Fox Hunting

Sport's most memorable losses!

Are there any controversial bloodsports in your country? In the UK, there’s fox hunting. Officially, it’s illegal but it’s still going on. And it’s just as divisive as ever.

The objective of most fox hunts is simple: to track, chase and, sometimes, kill a fox. hunt begins when the hounds are “cast”. This is when the dogs are released and start searching in bushes for foxes. When the hounds pick up the scent, they track the fox. If they see it, the chase is on and the [bad word] after it. They are followed by the riders who wear scarlet- coloured coats known as “pinks”. The hunt continues until either the fox escapes (it “goes to ground” – meaning that it takes refuge in an underground burrow), or is caught and then usually killed by the hounds.

Many people are against fox hunting. Animal rights activists argue that foxes suffer a [bad word] and violent death (after a very stressful chase). They also say that fox hunting is an activity in which people seem to gain pleasure from [bad word]  Others despise it for being a mostly upper-class and aristocratic sport. Oscar Wilde once described it in 1893 as, “the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable”.

Supporters of fox hunting are equally passionate. They say it’s a tradition that’s part of England’s cultural heritage. They also say that it plays an important role [bad word] life, and that many jobs depend on fox hunting. And they argue that it’s an activity and spectacle enjoyed not only by the riders but also by many others who follow on foot, bicycle or in 4x4s. Finally, they point out that it’s an important form of pest control that protects the livelihood of farmers, and that the foxes are killed quickly and that it’s much less [bad word] than using traps or poisons.

But in 2005 everything changed. The Hunting Act came into force, and this effectively banned fox hunting. But it wasn’t easy passing the law. Five men broke into the House [bad word] to demonstrate against it, and thousands of people gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in protest. Now, it is officially illegal, but hunts still take place. Many follow artificial trails, but opponents claim this is simply a front and that many real foxes are still hunted.

Whatever the [bad word]  more than 1,804 hunt groups are still in existence. So, it seems that one of England’s most controversial traditions just refuses to die.

Who says no one remembers the losers?

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