*** North Cotswold Hunt dig out fox from badger sett and go on to hunt him through private gardens ***

A day shopping and catching up on admin was brought to an abrupt halt when a call about the NCH trespassing came in. One of us got over to Cleeve Prior and after a brief drive and listen thought she could hear hounds marking to ground. A brief walk inland and trying to pinpoint where they were with both gulls and other dogs making a din lead to concerns that they were digging out a fox due to the length of time the hounds were stationary.

When hunts dig out sometimes they have the hounds nearby to hunt the fox again, or in order to feed the fox (alive or dead) to the waiting pack. After a bit of a walk things soon became apparent. The pack were being held back by the whipper-in and huntsman. The field (what was left of it) were behind a hedge. Just a few yards away 3 men were digging in the woods.

A decision was made to make sab’ presence known in order that the terriers be pulled out as soon as possible. However, it became apparent that no terrier and no fox were below ground – the men were just filling in holes.

And suddenly there was the fox. Coincidentally popping up at that point or released by the terriermen?

The hounds surged forward all of a sudden and hunted towards the nearest dwellings where they upset residents who were appalled by the cruelty they witnessed. The pack hunted on, it went quiet and the worst is feared… although we have no way of knowing one way or the other of the fate of that fox.

West Mercia police are now dealing with various incidents.