On Saturday 10th January, Bristol Hunt Sabs along with a couple of other groups attended a meet of the Royal Agricultural College Beagles at the Holford Arms in Knockdown, Gloucestershire. The RAC Beagles are the hare hunting pack of the Royal Agricultural University, based in Cirencester, maintained and hunted by its staff and students.We arrived at around 11.30 and it was clear that the hunt had already left the meet. Sabs entered the fields behind the pub and within minutes heard the beagles in cry only a short distance away. The beagles were soon in the field with us and a hare was spotted bolting away. With the use of voice calls and whips sabs rated the hounds, stopping them in their pursuit of this hare, all of this was in full view of hunt staff and followers who were also in the same field. Caught out illegally hunting, master-huntsman Harry Gosling quickly gathered up the beagles and headed back in the direction of the meet.For the next 20 minutes the beagles were taken on a walk around the edge of the fields with sabs close at hand. Phone calls were being made throughout this time by hunt staff who were clearly trying to hatch a plan, calling in back up from neighbouring fox hunts and from the Royal Agricultural University where this pack is based, as they have done the last couple of times they have had sab company. Upon hearing that the huntsman had been spotted back in the hound van, sabs made their way back to vehicles to depart.
As we were approaching our vehicles we were confronted by a large group of supporters, presumably from the University, some of whom were obviously very intoxicated. In a clear attempt at provocation one of the young men pulled a foxes brush and a dead rabbit out of his pick-up, thrusting it at sabs. Others were pushing and shoving people around, trying to separate and single out sabs from the rest of the group. Refusing to rise to this, we got in our three vehicles in an attempt to leave. Four vehicles driven by hunt supporters then blocked the small lane we were on, preventing us from leaving. The Southampton land rover, which was in front of ours, had it’s windscreen smashed. The large group of hunt supporters then started to rock the land rover from side to side, chanting ‘We are the boys of the RAC’ as they did so, with the occupants still inside and fearing for their safety. The dead rabbit was then thrown on the bonnet of our land rover and mud was smeared over the drivers side of the wind screen and side window to obscure their vision. Several attempts were made by these thugs to enter the vehicles, as threats of violence were dished out. Whilst this was happening two whippers-in of the hunt, including Tom Ind, were present in full hunting attire, laughing at the behaviour of their peers and egging them on.We managed to get away but were then followed for a considerable distance by up to five vehicles full of hunt staff and supporters. All of which (including their erratic motorway driving to block us) has been documented. Videos to follow.
We have to ask the Royal Agricultural University if they think this violent and unlawful behaviour, as well as clear flouting of the Hunting Act by its students and staff, is acceptable?
We have to ask the Royal Agricultural University if they think this violent and unlawful behaviour, as well as clear flouting of the Hunting Act by its students and staff, is acceptable?
A video showing some of the behaviour of RAU students RAC Beagles supporters is now online – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hl43PNUqAE
This didn’t last though, as most of the younger members of the field left between 1 and 2pm the huntsman did revert to hunting of the traditional variety. Foot sabs lost the hunt for a short while around 3pm but happened to stumble across a pheasant shoot. Unfortunately we were too late for some of the poor birds blasted out of the sky for the entertainment of these rich muppets but the shooters broke their guns when we rocked up. After some debate and a short stand-off the shooters got the message, packing up and leaving!
By now the light was fading and we were a while away from any roads but the vehicles had since found and kept on the hunt. With word that hounds were in cry and a fox had been spotted fleeing a covert, our foot sabs were soon back on them after a bit of a jog and a lift in our trusty Land Rover. Unsuccessful in his pursuit, the huntsman gathered the hounds and was blowing for home once we arrived. As we followed them back to the meet we were treated to a beautiful winters sunset. A good end to a good day.
We rocked up just as they were leaving their Culkerton meet, just outside of Tetbury, and were straight after the huntsman and his hounds. After early attempts at intimidation from hunt support failed, huntsman Harry Gosling took off and tried to lose us but to no avail. It wasn’t long before a couple of police cars turned up and officers were trying to hold sabs up, between exchanging pleasantries with the hunters (unsurprisingly). We lost the hunt for a brief period of time but it wasn’t long before we came across a running hare, with the beagles in cry not far behind. We were straight into the field and soon spraying after the hare and rating hounds. Gosling took his hounds into the next field, where again they were straight onto another hare, with sab intervention they soon lost it.
Gosling was told in no uncertain terms what we thought about his idea of ‘sport’ and looking a bit sheepish he decided to head back to the hound van. On the walk back we were reminded of the backwards mindsets of these young representatives of the upper class, who were cracking jokes about people who live in council houses, dishing out xenophobic insults and generally claiming their right ‘to do what they bloody well like’ to whoever and whatever they like because of who their parents are. We disagreed strongly and they were soon putting the hounds back in their van and getting out of there, but not before one of their elderly followers feebly tried to break our windscreen with the walking stick and another supporter jumped on our landrover bonnet in a failed attempt to stop us…
Today sabs saw hounds in pursuit of at least 3 hares during the short time the hunt were out (videos to follow). Sabs helped a couple of these hares away to safety and we’re pretty sure that no kills were made. This would almost certainly have been different if we weren’t present. Oh, and the posh boys of the RAC Beagles don’t like it up ’em…
