We've got a resident sparrowhawk that sits on a ledge outside the bedroom window and ambushes small birds flying past at dusk. It's fascinating to watch it in action.

The boyfriend sounds nice

No its defo not worked around here, if anything id say they seem to be hunting more! seems to of spurred everyone on, exuse the pun

aussies dont really have any bans?

not seen any foxhunting but sadly we do have hare coursing here in the Fens - the 'gallant' participants turn up in their vans with their lurchers on a regular basis even though I have called the police out several times .

Also pheasant shooting happens here every Autumn - so sad !

I have no wish to get involved in this argument again: I am merely curious as to why the "prey animals" run away, if this is the case?

Snorri
(BSc Animal Behaviour)

about the hunting...i am SO ANTI...i just read here and most of the people beleive that in all country are rulles of hunting animals and i am here eye witness to tell you what happening few weeks ago( i was just walking on the hill when in front of my eyes 2 hunts appear with a dead deer...they shoot her and they just wanted to go home with her...and as i saw this i start to put them questions...they start to run away from me...from nowhere a car come take this 2 and run and i start to run to chach them so just imagine me and 20 dogs arround me running to catch a car....tragic, they let all there dogs there and run away...in all this time i was with the mobile on my ear calling 112 to ask for help....the help didnt come NEVER ( i take my car and finally i found them and i call to the police and what happening to them? NOTHING ...the answer was that dogs kill the deer accidentaly (( This is Romania and i just wanted to write you to say my off as i am felling so helpless and what can i do?

gosh, that was a blast from the past

Regarding the comment about the Burns report: without looking up the reference (i.e. who gave that opinion in the report and in what context) I took that to mean that the hares moved away from the disturbance but did not realise that a particular dog was capable of actually coming to terms with it.

A hare will only run as fast as the dog behind it - hence the number of people who claim that their dog nearly caught the hare If they believed that their life was in danger from every dog they would flatten their ears and go flat out every time, but they don't. They skip around a few inches from the dog's muzzle, however slow the dog is.

Similarly the first part of your quote: disturbance, followed by fight or flight response (in this case flight), followed by escape - reinforcing the belief that the noise/disturbance is not a life threatening event.

What I was trying to get at is that when an animal is hunted by hounds it is either escapes or is killed. If it has escaped unharmed several times (as in the case of the hare mentioned above which may have been chased by unfit pooches and escaped every time), when it first senses a dog it will be anticipating a disturbance rather than death - because it has no existential concept of anything other than what it has previously experienced, i.e. escape.

That's a bit rambly .... sorry ...

hi Snorri, I came back to this thread because I realised my reply to you was rambling on and didn't answer your question.

I believe it's the same reason why the rabbits that are grazing my flowerbeds scatter when I open my back door and step outside.

I think they are startled, and nature has programmed them to run rather than stand and fight when startled. I don't think they are in fear of their life though, any more than the mice and birds that dash for cover.

I did a lot of hunting in my teens down in hampshire.......
I agree that foxes are vermin and have to admit i enjoy hunting- but only for the thrill of galloping and jumping with a herd of horses. i was one of those awful people who would turn a blind eye rather than holler if the fox crept out from the bush i was guarding,..........and send the hunt on a goose chase the other direction!!

So i am pro hunt..........just don't like seeing anything killed....happy to admit hypocrisy!!!

To the point- i know my hunt down south still operates strong as ever.........but have never seen any up in the midlands since moving here..........

is it a regional devide?

Nope, they are still very much active!!!!!!!!!