Rural people know better
In response to the letter by D Thomas (Your Say, December 13) in which he ridicules Roger Evans' story of the dumping of urban foxes into the countryside as a rural myth, I believe it was an unjust slur on both Mr Evans and rural people's intelligence.
Mr Thomas's myth claim would appear to be based on no one having been caught, but neither have hundreds of night countryside fly-tippers, or is their dumped rubbish also a rural myth?
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The story related by Roger Evans of 21 foxes suddenly turning up around a farmyard is far from being an isolated incident.
Over the past 20 years, a number of such cases have been reported.
I myself know of a similar farmyard incident where 15 semi-tame adult foxes were shot in 10 days. Such occurrences of that happening with wild country foxes even once is doubtful, let alone fairly frequent.
It is also well known that urban foxes are caught and released elsewhere, and most people aren't naive enough to believe that all are released in other parts of a town or into sanctuaries.
Mr Thomas also says that shooting foxes is better than hunting but, as an anti-hunt supporter, he conveniently omitted to mention that a survey two years ago revealed that up to 60 per cent of wild foxes are not killed instantly, some of which then have to suffer in agony for weeks – which is something that never happened with hunting, they being dead or alive.
Ray Bird Gloucestershire
3 Comments
by Colin McNamee, Baltonsborough, Somerset
Sunday, December 28 2008, 2:03PM
“'....but really what gets the leaders of this disgusting sport is that the people of this country are against it......
Over generalisation and patently not correct looking at the News/media and the support the hunts received from the public across the UK. Reportedly the highest turnouts ever.
Understand that this government is looking at a repeal or modification of this Act during 2009.”
by Giles Bradshaw, Rose Ash
Monday, December 22 2008, 6:30PM
“What is a great shame regarding the law on deer hunting is that the hunt is now required by law to kill ALL the deer they flush out. Indeed the courts have pronounced that they must have ten guns present when flushing deer in case of the event that a herd is present so they can all be killed. In my opinion it would be better to allow the hunt to select which ones they want to shoot and spare the others.”
by Jerry Jones, Dorset
Monday, December 22 2008, 3:57PM
“On reminding writers of a survey taken two years ago about the shooting of foxes may i also remind HIM of the excuse one leading member of the hunt people gave about hunting. He said and i quote."We only pick old foxes as they are near the end of their life." A similer answer was giving by a huntsman on Exmoor concerning the hunting of deer.
From comments like that i presume it is alright to chase animals in that condition for enjoyment. Hunts have released foxes in the past at the start of hunts and i myself have seen foxes dug out. This is an evil sport and has no place in the 21st centenary. The hunts can publish all the figures they want,but really what gets the leaders of this disgusting sport is that the people of this country are against it.”