Fox hunting is a traditional activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hounds"), follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.[1]
Fox hunting with hounds, as a formalised activity, originated in England in the sixteenth century, in a form very similar to that practised until February 2005, when a law banning the activity in England and Wales came into force.[2] A ban on hunting in Scotland had been passed in 2002, but it continues to be within the law in Northern Ireland and several other jurisdictions, including Australia, Canada, France, Ireland and the United States.[3][4]
The sport is controversial, particularly in the United Kingdom. Proponents of fox hunting view it as an important part of rural culture and useful for reasons of conservation and pest control,[5][6][7] while opponents argue it is cruel and unnecessary.[8]
- ^ "The Final Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales". Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 9 June 2000. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- ^ "Hunt ban forced through Commons". BBC News. 19 November 2004. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
- ^ Griffin, Emma (2007). Blood Sport. Yale University Press.
- ^ "Fox hunting worldwide". BBC News. 16 September 1999. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
- ^ "Creation and conservation of habitat by foxhunting". Masters of Fox Hounds Association. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
- ^ "The need for wildlife management". Masters of Fox Hounds Association. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
- ^ "The morality of hunting with dogs" (PDF). Campaign to Protect Hunted Animals. Retrieved 13 October 2007.[permanent dead link]