Support grows for hunting ban

As traditional Boxing Day hunts get underway, new polling in Scotland shows that the majority of Scots are opposed to the legalisation of fox hunting, while the Scottish Government intend to strengthen the Protection of Wild Mammals Act, to prevent hunting in the future.
By Jim Milnes
Published 26th Dec 2015, 01:40 BST
13/02/02.UNITED SUPPORT FOR HUNTING IN SCOTLAND. JOINT SCOTTISH MEET, KELSO RACE COURSE. SUPPORTERS OF HUNTING MOUNTED OR ON FOOT GATHERED AT KELSO RACE COURSE TO SHOW DEFIANCE AND SOLIDARITY IN THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED BAN ON MOUNTED HUNTING IN SCOTLAND. A FOX CROSSES A FEILD NEAR NENTHORN KELSO TO EVADE THE CHASING PACK. PIC IAN RUTHERFORD13/02/02.UNITED SUPPORT FOR HUNTING IN SCOTLAND. JOINT SCOTTISH MEET, KELSO RACE COURSE. SUPPORTERS OF HUNTING MOUNTED OR ON FOOT GATHERED AT KELSO RACE COURSE TO SHOW DEFIANCE AND SOLIDARITY IN THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED BAN ON MOUNTED HUNTING IN SCOTLAND. A FOX CROSSES A FEILD NEAR NENTHORN KELSO TO EVADE THE CHASING PACK. PIC IAN RUTHERFORD
13/02/02.UNITED SUPPORT FOR HUNTING IN SCOTLAND. JOINT SCOTTISH MEET, KELSO RACE COURSE. SUPPORTERS OF HUNTING MOUNTED OR ON FOOT GATHERED AT KELSO RACE COURSE TO SHOW DEFIANCE AND SOLIDARITY IN THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED BAN ON MOUNTED HUNTING IN SCOTLAND. A FOX CROSSES A FEILD NEAR NENTHORN KELSO TO EVADE THE CHASING PACK. PIC IAN RUTHERFORD

Polling by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland shows that 84% of adults in Scotland are opposed to fox hunting being made legal in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is reviewing anti-hunting legislation, while claims by the League earlier this year that hunts were continuing to use dogs to chase and kill foxes means that anti-hunt campaigners hope that the hunts will finally be forced to quit.

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Jennifer Dunn, senior public affairs officer for the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, said: “A massive 84% of the Scottish adults want fox hunting to remain illegal. The law is there to stop hunts from chasing and killing wild animals, but our investigations have shown that the hunts are exploiting loopholes to continue doing what they have always done.

The League Scotland will be submitting over a hundred hours of video evidence to the Government review which shows hunts allegedly flushing foxes into the path of waiting guns – but without a single gun in sight. When flushing to guns has been carried out by government agencies, between 40 and 50 shooters were needed.

“Our footage clearly shows that whatever the hunts are doing, it’s not shooting foxes as they say they are. It looks exactly like fox hunting to us,” said Ms Dunn.

Related topics:Scottish GovernmentScotland