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We hunters act within the law
Rochdale Road, Halifax PAUL Timpson, of the Hunt Saboteurs' Association, must have got quite agitated to produce such a rant ("How can hunters justify hare coursing?", Your say, February 7). He really ought to watch his blood pressure.
Learning more about the subject before rushing into print might also be a good idea.
Taking the words "fox hunting seriously compromises the welfare of the fox" out of context is a well worn and often-used tactic to alter what Burns meant.
The lie about how hounds kill their quarry is that they do so by disembowelling, often used by animal rights and anti-hunting groups.
I do however concede that "nip" is probably not the correct term. It is a bite to the back of the neck followed instantaneously by a shake and is the way all dogs kill their prey, whether in the wild or the hunting field, except when the quarry is much larger and is pulled down first.This does not happen in hunting in this country.
It is untrue to say that stags are hunted in this way as, when they are hunted legally, according to exemptions in the 2005 Act, the quarry is brought to bay by hounds and then shot at close range.
Mr Timpson asks what justification there is for hare coursing.
The brown hare was introduced by the Romans for sporting purposes, ie, coursing, and was largely protected from poachers and predators in this country in the main coursing areas right up to the implementation of the Hunting Act.
The blue, sometimes called white or mountain hare, was also introduced into this area for sporting purposes, in this case during the 1850s.
Under the Act a wounded hare may be hunted with a full pack and dispatched as this is deemed the most humane and quickest method.
If Mr Timpson thinks he has evidence of illegal activity he should inform the police, not write to newspapers.
It is the anti-hunting lobby that focuses on fox hunting as this gives opportunities to perpetuate the myth of only rich people in red coats riding and hunting uninvited over others' land, thereby keeping misplaced class issues to the fore.
Lastly I nor anyone in hunting needs to make excuses for what we do, especially to someone representing a group whose name and activities infer a breach of the 1986 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.
We are acting within our rights and within the law.
C. J. Horsman
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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