Footage shows foxes being fed in area where hunting takes place – ITV News report
Hunt workers are caught on video feeding foxes offal and eggs in bid to boost the population ‘for illegal hunting’ – Daily Mail
Our investigation of the North Cotswold Hunt during the summer of 2014 led to us filming the North Cotswold Hunts terrier-man, a paid employee of the hunt, feeding foxes in an area that is regularly hunted in order to encourage more foxes to live in that area.
Filmed over several months he was regularly filmed dumping dozens of dead chickens, ofal, eggs and rats. Foxes were regularly filmed taking the food once it had been dumped.
Once the summer was over and the cub hunting season had begun the North Cotswold Hunt were filmed hunting in the exact location that the foxes had been fed.
The vehicle seen used by the terrierman in the footage was traced back to the North Cotswold Hunt Kennels.
The only conclusion to draw from this is that the North Cotswold Hunt are hunting foxes on such a regular basis that they need to actively encourage foxes to live in their hunting area to keep the population up.
This investigation also shattered another myth the Countryside Alliance like to use that foxes attack sheep. This incident took place in a field full of sheep. If foxes posed any danger to sheep they certainly wouldn’t be encouraged to live in the same field.
Artificial Earth
As part of the same investigation we also filmed the North Cotswold Hunt using an artificial fox earth. Artifical Earths are man made fox earths and are used by hunts to encourage foxes to live in them ensuring there are plenty to chase during the hunting season.
The hunt are filmed blocking one of the entrances to the earth to stop any foxes being chased from escaping down it. Days later a fox is caught on film running past the entrance followed closely by the pack of hounds. The fox was forced to carry on running due to the entrance being blocked.
The footage from this investigation is pretty damming of the North Cotswold Hunt, there can be no doubt that the only reason to encourage foxes to live in your hunting area by feeding them and using artificial earths is to boost the fox population so there are plenty to chase. The fact they were filmed blocking the entrance to the earth again shows they are hunting foxes as there would be no reason to do this if they were hunting “trails”
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