Some of the hounds were seen being hit by cars and vans on the main road running through the village and dog walkers felt intimidated as the hounds rampaged through local fields.
Hunt horns were heard in the distance before a terrier man – individuals employed by hunts to dig up foxes that have fled underground – arrived on a quad bike, in Taunton Vale Harriers branded clothing, and attempted to round up the hounds.
Local resident Melissa Nutton was walking her French bulldogs in a field near the school when she was surrounded by the hunt hounds. She said:
I was absolutely terrified and fearful for my dogs, especially my little one Remy, and have never felt threatened like that before. They’re still hunting I’m sure.
Mary Parker saw the hounds spilling out over the busy main road. She said “It was very disturbing and upsetting. I really felt for the poor hounds but their behaviour could have caused a serious road traffic accident”.
Appalling treatment of dogs
John Petrie, senior campaigns manager for the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It’s clear that a fox hunt was taking place and wreaked havoc on this otherwise peaceful village, scaring and intimidating local residents and school kids”:
It’s also clear they weren’t trail hunting, the discredited excuse commonly used by hunts as a smokescreen to hide old fashioned illegal fox hunting, as who on earth would lay a trial through a village and next to a school.
It’s time for change and for fox hunting laws to be strengthened, with so called trail hunting banned, loopholes in the law removed, and custodial sentences introduced for those that break the law.
The incident, which has been reported to Somerset police, took place around midday on Monday 7 October.
Rachael Pearson, a former veterinary nurse, saw some of the hounds limping and being loaded up into a car after the incident, and filmed a passenger punching one of the dogs. She said: “As someone who works with animals, I found the treatment of the hounds absolutely disgusting”:
It’s shocking that fox hunting is still going on in this day and age and it must have been so upsetting for the school children. I couldn’t sleep that night.
Fox hunting: still legal
The timing of the incident is consistent with the barbaric practice of cub hunting in which hunt hounds are taught to kill young foxes in preparation for the fox hunting season beginning in November.
Trail hunting has been described by Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, the most senior police officer in England with responsibility for fox hunting crime, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”. He also described illegal hunting as “prolific”.
John added: “The police and courts need new powers to tackle the scourge of fox hunting so that this brutal, sordid blood sport is consigned to the history books once and for all.”
The Oake, Somerset incident was reported to the League’s Animal Crimewatch service which enables the public to report incidents of animal cruelty.
The public can phone the service on 0300 444 1234 or email [email protected] or WhatsApp at 0755 278 8247
Featured image via the Canary
