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For The Foxes March in Edinburgh 2018

March 26, 2018 by Tofu Temptress Leave a Comment

Fox hunting protest Edinburgh 2018
Seems reasonable.
Seems reasonable.

If you asked most people if fox hunting was banned in Scotland, they’d say yes it is. A piece of legislation was passed sixteen years ago by the Scottish Parliament called The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002. Most MSPs and members of the public thought this would mark an end to the barbaric practice of fox hunting in Scotland. We were first with the smoking ban and also this. Scotland was paving the way for progressive legislation in the UK! Or was it..?

A wonderful handmade sign.
A wonderful handmade sign.

Well, the trouble is that the Act has so many loopholes in it, that it’s simply not fit for purpose. Trail hunting is allowed (where horses and hounds are supposed to follow a scent trail only.) This is completely stupid, as trails of fox urine are laid (how do they even collect that?) and the hunts take place in areas where there are foxes running around. You can’t blame the hounds for following a trail of fox scent only to eventually find a real fox. It’s all a complete con. There’s an alternative to trail hunting called drag hunting, where non-animal scent is used in areas where there are no foxes. Doing drag hunting would lead to far fewer ‘accidental’ fox killings, but it seems the hunts are more than happy for these ‘accidents’ to happen pretty regularly.

One of the more subtle dressers.
One of the more subtle dressers.

Another type of hunting that’s allowed in Scotland is called ‘flushing to guns.’ This means that hounds are allowed to flush out a fox from cover, so the huntsmen can shoot the fox ‘humanely’. Give me a break. If Scotland likes to think of itself as so progressive, the government may have trouble explaining why only two dogs are allowed for this type of hunting in England and Wales, but a whole pack are allowed under Scottish law.

Many celebrities back the campaign.
Many celebrities back the campaign.

There were ten hunts in Scotland, mainly in the Borders, when the Act came into force. Today there are, erm, ten. So essentially it seems that the hunts are doing as they please and getting away with breaking the law on a weekly basis. The reason so much is known about the illegal activities of hunts in Scotland and elsewhere is because of the quite fearless Hunt Saboteurs. The hunt sabs are absolute heroes in my eyes. They literally (and I mean literally) risk life and limb to expose illegal hunts, document what they find on film and stop foxes from being killed.

Representing the wonderful hunt sabs
Representing the wonderful hunt sabs

Hunt sabs are regularly verbally and physically abused by those participating in illegal hunts, many of whom are members of the establishment who presumably feel they should be above the law. I could go on and on about how wonderful the sabs are, but I’ll let you read more about their relentless bravery on their website. They save hounds who have got themselves into accidents though running across roads or getting caught in fences when the hunt doesn’t care. They trek miles on foot across uneven fields for hours on end to protect the lives of the foxes. They endure abuse from the hunts and apathy from the police at every turn and still go back for more.

There were many costumes
There were many costumes

   And so, it was on Saturday 24th March that over five hundred people, including me, took part in a protest march in Edinburgh. We marched from St. Giles cathedral, down the Royal Mile, to the Scottish Parliament building. There were people dressed as foxes, people blowing hunting horns and everyone was there to spread the message that the hunt should be banned. An overwhelming majority – 80% of our fellow Scots – want to see an end to fox hunting in Scotland. There were representatives from Scottish Labour, the Scottish Greens and the SNP. Also speaking were IFAW, The League Against Cruel Sports and the main organiser, One Kind – an Edinburgh based charity that opposes animal cruelty.

For The Foxes
For The Foxes

We will get this done. It’s only a matter of time.
#ForTheFoxes

Filed Under: Vegan News Tagged With: animals, cruelty, fox hunting, foxes, protest

Foxes Rock

September 8, 2015 by Tofu Temptress 1 Comment

Foxes have been in the news a bit recently and it seems everyone has an opinion. There are those who feel animosity towards foxes after some reports in the media that they have attacked children in urban areas. I find this to be an overreaction for reasons I’ll come to later, but it also seems that those in the country support fox hunting as a way to control these so-called pests, as they steal lambs and chickens and soft city folk ‘just don’t understand our ways.’ They can be seen as a nuisance, getting into bin bags and causing a mess and ‘invading’ our space. They are represented as wily and cunning in literature and perhaps not altogether trustworthy. So, what are we to make of all this?

At home in a suburban garden
At home in a suburban garden

Well, foxes are the most widely spread species of wild dog in the world and are hugely adaptable, living in just about any kind of environment you can think of. They are related to our beloved canine companions and carry some of the same traits. In fact, it takes as little as three generations of selectively breeding foxes to start the domestication process – to have them develop floppier ears and even have their tales become less fluffy. It seems though that their adaptability has made them unpopular in areas where, let’s face it, humans have taken over their  territory, not the other way round.

Those in rural areas are just as opposed to fox hunting as suburbanites
Those in rural areas are just as opposed to fox hunting as suburbanites

Let’s start with the country. People in rural areas are portrayed as disparaging of any compassion shown towards foxes as they are a pest that must be dealt with. This theory has several holes in it, not least as the views of country people are horribly misrepresented. In fact, 80% of those in rural areas oppose fox hunting. In a study this month, fox hunting came seventeenth in a list of eighteen ‘field sports’ just beating swimming outdoors which took the bottom spot (Swimming outdoors? In Britain? Seriously?) Anyway, as for foxes taking lambs, less than 1% of lamb losses in the UK can be attributed to foxes, with a far greater number of deaths due to cold, neglect and general lack of care by farmers. Also, the costs of foxes praying on poultry are so low as to be negligible. 94% of chickens in this country are factory farmed, so not only do they not see any sunlight or grass, they also don’t encounter foxes. Husbandry practices appear a far more likely cause of death in not only sheep, but also other livestock, so perhaps we should get those practices sorted out before blaming foxes for everything.

Foxes are the farmers' friend
Foxes are the farmers’ friend

And crop farmers should be thanking foxes, as due to their diet of rabbits, they save those businesses more than £7 million a year.

Some complain of pheasants being targeted, but to be honest, if people are breeding pheasants in inhumane cages only for them to be released and shot by posh people with nothing better to do, then I’m glad the foxes at least get some benefit out of this bizarre practice.

It also appears that fox hunting has nothing whatsoever to do with population control. The numbers of foxes in the country have not been affected by fox hunting. There are no more foxes now than there were before the fox hunting ban was introduced. I always chuckled at the idea of fox hunting as a means of keeping fox numbers down. I mean, if you called an exterminator for say, a rat in your attic, you’d probably be a tad surprised if he turned up with a whole bunch of his mates on horseback and a pack of dogs in tow to deal with the problem. There are certainly efficiency issues with that approach. (By the way, if you do have any ‘pest’ problems, find humane ways to deal with them here.)

 

Lots of householders feed foxes
Lots of householders feed foxes

And so to the city and the suburbs. It seems if you feed foxes in the city you are seen as an enabler of chaos, an encourager of ‘invaders.’ Well, in fact, foxes have a pretty liberal approach to food. They’ll mostly eat berries, insects and maybe some mice and birds. If you feed a fox, it’ll give you an opportunity to see them in your garden, which can be fascinating, but as with any wild animal, it’s unadvisable to invite them indoors. The only reason for this is that most people are not fond of having a fox nick food off the kitchen bench or poop on their couch.

Foxes have no motivation to attack humans
Foxes have no motivation to attack humans

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, foxes are not in the business of attacking anyone. For one thing, it’s not in their interests to literally bite the hand that feeds them. Also, it’s a terrific waste of energy to say, bite a child, as has been reported in the media, and then run off with no food. Also, in several cases the fox who supposedly attacked a child hung around waiting to be chased away. This is at best questionable. Most of the ‘attacks’ reported by the media were found to be unlikely, given that the bites on the children were not consistent with fox bites, but with dog bites. In one case, the family involved were known to have gotten rid of their dog soon after the incident. Foxes being portrayed as a threat is bogus, as they are little bigger than your average pet cat. They are physically unable to upturn bins, although if another creature has done that they’ll be happy to scavenge from it. Foxes never just kill for fun. They carefully store any excess food they may come across for later – a practice that I feel humans could learn from.

Foxes can be fascinating to watch
Foxes can be fascinating to watch

 

The government recently cancelled a vote on the ‘relaxing’ of fox hunting laws, as they figured out it was a vote they would lose. Fox hunting is nothing to do with fox control and everything to do with toffs getting their kicks from chasing after and then destroying a defenceless animal. Recently, an undercover investigation found that foxes were being bred in captivity to supply the hunt, which is screwed up to put it mildly. Have a look at this video by The League Against Cruel Sports and see for yourself..

Foxes rock
Foxes rock

The vast majority of the British public oppose hunting, but even if they didn’t, when the only defence offered up for a barbaric practice is ‘tradition’ the discussion should be over. Foxes deserve to be defended, not persecuted. Foxes rock.

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: ban, fox, foxes, hunting, wildlife

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