Fox hunting
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Fox hunting (disambiguation).
Image:FoxHuntingSketch.png Image:Red fox with prey sharpened.jpg
Fox hunting is a primarily British activity in which trained dogs pursue red fox, followed by human hunters who are usually on horses but sometimes on foot. A traditional equestrian activity, many animal welfare activists object to it as a barbaric "blood sport", while proponents and participants view it as a crucial part of rural history in England, vital for conservation. In other countries where fox hunting is practiced, it may be traced back to British influence, much like cricket.
Contents |
Animals
The Fox
The fox is the most crucial participant in a fox hunt. A small, carnivorous predator, the fox is driven from its preferred hiding places, generally known as coverts (pronounced "covers"). In Europe the fox hunted is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). In North America the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) or coyote (Canis latrans) are often substituted. Some other animals such as raccoon and cougar are also hunted with dogs in North America, however the hunt is not ritualised and the dogs are employed to tree the quarry rather than kill or drive the quarry to ground.
The hounds and other dogs
Fox hunting dogs are more properly referred to as hounds, and those specially bred and trained to assist in fox hunting are known as foxhounds. Mostly scent hounds (trained to pursue the fox based on its scent), most are used for various types of hunting. Greyhounds (a type of sight hound) are used running down hares (called coursing), while harriers are typically used for mounted hare hunting. (The name "harrier" originally comes from the prey animal, and only later is used in other English words such as "harry" or "harass.") Beagles are used for hunting hares on foot (called "beagling") whilst more-or-less purebred English Foxhounds are used for hunting stag, otter or mink. Although it is technically possible to course foxes with sighthounds such as greyhounds or lurchers, to do so is considered unsporting because of the high mortality, and such coursing is mostly done by poachers. Hunting below ground is undertaken using terriers.
The foxhound is typically of two types: the English, which is the usually seen, smooth coated variant with a bias toward speed, and the Welsh, which has a rougher, shaggier, coat and is bred with a regard for its scenting abilities. The foxhound is typically a mix of black, brown, and white. The (Irish) Scarteen and (Scottish) Dumfries Hunts are known for having packs of hounds which are entirely 'black and tan'.
The Horse
The most prominent hunters ride specially trained horses called field hunters. To train or ride such a horse is extremely difficult, and indeed fox hunting is the origin of many traditional equestrian sports and sports derived from them, including the steeplechase, National Hunt racing, and hunt seat style in the United States.
Procedure
Fox hunts are the setting for many social rituals, but the hunting itself begins when hounds are directed ("cast") toward woods ("coverts") deemed likely to contain foxes. If the pack manages to pick up the scent of a fox, they will follow it in a "chase" wherein the dogs pursue the fox and the hunters follow, by the most direct route possible. Since this may involve some very athletic skill on the part of horse and rider alike, foxhunting is the origin for steeplechase and other National Hunt racing, as well as other equestrian sports such as hunt seat riding.
The hunt continues until either the fox evades the hounds, "goes to ground" inside of a burrow or is overtaken and usually killed by the hounds. In the case of Scottish hill packs or the gun packs of Wales and some upland areas of England, the fox is flushed to guns. Hunts in the Cumbrian fells and some other upland areas are followed by supporters on foot rather than on horseback.
A number of social rituals precede and follow the hunt. One of the most colourful is the act of "blooding." This is a very old ceremony in which the master of a successful hunt smears the blood of the fox onto the cheeks of a newly initiated hunt follower. Some conjecture that the ceremony goes back to the similarly stylized medieval hunting of the high middle ages. By 2000 it seems the practice had largely died out [1] though some say it continues to this day [2].
In America fox hunting is sometimes called fox chasing. In America the purpose is not to kill the fox but to chase it. American fox hunting and British fox hunting are very different in this case. Two web pages by American hunts are Kimberton Hunt and Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America.
Roles
As a social ritual, human participants in a fox hunt often fill specific roles, the most prominent of which are the various masters (or mistresses). These individuals typically take much of the financial responsibility for the overall management of the hunt.
- The Master of Foxhounds (often abbreviated MFH) typically employs a huntsman.
- Secretaries are volunteers (usually two) who collect the cap (money) for administering a hunt
- A committee may run the "Hunt Supporters Club" to organise fundraising and social events.
- A kennelman looks after hounds in kennels, assuring that all tasks are completed when pack and staff return from hunting
- The huntsman is responsible for directing the hounds in the course of the hunt.
- Whippers-in are assistants to the huntsman.
The role of "whipper-in" in hunts has inspired some parliamentary systems (including the Westminster System and the U.S. Congress) to use "whip" for a member who enforces party discipline and ensure the attendance of other members at important votes.
Costume
Mounted hunt followers typically wear traditional hunting costumes. The scarlet coats often worn by huntsmen, masters, whippers-in and other officials are sometimes called "Pinques". These help them stand out from the rest of the field. Various theories about the derivation of this term have been advanced, ranging from the colour of a weathered scarlet coat to the name of a purportedly famous tailor.[3]. Some hunts, including most hare hunts, use green rather than red jackets
Other members of the mounted field follow strict rules of clothing etiquette. For example those under eighteen will wear tweed jackets or ratcatcher all season. Those over eighteen will wear ratcatcher during Autumn hunting from late August until the Opening Meet, normally around November 1st. From the Opening Meet they will switch to regular hunting kit where full subscribers will wear scarlet and the rest black or navy. The highest honour is to be awarded the hunt button by the Hunt Master. This means you can then wear the hunt collar (colour varies from hunt to hunt) and buttons with the hunt crest on them.
As of November 2004, there were 318 registered hound packs in England and Wales. Estimates reported by The Guardian noted 8000 jobs depend on the hunt.
History
Using scenthounds to track prey dates back to Assyrian, Babylonian and ancient Egyptian times, and is known as venery. In England, hunting with hounds was popular before the Romans arrived, using the Agassaei breed. The Romans brought their Castorian and Fulpine hound breeds, along with importing the brown hare (the mountain hare is native) and additional species of deer as quarry. Wild boar was also hunted. The Norman hunting traditions were added when William the Conqueror arrived, along with the Gascon and Talbot hounds; indeed, the traditional hunting cry 'tally ho' derives from the Norman French equivalent of 'il est haut' (he is up); ie. the stag has started running. By 1340 the four beasts of venery were the hare, the hart, the wolf and the wild boar. The five beasts of the chase were the buck, the doe, the fox, the marten and the roe.
The earliest known attempt to hunt a fox with hounds was in Norfolk, England, in 1534, where farmers began chasing down foxes with their dogs as pest control. By the end of the seventeenth century many organised packs were hunting both hare and fox, and during the eighteenth century packs specifically for fox hunting were appearing. The passing of the Enclosure Acts from 1760 to 1840 had made hunting deer much more difficult in many areas of the country, as that requires great areas of open land. Also, the new fences made jumping the obstacles separating the fields part of the hunting tradition. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, people began to move out of the country and into towns and cities to find work. Roads, rail and canals split the hunting country, but also made hunting accessible to more people. Shotguns were improved during the nineteenth century and game shooting became more popular. To protect the pheasants for the shooters, gamekeepers culled the foxes almost to extirpation in popular areas, which caused the huntsmen to improve their coverts. Finally the Game Laws were relaxed in 1831 and later abolished, which meant anyone could obtain a permit to take rabbits, hares and gamebirds.
Although viewed as a typically traditional rural British activity, hunting with hounds takes place all over the world. Hunts in the United States, Canada, Ireland and India are legacies of the British Empire to some extent, although some claim that the first pack devoted to hunting only fox was located in the United States. In 2004 the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America included 170 registered packs in the US and Canada, and there are many additional farmer (non-recognised) packs.
Many other Greek- and Roman-influenced countries have their own long tradition of hunting with hounds. France and Italy for example, have thriving fox hunts. In Switzerland and Germany, where fox hunting was once popular, the activity has been outlawed, although Germany continues to allow deer to be driven by dogs to guns. In some countries drag hunting is also popular, either instead of or in addition to quarry hunting, in which a scented bag is dragged over a pre-determined course. Bloodhounds are used in some areas to hunt the "clean boot", a human runner, for sport.
When fox hunting in the United States, the fox is rarely caught. In fact, much effort goes into training the foxes so that they do not get caught. In the late summer of the year, the hunt take the young hounds out "cubbing". They teach the puppies to hunt while they are teaching the young foxes to give chase. In Britain "cubbing" consists of training the young hounds in hunting by firstly surrounding a covert and then 'drawing' it with the puppies, allowing them to hunt and kill within the surrounded wood. Once the season proper starts (usually from early November), the idea is to drive the fox from the covert and chase it over open countryside.
Controversy
The dramatic nature of fox hunting, the allegations of cruelty and its strong associations with tradition and social class have long made it a source of great controversy within the United Kingdom.
Opposing
People may oppose fox hunting for a number of reasons, opposing it through legal means such as fox hunting legislation or illegal means such as sabotage, on behalf of animals, humans or both.
Animal cruelty
Some animal welfare activists have long objected to hunting in general but fox hunting in particular as manifestly unfair and unnecessarily cruel to animals, most especially the fox. They argue that fox is not always killed instantly as hunters claim, but is sometimes torn to pieces by hounds, and that even when death is swift the hunt itself causes cruel distress. Many assert that many hunts are not as "sporting" as hunters claim, and that animals are not always left alone once they have "gone to ground" in their burrows, and may be killed inhumanely or even thrown alive to the hounds, to be torn apart whilst still alive.
Although some animal rights activists may oppose hunting and use of domestic animals entirely, most are concerned about undue stress to the fox, but also horses and foxhounds who participate in the hunt. The vigorous nature of training and breeding animals to the high levels of skill that fox hunting requires may involve what they perceive as cruel treatment, unnecessary pain and risk.
Hunt saboteurs are the most controversial of anti-hunt activists, and may actively interfere in hunts by various means, legal and illegal.
Necessity
Opponents of fox hunting claim that the activity is not necessary for fox control, arguing that the fox is not a pest species and that hunting does not and cannot make a real difference to fox populations [4]. They compare the number of foxes killed in the hunt to the many more killed on the roads. They also argue that any wildlife management goals of the hunt can be met by simpler and less dramatic methods such as "lamping" (dazzling a fox with a bright light, then shooting it through the head) with trained shooters, capture or sterilisation.
Class issues
Image:JohnLeechBriggsPleasuresHunt.jpg
Oscar Wilde once famously referred to "the English country gentleman galloping after a fox" as "the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable". Even before the time of Wilde, much of the criticism of foxhunting has been couched in terms of social class. They argue that while more "working class" blood sports such as cock fighting and badger baiting were long ago outlawed, fox hunting persists. Even those who eat meat and express no concern at the "factory farming" of industrial agriculture may be opposed to fox hunting as conspicuous consumption and elitism, at odds with the egalitarian ideals of a modern democracy. They may cite the enormous amount of resources spent on the activity as inefficient and even inhumane in the face of limited resources.
John Leech had a series of "Mr. Briggs" cartoons in Punch during the 1850's, which illustrated some of these class issues[5]. More recently the British anarchist group Class War has argued explicitly for disruption of fox hunts on class warfare grounds.
Supporting
The most vocal supporters of fox hunting tend to be directly interested, but those who support fox hunting may do so for a variety of reasons.
Economics
The oldest economic defense of fox hunting is that such hunting is necessary to control the population of foxes, lest they prey upon domestic animals such as livestock. With no larger predators to control them, except for humans, it is a matter of self-interest and humanity to kill a few foxes rather than allow them to kill many other animals or suffer malnourishment and mange.
A more recent argument is that fox hunting is a significant economic activity, providing legal recreation and many jobs for those involved in the hunt and supporting it.
Tradition
Many supporters of British fox hunting recognise it as a distinctive part of British culture generally, the basis of many traditional crafts and a key part of social life in rural areas, an activity and spectacle enjoyed not only by the riders but also by others such as the "unmounted pack" which may follow along on foot or by bicycle.
They point out that the social aspects of hunting reflect the social make-up of the area it takes place in, that the Home Counties packs are very different from those in areas of North Wales and Cumbria where the hunts are very much the activity of farmers and the working class. The Banwen Miners Hunt is sometimes used as an example, though its membership is by no means limited to miners.
Personal morality
Some argue that animal welfare is a matter for personal morality and is never an area the law should intervene.
Fox hunting regulation
Template:Main Like most hunting, fox hunting in most countries is regulated, with great variation from country to country. In general, however, hunting laws are designed to regulate what animals may be hunted, in what areas at what time and with what techniques. The Hunting Act 2004 banned fox hunting with dogs in England and Wales. Scotland has passed similar legislation.
External links
- News reports
- Hunting and pro-hunting organisations
- Masters of Foxhounds Association (UK)
- Masters of Foxhounds Association of America (USA and Canada)
- Union of Country Sports Workers (UK)
- Countryside Alliance - Campaign for Hunting (UK)
- Foxman on Foxhunting (UK)
- Hunting for Tolerance (UK)
- Matt Simpson's Foxhunting Pages (US)
- Support Hunting Association (UK)
- Hunter Horse Forums - (US)
- The Parliamentary Middle Way Group (UK)
- Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management
- Anti-hunting organisations
- Governmental and other organisations
- "The Henderson Report," a 1949 Labour Government report into fox hunting by Scott Henderson, found that "So far as general cruelty is concerned, we are satisfied that there is less cruelty in fox hunting than in most other methods of control."
- "The Burns Report" - The Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales (UK Government enquiry), 2000.
- Progress of the Hunting Bill through Parliament in 2004 (Houses of Parliament Bill Index Database - Links to Hansard
- Directories
- References
- JNP Watson, The Book of Foxhunting (Batsford, 1977) ISBN 0713408073
- House of Lords speech by Lord Burns, chairman of the official Inquiry, explaining his position against a ban on October 12, 2004
- Horse Country - The Legend of Tailor Pink
- Guardian Unlimited - Special Report: Hunting
- BBC News - In Depth 2002: Hunting with Dogs Debate
- CBBC - Fox Hunting (information aimed at children)
Template:Bloodsportsde:Fuchsjagd fr:Chasse à courre io:Foxo-chaso ja:フォックスハンティング sv:Rävjakt