That’s an interesting argument on pro fox hunting. I disagree with you believing

Comment on Election 2010 Conservative Petitions and Banning Fox Hunting by David.

That’s an interesting argument on pro fox hunting.

I disagree with you believing 70% of rural areas would vote yes to fox hunting, but would generally agree with your point that foxes are more of an issue for rural areas compared to the country as a whole.

If there was a rural only poll I’m sure there would be less voting against the ban, though not as many as 70% (not everyone living in rural areas are farmers).

I think what you are doing is mixing a blood sport: fox hunting with dogs with people on horses wearing red jackets for fun (it’s not primarily pest control, it’s a blood sport). And farmers controlling the fox population in the odd problem area to protect their livelihood (rightly so as well).

I personally have no problem with a farmer protecting his livelihood and he has the option to shoot any foxes that are killing his stock.

I quite like to see a fox in the countryside, in fact I quite like to see them in our towns as well, we occasionally see a fox pass by outside (we live in a town) and they don’t cause any harm in a town (no more than a cat).

I admit it, I like foxes.

The hunting ban is not about stopping a farmer protecting his chickens, (I quite like chickens as well, especially on a Sunday around lunch time) it’s about stopping a barbaric blood sport that the majority of British people do not like.

Those for keeping this blood sport argue the foxes are killed humanely, the dogs are supposed to break the spine of the foxes with a single bite.

Those against fox hunting argue foxes killed by hounds are found with their insides ripped out, but with no killer spinal bite: suggesting the fox suffered unnecessarily during the actual kill.

Those pro fox hunting argue it helps control foxes, but then go on to say 10 times as many foxes are shot by farmers and you could also find man built earths for breeding foxes near fox hunt areas, which means it’s not an effective method for controlling foxes if they are breeding foxes for hunts!

Since the pro fox hunting side can not guarantee the majority of foxes will die humanly (no method will be 100% perfect, but we should use the most humane method), I don’t see how British people who care about animal welfare can support it.

A skilled marksman can shoot a fox humanely with one shot, some will argue foxes shouldn’t be killed, but as long as farmers consider foxes a pest on some farms they need the option to kill them humanly and the key is humanely.

“The people that support fox hunting aren’t toff’s and eton boys that you all seem to think they are”

I never said anything like that, I’ve seen pro fox hunting documentaries and have seen a wide variety of people follow the hunt, I would say there’s more than an average number of “toff’s and Eton boys” (as you put it, not I) than in the general population, but yes it’s a blood sport that all sorts of people have enjoyed in the past.

It used to be acceptable to have bear baiting in this country (popular between the 16th and 19th century) where dogs would try to kill a bear: we actually bred bears in England for this barbaric blood sport just like fox hunters bred foxes for their barbaric sport, so much for controlling foxes https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/feb/17/hunting.ruralaffairs, but we moved on as a society and as a society we’ve decided fox hunting is no longer acceptable in 21st century Britain.

Lets look to the future and not move back to the 19th century under the Tories.

David