Wednesday 8th March 2017 Dummer Beagles with Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch.

Yesterday the Heythrop were terrorising wildlife around Cold Aston. Today, in exactly the same place, the Dummer beagles met to hunt hares who live in “forms” in fields so their young, leverets, are at risk as are pregnant and lactating Jills.

They did not seem to want to play with us and became very keen to get away from sabs with the followers splitting up and the pack making a very fast exit towards Turkdean. Within half an hour of this subterfuge the pack were in the back of their white transit van and off to goodness knows where whilst bewildered followers milled about.

Some decided to follow us about instead which may, or may not, have provided some entertainment – maye we should have demanded a cap fee…? One mounted stalker telling us how the Heythrop hunt a drag… so why do they block badger setts then??

We made good use of the time looking for them checking other setts to see if any more had been blocked. Two others had been and one was on an old rubbish tip full of glass and interesting historical artifacts! Unblocking that sett was like an archeological dig. This is in the North Cotswold cull zone and these setts are at great risk.