A man with a crisis (Foxhunting - is this sport?)

Member Name: Highwayman

Product:	Foxhunting - is this sport?
Date:	01/05/02 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I cant see any viable alternatives

Disadvantages: It's cruel

I abhor cruelty. Cruelty to animals, people, whatever.
And yet I eat meat.

Intellectually and emotionally I know I should feel that fox hunting is wrong.

And yet..............

I lived in Australia for many years. The fox was introduced to Australia and has caused havoc to the native animal population. Foxes are obviously a problem there, and there are two ways of dealing with them. You either poison them (with 1080, as suggested for this country), or by shooting (also suggested).

I have been involved with both, as my first job was on a farm that had a fox problem. In 4 months I shot over 60 Foxes. I am good with a rifle, yet there are times I have shot a fox, hit it, but not killed it. Is this any crueller to the fox than hunting it with dogs? I dont know......sometimes you wonder if the dog option isn't better - maybe foxes like running around. Im not a fox - I cant tell you.

I have also seen the results of poisoning. The trouble with poisoning is that not only foxes take the bait. Birds of prey are hugely at risk, as are any other carnivores. The death isnt at all pleasant to look at - god only knows what it feels like.

My view on the hunting with dogs issue is that it DOES weed out the weaker animals, preventing (or at least arresting) the spread of disease. Whether this is better in the long run than any of the other options, who knows.

This isnt a question that has any absolute answer.

But why stop at Foxes?

IS killing flys with flyspray cruel? Maybe the same arguments that apply to foxes also apply to flies. Don't seem to be many people campaigning about that...........

Is bullfighting cruel? Do the people who holiday in Spain find the 'sport' repellent? I do - so I don't go to Spain as a result. Maybe I'm a hypocrate because I live here. I justify it by bringing in the argument about foxhunting isn't a purely specatator event. I find
that aspect of bullfighting the most repellant.

Who knows what to do....certainly not the British public. The current government seems to think they have a mandate to end hunting, yet the issue is too close to call in opinion polls. (Of course the currnet government were voted in to get rid of the last lot - they could have campaigned to introduce a 2/6 maximum wage and they would have won)

I wish I had an answer..........I wish I really knew what my opinion was on this......But I do know that the "nice furry animals being chased by nasty rich people" argument looses it for the abolitionists. Every time.



PS - Dont argue about my shooting skills..........NO-ONE can hit a running target at extreme range every time. I managed it more than most. OK? *Sweet smile*

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