Rethinking the hunting ban?

On The Wright stuff this morning the panel are talking about the PM's are reviewing the ban on fox hunting.

I'm not sure where I stand on this, I am neither for or against hunting - it isn't something that has particularly concerned me.

So what are your opinions? (I'm going on what has been said, I'm not certain - so correct me if I'm wrong here) Baring in mind when the hunting ban came into effect; not only foxes are protected, animals like hares and deer are also protected under this law.. so if they did take the ban off hunting we could see a major decline in the animals protected now, and hares of which are a rare sight (well I've seen one in 20 years) would be pretty much gone..

I have to admit I always found it a bit odd that hunting foxes with dogs was banned, yet you could still shoot one. Surely then you could potentially injure rather than kill, leaving the fox to die a prolonged death in agony rather than at least a guaranteed quicker death from the dogs?

Hares aren't that rare here, we have a breeding pair right in our front garden

I will be glad to see it lifted.

Regards protected species being more vulnerable if the ban iS lifted, they were not vulnerable before so why should they be after.

I'm not sure that they will get it lifted tbh. It would be great if it were though! I went on one of the marches in London to protest against it, although knew at the time, it wouldn't work

The major problem with hares, since the ban, is that landowners are shooting them to get rid of them. This stops the poachers, who are a nasty lot (a lot wouldn't think twice about violence). Landowners don't want these types on their land.

I will certainly be watching it with interest.

Helen

Blimey, I see hares all the time in certain parts of the country, just cos you do not see them, don't mean they are not there.

As I said - that is what I heard, I have only ever seen one but I am not that naive to think there isn't more.

Personally i hope they dont lift the ban, for me hunting with hounds is no better then cock fighting, badger baiting and the likes.

While i have never took part in a hunt i grew up around them and witnessed them first hand. I also grew up on a small holding with rare breed poulty so i know what damage a fox can do.

There are many reasons i dont agree with it the mian one being i dont think it is a humane or effect way of controlling foxes. My BIL gets called in to deal with problem foxes since the ban now. He goes into the fields waits for the fox and then shots it, instant death and the fox shot is the one being a problem for the most part.

The hunt chases the fox for hours and then it gets torn apart! If it was all about control then why were the hounds not bred for speed over stamina? There is also the matter of they often dont even get the right fox. We had a problem fox who preyed on livestock, he was a younger fox and a cunning devil. A couple of times the hunt came out and once they caught an older fox and another time a vixen not the problem dog fox who was ofter spotted two villages over from where the hunt was. Not sure what happened to him in the end but the farmers had a grudging respect for him! But the older fox and the vixen where not causing a problem, after all we do need some foxes to keep the other pest down - rabbits, yet they still died.

Other things i have seen that make me think less of the hunt are I have seen horses with broken winds gasping for air and the idiot on top saying they had plenty of running left in them yet. We had a cat killed by the hounds for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our neighbour who was a farmer hated them going though his land but had no choice as he didnt own it. They had ran through his crops and a field pregnant ewes so he had reason so dislike them!

As much as those in favour of hunting say a fox is killed outright by dogs, I cant believe it. It's not the controlling of foxes I disagree with, I just cant stomach the thought of anything being ripped to shreds or set upon by another animal so thats why I disagree with fox hunting with dogs.

Although hares are not as common as rabbits, you have to know where to find them and I see them quite regularly because the dogs put them out. However, they are one of our wild animals which are in decline (if organisations such as the Wildlife Trust is to be believed) because of farming practices and pest control etc so I would not like to see hare coursing become legal again.

I completely agree with this.

I am pro shooting but fox hunting is a country 'sport' that I cannot abide. If the foxes were hunted and then shot immediately for pest control purposes I would not have a problem with it. But I do not agree with chasing an animal to exhaustion and then having a pack of hounds rip it apart. I'm not sure how anyone could profess to being an animal lover and agree with that?

Not only do I hope they retain the ban, but I hope they start enforcing it better than they are doing at present.

We see literally dozen upon dozen hares around the lanes here and particularly on the golf course