Fox hunting incident ruins tourist's holiday

Martin Shipton

A tourist had her holiday in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park ruined when she saw hounds from a fox hunt chase an exhausted and terrified fox.

The holidaymaker, whose first name is Susannah and who comes from near Windsor in Berkshire, witnessed the fox running for its life with hounds from the Sennybridge Farmers Hunt on its trail, by a set of holiday homes near the National Show Caves Centre for Wales, which attracts tourists from all over the world.

Although she didn’t see it, Susannah believes the fox may have been caught and torn apart by the hounds as she later heard the chilling sound of the dogs in cry, the noise they make when they go in for the kill.

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Disturbed

Susannah said: “I was extremely disturbed when I saw the fox being chased by the hounds. The poor thing looked terrified and completely exhausted, its tongue hanging out – it didn’t look right at all.

“I don’t think it got away as I later heard the sound of hounds baying by the caves.

“This shows we need a proper national ban as otherwise fox hunting is never going away.”

John Petrie, senior campaigns manager for the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “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.

“In the meantime we need national park authorities across Wales and England to do everything in their power to prevent fox hunts from rampaging across our land.”

The incident, which has been reported to the police, took place early in the morning on Wednesday, September 25.

Cub hunting

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.

A man belonging to the hunt who came in a car to pick up the hounds after the incident claimed the hunt was trail hunting.

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”.

Mr Petrie added: “Currently we are getting distressing reports from across Wales and England of incidents involving the barbaric practice of cub hunting, something which will horrify the vast majority of the public.

“The courts and police need new powers to tackle the brutal blood sport of fox hunting – the government needs to publish a timetable of when it is going to strengthen hunting laws and finally consign this sordid activity to the history books.”

“Fox hunting was banned when the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005 but the hunting world invented so called trail hunting, though this has become increasingly discredited and revealed as an attempt to deceive the public, police and courts.”

The incident was reported by Susannah to the League’s Animal Crimewatch service which enables the public to report incidents of animal cruelty.

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