Fox Hunting, what a sport? (Foxhunting - is this sport?)

Member Name: sharkman

Product:	Foxhunting - is this sport?
Date:	01/05/02 (169 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: controls foxes, ideal day out for the toffs, gives us something to write about

Disadvantages: inhumane, cruel, barbaric

Fox hunting is a sport a blood sport, the question should be should we allow it to continue as a sport.

The argument for it continuing as a sport is the fact that it has a long tradition and has been associated with countrylife for as long as people can remember. It is responsible for providing a number of jobs with people looking after the hounds and horses as well as the associated industries ie vets etc. If you were to stop the hunting then you would need to look at the effect it would have on the industry and the countryside. The hounds for example would not be able to be rehomed easily as they have been trained to hunt and kill, would you want one of these animals as a pet. Secondly many people own horses solely for the fox hunts, if these were stopped then many horses would be surplus to requirement and many will likely be euthanised.

The argument for stopping fox hunting as a sport comes down to the fact that it is seen by many as inhumane, after all the fox is chased almost to exhaustion, and i it manages to escape from the hounds it culd still die as a result of the shock it suffers and exhaustion. If it is caught by the dogs then it is ripped to pieces and the hunts can cause damage to farms and farm animals on occasion as well as damaging hedgrows and other natural habbitats of smaller animals and birds etc.

The poblem is that foxes need to be controlled, i live in London and we are seeing an increase in the number of road deaths of foxes, as well as an ever increasing number of them scavenging in the gardens.

To kill another living thing is inhumane, so while i am against fox hunting as i think it is barbabric and the ends do not justify the means, i understand the problem to be how to effectively control foxes is an argument that is probably going to go on and on.

I understand that how ever you kill the fox it is not going to be pleasent for the fox, but it should be done to ensure the minimum amount of suff
ering to the animal.

Where do you draw the line though can you critiscise fox hunting and still poison rats and mice or are you just being hypercritical.

My view on this is that if you can avoid the killing of the animal then so much the better, but at certain times it is neccessary to cull animals. I must admit that on the odd occasion that i have to use a mouse trap i have a humane one that keeps them alive, i simply take them in it to a local woods a couple of miles away and release them.

I guess your views on this subject vary between those who live in towns and countryside areas, well i for one live in London and we witness a couple of foxes in the garden each night, where they often cause no more damage than rumaging through the rubbish however if you live in the countryside i can fully appreciate the damage they can cause there and the effect this has on farmers both timewise and also financially which is why i am in favour of the control of these pests by humane means.

I dont think that many people who have the facts can deny that there is a need in many circumstances for fox numbers to be controlled and culls to take place, but this can never be dressed up as a sport.

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