Dorchester, Nature & Wildlife, Political | Posted on July 2nd, 2024 | return to news
Anti fox cub hunting march to be held in Dorchester
Demonstrators will march through Dorchester town centre on Saturday 13 July demanding changes to hunting laws.
Animal rights activists will gather in Dorchester in July to protest what they claim is the start of fox cub hunting season and to demand the next government closes loopholes in legislation which is claimed to allow illegal hunts to take place.
Demonstrators will gather at the Town Pump on South Street at 1pm on Saturday 13 July to listen to speeches, then around 2pm they will set off on a march around the town centre before finishing back at the Town Pump.
Since 2004, hunting mammals with hounds has been banned in England and Wales, but trail hunts using the scent of animals are allowed to take place as a legal way to mimic traditional hunts. There are also exceptions to allow for certain types of pest control.
Reports by newspapers including The Guardian claim that these trail hunts are often used as a loophole to cover illegal hunting activity.
March organiser John said: “In August, we reach a very dark time in the countryside. Mother foxes have given birth to beautiful cubs and will leave their dens in search of food for their children. Meanwhile criminal gangs of hunters pretending to trail hunt will ride across the countryside on horseback to find and kill these babies.
“To end the horror of cub hunting, we need a firm commitment from the new government that loopholes in the 2004 Hunting Act will be closed and that wildlife will have legal protection.”
A similar march attended by dozens of protestors was held in April in Dorchester. Around 15 to 20 police officers were on hand to escort activists along their route.
The organisers have asked participants to bring placards, banners, smoke flares and megaphones.
For more information about the march, visit the event page on Facebook. Anyone who is interested in supporting the march but cannot attend is advised to follow the Facebook pages for Weymouth Animal Rights, Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs – Somerset and Dorset, and North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs.
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