WARWICKSHIRE, England — The sport utility vehicle rolled along an English country road at dawn, its five masked occupants clad in black among the Warwickshire countryside.
They spotted their target: hunters on horseback on a large property. Dogs appeared, followed by galloping horses, their riders wearing navy blue jackets and cream pants. Shouts of “Go, go, go!” rang from the vehicle as the masked occupants scrambled out of it.
The chase had begun: the hunters had become the hunted.
In the rural heart of England, a kind of cold war is being waged. The conflict is between those who support fox hunting and those who do not. But at a deeper level, the dispute reveals the class divisions and clashing traditions that still fracture British society.
Although hunting foxes, or any wild mammals, with dogs was banned in Britain in 2004, “trail hunting”, in which hounds chase an artificial scent, is permitted.
Anti-hunting activists say the exemption is a red herring and that the dogs often end up killing an actual fox. Such a death can be legally reported if there is evidence that the hunters should have known the hounds were pursuing a live animal and did nothing to stop them. Hundreds of such cases have been filed.
At least three times a week, activists chase the galloping horsemen in vehicles and on foot through forests and fields, both to film evidence of what activists say are illegal activities and to do whatever they can to hinder the hunt. per se.
Activists blow their own hunting horns and crack whips in an attempt to confuse the hounds. They also carry cans of citronella spray to disguise the scent of foxes and use small amplifiers that play the sound of whining hounds to further unsettle the pursuing pack.
On this occasion, the activists were persecuting the Warwickshire Hunt, founded in 1791 and considered one of the most prestigious hunting groups in England. Walking after the hunt, Cathy Scott, 46, who has been a member of the group for 20 years, said, “It’s a war.”
Some activists say their vehicles have been rammed off the road. Mutilated foxes have been dumped outside their houses. The risks are worth it, they say, if a fox can avoid a gruesome death. “It’s not a quick death,” Scott said. “They leave them in shreds.”
For the hunters, the activists are “rural terrorists” who threaten an ancient tradition.
“They just don’t like us,” said Sam Butler, 65, chairman of the Warwickshire Hunt.
By: Euan Ward
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6613309, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-03-15 18:10:07
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