Concerned Conservationist

You can make a difference by attending a fox hunt and observing, recording and reporting what you see. Bearing witness is one of the most powerful ways of giving foxes the voice they currently don’t have in order to protect them.

Thousands of foxes each week are hunted and killed up and down the country. The majority of the deaths are illegal and cause unnecessary cruelty and suffering at the hands of people who do this purely for their own pleasure. Most of these deaths are not accidental, as hunts persistently claim. They are as a result of proactive hunting, persecution and killing using hounds.

If you care about our wildlife and want to help stop foxes, badgers, deer and other creatures from being persecuted and killed, you can help. Just by being present at a hunt and bearing witness, you can make a real difference. Please don’t feel daunted by this or fearful. If we can get enough people out there regularly, there is strength in numbers.

The majority of the general public (over 84%) want to see hunting with hounds banned completely, but currently there is no political will, and the law is not being properly enforced. This allows those hunts that are hunting illegally to do so with impunity, and their behaviours show a staggering and arrogant disregard both for the law, as well as for the creatures they kill. The Conservative government, which has now been elected by a majority vote, actively supports fox hunting and badger culling – both are a war on our wildlife that is politically and not ecologically driven.

We need more ordinary members of the public to join together and simply have a presence and record, monitor and where appropriate report what they see. You can be a part of this.

With the support of the Conservatives, hunts will now undoubtedly feel they can increase their war on our wildlife, which they do for their own pleasure. Do you really want that to happen?

Please make a stand and help protect our natural heritage. All you need to do is simply stand and monitor hunt activity, peacefully and lawfully, and record and report what you see.

Here’s how you can help and what you need to know.

Bear Witness

Find out the dates of where the next hunt is in your area, or if you are willing to travel further afield, check hunts in other areas.

Get two or three willing friends together who will join you. Attend the hunt at a point where you can see they are actively hunting.

You will attract attention from the hunt supporters because you will be a new face. Hunts are wary of anyone new observing them. If they are hunting illegally, they do not like to come under scrutiny so hunt supporters are likely to ask you who you are. Please do not divulge any personal information. Simply, answer politely that they have no right to ask you for any information.

You are likely to be seen as an “anti” even though you are a concerned member of the public. If you are then challenged, harassed or harried by hunt supporters, explain calmly that you are a member of the public and they are breaking the law by harassing you. The harassment takes on different forms and levels. It can involve several hunt supporters playing very loud music close to you designed both to distract you and to stop you from hearing what the hunt is up to. This is unlawful. If they think you are an “anti”, they may film you in an intimidating and harassing way. This is unlawful. These are the bullying tactics they use and often it is these tactics that put people off being present at a hunt. It can indeed be daunting and scary, but please do not be discouraged. You are peacefully and lawfully observing the hunt and they are breaking the law if they harass you. Many hunts have been documented becoming physically aggressive towards known saboteurs, and some cases have been taken to court, with varying degrees of success. Be reassured that you are unlikely to be physically attacked as an ordinary member of the public.

Report to the police

If you are harassed, please report this to the police immediately and obtain an incident number. If you feel your safety being threatened in any way, immediately ring 999 and request assistance. If it is lower level harassment it is still nevertheless unlawful and should be reported to the police by dialling 101. This will take some patience, and depends on your local police force, its resources, and whether or not they have a rural wildlife crime team. Be persistent and make sure you get an incident number. You need to make a judgement call on the level of severity and how you feel, but if you do genuinely feel threatened, request help immediately, and remove yourself from the area. Saboteur groups have given up reporting the harassment they suffer largely because they feel police ignore them because they are saboteurs, and the saboteurs have now lost faith. However, the police and our MPs cannot ignore numerous reports from members of the public and the more that people who do this, the more the police will have to take notice, and take action. Please do not make false reports. Also, you are likely to need evidence of the harassment, so if it feels safe to do so, then photograph or film the treatment you are receiving. Body cams are the better way of doing this, but you can also use a mobile phone.

Please don’t engage with the saboteurs present. The hunt will automatically view you as being a “sab” and mete out the same treatment they incessantly give to the saboteurs. It is important that you remain impartial and be seen as a member of the public.

For additional safety and to witness and record, please attend with at least one other person, but ideally three or four of you. Stay with your group at all times. Record and monitor everything you witness and report to the police if you see any illegal activity such as overloaded quad bikes, harassment of saboteurs and members of the public, trespass, fox hunting, sett blocking. Witnessing sett blocking is a different matter, but you may live in an area where you can actively monitor badger setts. If you see people digging at badger setts ring 999 immediately. If you find a blocked sett, report it using 101 and also report to your local badger group and the national Badger Trust, which is compiling a national database of sett blocking.

Help to increase awareness of illegal activities

If you are brave enough to be quoted in the media, that would be great. Currently hunts up and down the country blatantly lie to the press with their stock phrases of trail hunting and accidental kills, and complain of saboteurs distracting hounds, which is nonsensical in most cases as there is usually only a handful of them present. Hunts seem to forget that they are responsible for controlling their own hounds. The more quotes that the media can obtain from ordinary members of the public the better. This will show everyone what is really happening. If you do not wish to have your name reported, you can request that you remain anonymous, but your testimony can still be published.

By getting out and observing and recording, it will all help to bring hunts under increased scrutiny which is what is needed. The majority of hunts are blatantly breaking the law and getting away with it. We need the general public to engage in greater numbers.

Hunts are known for their intimidating tactics, and it can be very daunting, but please do not let this deter you. We still have laws in this country designed to protect you and if members of the public are out in groups, you will be safer.

The more people out there bearing witness, the more the supporters will have to contend with and this alone will help to curtail their harassing and bullying behaviours.

So to help protect our wildlife do the most powerful thing you can do. Bear witness, and encourage as many people as possible to join you.