Fox hunting was banned in England back in 2004. And a lot of people would like to pretend it stopped then. But the evidence of continued illegal hunting just keeps piling up.
And now, two members of the West Norfolk Hunt have been found guilty of illegal hunting – after horrifying footage of their exploits was exposed.
‘Trail’ hunting or fox hunting?
Groups like the West Norfolk Hunt call themselves “trail hunting packs” these days. But what is ‘trail’ hunting?
According to the League Against Cruel Sports – Britain’s leading anti-hunting charity – ‘trail’ hunting was created to mimic traditional fox hunting with dogs. Hunts lay an animal-based scent trail in areas where foxes or hares are likely to be. The hounds then find and follow the scent trail.
Sometimes, as you can imagine, the hounds end up following live scent trails – which can lead them to live animals, and end in those animals getting hurt.
‘Trail’ hunting is perfectly legal in England, whereas fox hunting is not. But when ‘trail’ hunting accidents do happen, they are gruesome.
For hunters to be convicted of illegal hunting, it must be shown that they are engaged in unlawful fox hunting, rather than ‘trail’ hunting.
This week, two hunters from the West Norfolk Hunt were convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.
What did they do?
The incident took place in Norfolk in February 2023. CCTV footage showed 38 hounds pursuing, cornering and killing a fox in a Norfolk family’s back garden.
In the footage, a man is shown jumping the fence, entering the garden to remove the fox’s body – while other men in horseback wait on the road.
Another video, filmed just a week before, showed the West Norfolk Hunt on the trail of another live fox.
Those found guilty were Huntsman Edward Bell and Adam Egginton. Two other men, Andrew Kendall and Robert Gurney, were also on trial – but they were found not guilty of all charges.
Illegal hunting convictions are rare – even though video evidence of unlawful kills frequently comes to light.
The future of ‘trail’ hunting in England
In June 2024, the Labour Party committed to ban ‘trail’ hunting if elected. The League Against Cruel Sports welcomed the decision: “This manifesto commitment from the Labour Party to end trail hunting is very welcome news for persecuted animals still being chased and killed by hunts across England and Wales as if it had never been banned,” said Chris Luffingham, their acting Chief Executive.
Since Labour’s victory in the July 2024 General Election, they have not yet turned that commitment into action. The King’s Speech failed to mention animal welfare. There are fears Labour’s manifesto commitment to end ‘trail’ hunting – and thereby close the “loophole” that enables illegal hunting – could get kicked into the long grass.
The conviction of Bell and Egginton serves as a timely reminder that illegal hunting still goes on – and that more needs to be done to stamp it out.
