the League Against Cruel Sports Midlands Supporter Group Comment Oakham Town Council's Cottesmore Hunt Ban
To: martinjbrookes@outlook.com
Subject: Cottesmore Hunt
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2015 22:13:35 +0000
Subject: Cottesmore Hunt
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2015 22:13:35 +0000
Dear Councillor Brookes,
I'm writing regarding yesterday's decision concerning the Cottesmore Hunt. I'm a volunteer with the Facebook page for the League Against Cruel Sports Midlands Supporter Group and was very grateful for your post. It's a huge moral boost for wildlife campaigners who have known for a long time that despite the Hunting Act 2004 (and Protection of Badgers Act 1992) it's business as usual for pretty much all fox hunting organisations. It may also be a precedent for a campaign asking Leicestershire County Council to step in to the Atherstone Hunt's Boxing Day event - see my petition here: https://www.change.org/p/leicestershire-county-council-country-park-service-ban-the-atherstone-hunt-from-accessing-your-parks
I understand the Cottesmore Hunt are now considering their options; they have stated as much on Facebook. There's a League Against Cruel Sports document which may be of use to you as it demonstrates that the Cottesmore (along with three other Leicestershire hunts - the Fernie, Belvoir & Quorn) were utilising artificial earths in 2011. These are only used to encourage fox populations, and the only reason a Hunt would encourage foxes is fairly self-explanatory, so it's reasonable to conclude they have never adhered to the Hunting Act 2004, as their recent conviction for blocking a badger sett demonstrates. You also quite rightly pointed out that the Cottesmore expressed intent to break the law before it was created.
I hope this document is useful for future debates regarding the Cottesmore Hunt. Feel free to distribute it amongst your colleagues.
Yours sincerely,
Jack Riggall
