History and the Current Debate on Fox Hunting - Literature review Example

? HISTORY AND THE CURRENT DEBATE ON FOX HUNTING History and the Current Debate on Fox Hunting Man has always glorified himself as the highest in the hierarchy of the natural order. Hence he believes that his supremacy above nature and other forms is an activity that nothing can rid him off. Just as the belief shared in the evolution of mankind, that man was born as an ape, will always co-exist with the man of today and tomorrow and the days to come till the end of time; hunting too is a historic characteristic that goes down with man from the minute he breathed his first. The view that man is superior to animal was also pointed out by Aristotle who thought that only humans were “capable of rational deliberation” (Trevelyan 1922). Hunting is one of the characteristics that mankind holds ever since its existence. It can be traced back to the days of the nomads whose only means of survival was through hunting. But with time, the verb has gone through a drastic change from a means of survival to a sport and thus a necessity has been replaced by entertainment. The Homo erectus hunted for living whereas the man of today hunts because hunting is a hobby and a means of amusement. It is an out-door sport with the intention to exhibit one’s skills or a perfect answer to one’s boredom. But for Paget, hunting is not a sport played at leisure but a dangerous pursuit of an animal in the places where they actually exist freely and reproduce. He says that a shot is solely registered for a hunt and if a man actually deviates from this reason, he is not a hunter and not a part of the sport of hunting (Paget 1900). Hunting is divided into various groups and fox hunting has been placed above all the other forms and has been marked to be the best sports by a group of people. It was and still continues to be the favourite sport of the Britons. Fox hunting is a blood sport as the animal world calls it and is a subject of much controversy as it is the shooting of animals for the purpose of enjoyment (Gast 2006). In Britain, the history of fox hunting holds a large volume and can be traced back to the 17th century when it was at its highest peak. It was the greatest sport until 1914 which was the year when the World War One started and it marked the end of the golden age. It was now surrounded by controversies and a full fledge debate up rooted between the masses whether it should be made legal or not and thus it was a turning point in the history of Britain (Wallen 2006). The history of Fox hunting can be traced back to 1534, when farmers in Norfolk, England started hunting down foxes with the assistance of their hounds. They were trained to follow the fox’s scent and only a hound could kill it while the hunter watched because its meat was not considered edible. The fox hunters were not much attracted to the idea of killing the fox with their own hands. They rather watched the hound do the honors while they sat on their horses and enjoyed the view. The fox was not meant for eating but was a pest that threatened farmers’ livestock and crops (Gradiner 2006). Thomas Fownes was the first man with a pack specifically for fox hunting. He sold it to a breeder in Yorkshire who further spread the transaction and by the middle of the century, several packs were seen that were exclusively kept for chasing down the foxes (Paget 1900). During the eighteenth century, fox hunting had replaced stag hunting and had spread out till Pytchley under the Lordship of Althrop (Trevelyan 1922). It had become the favourite sport of the riches who took it as a means of showing their wealth and valour. It was the sport of the higher class that existed in the society. There was a gradual division of class and culture and the upper class now aimed to live a much lavish life. They now, owned colossal estates and houses and enjoyed hunting because they were rich enough to buy and maintain horses and hounds (Gast 2006). The year 1753, is considered to be mark as an important era of fox hunting in England. This is because it was during this year when one of the most influential proponents, Hugo Meynell, became the owner of the famous hunt, the Quorn. But this golden age ended in 1914 at the start of World War One and was no long an independent sport but was surrounded by controversies (Wallen 2006). The first law that started forming chains around the free spirited sport was in 1750, when the Enclosure Acts made hunting difficult in many areas of the country. This was because the land where the activity of fox hunting was being carried out could be grabbed from their owners and the fox hunters now faced the problem of loss of land. In 1845, another act known as the General Enclosure Act was introduced which permitted Commissioners to occupy land without the consent of the parliament. This led to the enclosure of 21% of land (7 million acres) in England (Gast 2006). This created uproar amongst the hunters of England against the animal lovers. The animal lovers believed that this sport was brutal and it was meant to be ended by any means. On the other hand, the hunters explained that foxes were animals that were destroying the environment and these animals should be killed and removed for the safety of the ecology. The hunters further argued that fox hunting gave people employment opportunities and most importantly they explained that this sport was customary in their society since years and it was a part of England’s history. Therefore they explained that no law should be implemented to rid them off their history. But the opposing party formed the “Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” in 1824, in order to eradicate hunting entirely. Hence, the fight between the action and cause began (White 2004). In 1891, Henry Salt and Ernest Bell formed the Humanitarian League which was the first effective attack on hunting. Salt and Bell first aimed to target one hunt specifically which was stag hunting. They were successful in the closing it down as Queen Victoria was against stag hunting. But this did not affect other such hunts and thus they started campaigning to ban hunting of other animals as well (Hounds off n.d). In 1919, the “League for the Prohibition of Cruel sports” which was later to be known as the “League against Cruel Sports” was formed. The aim of this league was to put an end to fox hunting. This was the first League that brought forward the idea of bringing to trial the culprits involved in fox hunting (Hounds off n.d; Staff and Agencies 2006). At first, campaigning was difficult because the wealthy enjoyed hunting and did not want it to be banned. But this did not stop the League who in the late 1950s went as far as making a sanctuary for the hunted animals in the West Country. In the 1970s, the League gained strong political support. Hunters felt threatened by this advancement and decided to form their own organizations to prevent hunting (League against Cruel Sports 2011). Anti- hunt figures like Edwards Hemingway who was a journalist and joined the fight against hunting was so effective in attaining his cause that he became a personal victim and was attacked by hunters and thrown into the harbour. Throughout that year such incidences took place but this did not stop the anti- hunt campaigners. The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) was formed in 1960 and contributed a great deal in its cause. By now, the still camera was invented and introduced to the world. The League saw the advantage of the new invention and instantly seized the camera and splashed the press with heinous pictures of animals hunted down and killed in the most barbaric form. But this was not it and what brought a revolution in the fight to inculcate hunting was the camcorder. During 1990, the camcorder brought the cruel and ferocious videos of fox hunting into the limelight. (Hounds off n.d). These cameras were the tools that were going to turn the tide against hunting and led directly to the ban that still exists. The League continued to work with the police even after the Act was enforced. (League against Cruel Sports 2011) In 1995, the Countryside Alliance came into being. It was formed by the groups that were in favour of hunting and campaigned zestfully against any prohibition on hunting. They argued that foxes were causing major problems in the country. Therefore they argued that foxes should be hunted down and killed (Gardiner 2006). The socialist Alan Wolfe (1993) voiced the prohibition of the hunting ban by explaining that this act of hunting was defensible as it fulfilled the important demands of the human beings which included enjoyment as well as delight. (White 2004) In 1997, the Labour Party won the general elections and immediately promised to take proper steps for the protection and wellbeing of animals (Burns 2005). An independent inquiry under the supervision of Lord Burns was asked to prepare a report by studying all aspects of hunting. The Burns Inquiry stated that there was no reason on banning hunting because it was the only way of controlling animals and that there was nothing wrong with people not liking hunting and telling others not to like it either. It further stated that it was not appropriate for the parliamentarians to enforce their personal opinion as laws because England was a free country and this forceful implementation should not happen in a free country (Banks and Burge 2001). In the year 2002, voting was conducted in the parliament of Scotland for putting a ban on the practice of hunting foxed with dogs. 83 votes were in support of this ban with only 36 votes being against it. What became a moving point in the history of fox hunting was the 2004 Hunting Bill that was supported by 339 to 155 votes and was finally enforced on 18 February 2005. Since then there has been an upheaval by the hunting supporters of England. According to them, this ban was an intrusion on their rural living style and they came out on the streets wearing red jackets and buttons saying “Back of Blair”. They said that they would ignore the law and continue hunting even if that meant going to the jail. They showed their concern for 6,000 to 8,000 workers who were going to be affected by the act and also the country’s 20,000 hounds that were specifically trained for fox hunting and could not be kept as pets (Gast 2006; The Fox Website 2007). Fox hunting is an issue which has taken a lot of parliamentary time as there is no end to the numerous debates and votes on hunting issues. The 2004 Act, banned the hunt of wild animals throughout England and Wales but there was an exemption that allowed hunters to hunt under special conditions. They could hunt on the land that belonged to them or somebody else’ as long as permission was granted by the occupier. A person caught violating the laws laid by the Act was to pay a sum of ?5,000 as penalty (Defra 2012). The pages of British History are over brimming with the controversy of fox hunting. Although the act of 2004 has banned fox hunting but it still is practiced in some small towns of England. When Prince of Wales was asked his view regarding the ban on hunting, he replied by saying “A ban on fox hunting in Britain would never last” (Mail Online n.d). The history of Fox hunting was seen as the English Valour and was a means of depicting wealth and abundance of richness. It was the sport of the elite and the landowners who mounted the horse and galloped behind a pack of hounds. The hunters did not disengage in the act of killing but remained on the horse and enjoyed the speculation while their hounds tore the animal into pieces. They considered fox meat not edible and therefore did not hunt for the sake of food unlike their ancestors who hunted for survival. Instead, they hunted for the sake of amusement or a recreational past time. As years went by, the free spirited activity was no longer an independent game but slowly and gradually came into the folds of Law and Order. There was an immediate protest by the hunters who wanted to be free of rules and laws. However, groups who saw hunting as a sign of barbarism divided and sub divided and started putting their thoughts into actions. With the accordance of the government, many leagues and bodies were formed to eradicate fox hunting and finally after much effort, the Act of 2004 came into existence. This Act shunned all arguments in favour of hunting and brought about the demise of fox hunting. Bibliography BANKS, T. & BURGE, R. (17 January 2001). Head to head: Foxhunting. [online]. BBC NEWS. Available at: [Accessed 11 March 2012]. BURNS, P.(2005) American Working Terriers. Pets. DEFRA (DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS). (8 March 2012). Hunting with dogs. Rural and Countryside issues.[online]. Available at: [Accessed on 11 March 2012]. GARDINER, S. (2006). Sports law. London, Routledge. GAST, N.(2006). The Fox hunting ban in Britan- End of an era? GRIN Verlag. HOUNDS OFF. (n.d). History. [online]. Available at: [Accessed 11 March 2012]. LEAGUE AGAINST CRUEL SPORTS (2011). A brief history of the League. [online]. Available at: [Accessed 11 March 2012]. MAIL ONLINE. (n.d.) Charles: fox hunting will never end. [online]. Available at: [Accessed 11 March 2012]. PAGET, J. O. (1900). Hunting. London, J.M. Dent & Co. STAFF AND AGENCIES. (4 August 2006). Man Found Guilty of Illegal Fox hunting. [online] The Guardian. Available at: [Accessed on 11 March 2012]. THE FOX WEBSITE. (2007). Foxhunting:History. [online] The Fox Website. Mammal Group, University of Bristol. Available at: [ Accessed 11 March 2012]. TREVELYAN, G. M. (1922). British history in the nineteenth century (1782-1901). London, Longmans, Green, and Co. WALLEN, M. (2006). Fox. London, Reaktion Books. WHITE, R. D. (2004). Controversies in environmental sociology. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Read More