Atherstone Hunt

The Atherstone Hunt is a United Kingdom foxhound pack,^[1] with a hunting area of around 400 square miles (1,000 km²) within Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.^[1][2][3]

History

The Atherstone was established in 1815 in Witherley, and known as the Atherstone hounds.^[1] Between 1930 and 1950 the hunt was divided into North and South countries, but these were then reunited.^[1][4]

Although "hunting wild mammals with a dog" was made unlawful in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004, which came into effect in 2005,^[5] a number of exemptions stated in Schedule 1 of the 2004 Act permit some previously unusual forms of hunting wild mammals with dogs to continue, such as "hunting... for the purpose of enabling a bird of prey to hunt the wild mammal".^[6] The Atherstone have appeared in the national press for alleged illegal hunting and violent and anti-social conduct from their supporters.^[7]

The police investigated the Atherstone Hunt following video evidence of hounds chasing and killing a fox near Grendon, Warwickshire on 14 November 2015, which was taken by local animal rights activists of the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs.The video footage shows the dogs chase a fox across a field. As the hounds tear into the fox with their teeth, a member of the hunt reaches down and pulls the lifeless body of the animal from underneath the pack and slings it over the front of a colleague’s horse.^[8]

Atherstone Hunt states it had been ‘hunting within the law’ when the fox came across their path and the hounds 'instinctively' chased down the prey and killed it. However this explanation, if accepted and generally adopted, would effectively have neutralised the Hunting Act and legalised fox hunting, as the same argument could be used on each and every future occasion. On 28 November, hunt protesters were with the Atherstone Hunt at Sheepy Magna where they filmed the hunt draw and 'put up' a fox, and a huntsman put the hounds on the fox's scent line. During this activity, the protestors claimed that some hunt supporters had assaulted them, while the supporters were trying to help foxes get away safely from the hunt's allegedly illegal activities.

On 14 January 2017 the hunt were once again filmed killing a fox, which had been chased onto a rural road and torn into by hounds on a private household's driveway. The fox was retrieved alive by protestors but died shortly afterwards.^[9] The huntsman arrived shortly after hounds had killed the fox. Yet again the hunt maintained it was an 'accident'. Additional commentary from pro hunt supporters suggested the fox was already dead as a result of road kill. Others suggested that protestors deliberately placed the fox there as a 'set-up'. Warwickshire police are investigating the incident. The Atherstone Hunt continue to lose supporters due to their poor reputation. The hunt have featured in numerous media outlets multiple times and continue to court controversy with their continuous contempt of the Hunting Act and the violent conduct of their foot followers. The hunt and its supporters currently have over twenty criminal convictions.

According to an Ipsos MORI poll, the majority of the British public remain in favour of keeping a number of activities banned by the Hunting Act 2004 illegal: fox hunting (80%); deer hunting (86%); hare hunting and coursing (88%); dog fighting (98%); and badger baiting (95%).

Country

The hunt country lies within Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire,^[1] with major centres including Atherstone, Nuneaton, Coventry and Rugby. It adjoins the country of the Quorn.

Point-to-point

The hunt hosts its annual point-to-point event at Clifton-upon-Dunsmore,^[10][11] with proceeds going back to the hunt.

Controversy

The hunt was under investigation, when video footage was handed to the local police showing unattended hounds attacking a fox on a public highway^[12]

See also

• List of fox hunts in the United Kingdom

References