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Polite notice for Pro Hunt Supporters
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morfe
morfe
2992 posts

Re: Polite notice for Pro Hunt Supporter
Sep 30, 2004, 14:55
>>Has always puzzled me though, that one. Badger baiting was outlawed, but not fox hunting,>>

Two views: Pro and anti:

http://www.fitzwilliamhunt.com/FAQ/badgbait.htm

and, er, my view (too lazy to find an anti-bloos sports view pertaining to foxes and badgers, and anyway after living in the country I feel I have a view :-)

I think the reason fox hunting has taken longer to ban has been because:

1. It was a 'privileged' sport.

2. The badger is much less a 'nuisance' than the fox (to unscrupulous or lazy farmers)

3. Badger baiting, like dog-fighting, was purely a spectator sport in which animals were shredded for voyeuristic pleasure whilst hunting with hounds was a protracted workout replete with regalia, cross-country skills, social event, special clothes, custom, notions of 'heritage' etc, etc. The end result was indeed a mangled, dead fox (if the hunt was a 'success') much like the badger baiting, but the getting there was arguably the greater pleasure. As for the pro-hunt argument that the fox may get away, well I don't believe that is the case as I and 3 anti-hunt campaigners (one a local farmer) once followed a foxhunt to where the fox had 'escaped' (gone to ground). Here's what happened:

The terrier men were busy digging it out, obviously the fox was a naughty one to have escaped, so the hunt demanded their prize. Unsportsmanlike eh? Still, it gave the deadhead terriermen (did they used to bait badgers or still do?) something to feel important about and they set to their work with gusto before we arrived and physically sat in the hole. A police helicopter and two police Range Rovers arrived. We were eventually asked to leave after a two hour impasse. What a waste of money. And time. Hence my argument against it is primarily cruelty, and secondarily stupidity and misleading lies. The class thing is another issue, and should be regarded as such IMO.

I used to (verbally) offer the hunt supporters (imaginary) Badger Baiting videos for themselves and children at my local Boxing Day anti-foxhunt protest.

"Gertcha lavlee Badger Baiting videos, New Year Sale now on.."

All the townies that walked briskly past us to reach the splendid view of the toffs on horses would scowl or shout (or threaten us) for ruining their day. I can't see why they were upset at badger baiting and not fox hunting. Unless it was because they couldn't legally torture badgers (the working class blood-sport) anymore and they saw us as representative of a mindset that wanted all blood sports to be made illegal.

Ho. Hum.

I'm more in agreement with animal protection than I am with banning a person's individual rights, hence I find the whole 'banning' notion offensive.

However, I find the whole 'torturing animals' notion more offensive on the scale of "right of person to torture" or "right of animal not to not be tortured" I know which camp I'm in, although I hear a lot of lies and shit from the anti-hunt side also. Ho hum.
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