Hunting with dogs is just not a natural act
WITH reference to Giles Bradshaw's letter, Return of predators would bring balance, Points of View, March 24, on reading this page at breakfast, I nearly fell off my chair in surprise by the fact that this gentleman would actually be in agreement with me.
He does not understand how I could want foxes and deer to be chased, caught and torn apart by predators.
Much as I hate watching it on TV, this is a natural process, quick and clean, after a short chase. Wild animals do not waste energy. Hunting with dogs is not natural.
A few years ago a young fox was rescued from a hunt in Sussex by a hunt saboteur and a compassionate policeman, who put his helmet over the hole that the fox had used as an escape. He refused to allow the hunt to dig out the fox.
The fox was placed into a container and taken to a local vet.
The wildlife vet said that the fox would have died without prompt attention, not because of the bites he had received in the back and the legs, but of the effect of extreme stress and exhaustion, which had caused him to bleed from internal organs, particularly his kidneys. He was eventually released, fit and well, into a hunt-free area.
I just wonder how much damage Mr Bradshaw is doing to the deer on his land which he takes such pleasure in flushing out with his dogs.
Joan Jones
Devon Heath
Chudleigh Knighton
(by post)
Comments
by Will, New Forest
Monday, March 30 2009, 5:38PM
“So you would prefer Mr Giles not to scare off some deer over two or three fields and off his land. You would prefer that he follows the Hunting Act 2004 which states that he MUST shoot those same deer dead ASAP even though he does not want to? If he does not shoot them ASAP he is breaking the law. But all he wants to be able to scare those deer away. Chasing them over a couple feilds is not going to cause long term stress to an animal that can run hundreds of miles is it?!
The Burns Report, commissioned to look into Hunting and produced by experts, found that Hunted prey very rapidly return to normal after the conclusion of a chase if they are not caught. They found it was unlikely there would be any side effects. Prey are designed to evade predators after all!
The Burns report concluded by saying that it was not possible to say Hunting was cruel and if asked if it was, their answer would be No! Perhaps Joan should go read that independant Government commissioned report!”