HIT report 2/11/21Flint and Denbigh hunt blatantly hunting and trespassing.The Flint and Denbigh hunt met this morning at Bodrhyddan Hall on Dyserth Road. It’s particularly sad that the hunt are allowed to meet at this location as the late Lord Langford was a patron of the Wildlife Trust and strongly against fox hunt, Lord Langford once said “I’m against fox hunting as I was in the war so I know what it’s like to be hunted”, sadly when the estate was handed over to his son on his passing the current owner then allowed illegal fox hunting on the land. Around 7 or 8 years ago on Bodrhyddan land we could hear hounds in cry and just couldn’t get there, we were then told by a family their 6 year old son had witnessed a fox being killed, the 6 year old explained how the big dogs chased a small red dog and caught it at killed it. The hunt then went around their house and told them to shut up! Bodrhyddan Hall has opening days and is a wedding venue we suggest if you’re thinking about booking your wedding here think again. This is copied from their website “Acres Of North Wales’ Most Picturesque GardensThe gardens cover some 12 acres of land, including a formal parterre, flowing lawns and the extensive pleasance. The Woodland Walk area was reclaimed in the early 2000’s and brings an area of previously inaccessible woodland into use. Today, we have a team of landscapers keeping Bodrhyddan’s woodland gardens in beautiful condition. The grounds are home to dozens of species of animal and bird life, making Bodrhyddan a wonderful setting for nature lovers.” Hmm not a word of truth in that, not only allowing illegal fox hunting but this is a pheasant shooting estate littered with pheasant pens, snares and traps and some vile gamekeepers.
We followed the hunt into the hall and they posed for photos, the gamekeeper initially trying to stop us claimed it was a “trail hunt” and he’d seen where they’d laid the tails and he’d make sure they stick to them…. but funnily enough the hunt had forgotten their green bibs to stick on a couple of riders to pretend they were laying trail, they also conveniently forgot to tell the police they’d be out today. By not telling to police they’d be out and being North of the A55 when the police were called it wasn’t the usual “operation yarder” police who deal with hunt related activities but instead Denbighshire Coast Police who were awful! The snotty officers told one sab he fits the description of somebody who had been reported for “trespassing” now even the dumbest of cops should know trespass is a civil matter and absolutely nothing to do with the police! The gamekeeper had also claimed to us there were no foxes on the estate as “I’ve done my job well”… Well sorry but we witnessed numerous foxes being hunted today.
As the hunt headed into a woodland at the side of the estate they had riders stood on-point in the fields around the woodland. At this point a sab who had stayed with the vehicle at the entrance of Bodrhyddan Hall saw the first fox, the fox was disoriented as it came towards the entrance looking back towards the hunt, the fox then crossed the main road fortunate not to get run over and searched along the hedgerow on the opposite side of the road for an escape route, the fox was distressed and could not find a way through so turned back crossing the road back into the hall grounds and ran to a woodland. When the hunt decided to leave the woodland and cross the Dyserth Road the hound then picked up on the scent of the fox on the main road briefly going into cry! We’ve documented it over and over again this hunt are absolutely reckless and when they do eventually cause a serious accident and we all have to read in the press how this was an unfortunate accident, well truth is this is an accident waiting to happen.
The hunt crossed the main road and picked up on another scent, the fox was witnessed and filmed by a sab fleeing, the hounds didn’t initially pick up on it though. The huntsman was still trying to hunt the hounds on knowing a fox was nearby, the same gamekeeper who told us they wouldn’t be hunting foxes today was stood next to the huntsman as he was encouraging them to search for the fox. In the next field the hounds picked up on the line of the fox and moved off at pace in cry. Only a road halted the pursuit, by this time all riders were on the road blocking our way making it difficult for us to stick on the huntsman who had entered the field to our right. One horse who had looked distressed already dripping in sweat then reared backwards towards sabs, the rider had pulled back on the mouth bit so hard the horse had blood coming from its mouth. Not the only incident of abuse to the horses we saw today as another rider clattered her horse into a fence breaking the fence… so what did she do then? Turned the horse around and made it jump over the now broken fence again! The hounds to our right had now picked up on another scent, we managed to jump a game and give chase but again the hunt lost the scent. Back on another road and the huntsman hounds and whipper took off at pace along to tarmac to try give us the slip, as we went down the road a local man said “they’ve gone through here!” The gentleman explained to us that he’s had to secure his gates to stop them trespassing on his land. He wasn’t the only local out today supporting us, another local lady was out supporting us and calling other locals to alert then the hunt were in the area! We’d now located the hunt and they cross a couple of fields next to Rhyl rudgy club before attempting to hunt another woods, the huntsman in the woods with whipper Wilby on the road waiting for a fox to be flushed. We moved them onto the next woodland and again they went into cry, this woodland was just thick brambles, not even somebody as dim as a gamekeeper would believe a trail had been laid. The hunt then headed off towards Cwm Mountain with sabs right with them, they got to the edge of Cwm mountain then seemed to have a change of plan and turned back on themselves. Denbighshire Coastal Police were still being obnoxious, asking one sab “are you tired what time are you here till”. As some riders left the police then blocked the road to try let the hunt escape! The hunt were then located down by the river, and headed to a small area that had been left to go to hay. In what then resembled a cub hunt riders stood on-point at one end of the overgrown field whilst the huntsman sent the hound in. The hounds picked up on a scent and one rider pointed out the fox to the others. The hounds then gave chased across flooded fields, The hounds still in cry chased over two or three fields before seemingly losing the fox. But at this point they had arrogantly trespassed onto a caravan park. A 4×4 from the park had driven towards them shouting “what are you doing get out of here”, the driver then putting a fence across the entrance and sent the riders back. It was 2.30 and the huntsman claimed to a sab that he had lost an hour and a half due to flooding. We don’t know if that is the case or he’d managed to upset too many people today. Please contact Bodrhyddan Hall and let them know your disgust but bizarrely their Facebook page seems to have been deleted this evening.We’ve hit our target of £2,000 on this link for our new vehicle thank you all so much! We cannot withdraw the money just yet so we are keeping this link open whilst we search for our new sab wagon https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/northwales-huntsabs?utm_term=nb63NdVbWHIT
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