To Mr Rees-Mogg - I am Fox

The week before last I met with my MP, who is Conservative, Jacob Rees-Mogg to find out from him why he supported a repeal of the Hunting with Dogs Act.  He gave me a number of reasons which when I researched them, found were not supported by the science.  I then wrote to Mr Rees-Mogg last week and put forward the evidence I had found against the points raised by him asking to change his view.

There has been a short form amendment to the Hunting with Dogs Act tabled for Wednesday (day after tomorrow) and this is my desperate message to Mr Rees-Mogg asking him to change his vote.

If you haven't already, please email your MP today https://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=122&ea.campaign.id=40255

About the writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig 

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, conservationist, writer and speaker.    She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world.  She is looking forward to Mountain Gorilla trekking this summer and watching penguins in Antarctica at Christmas, which will be her 7^th continent.  She has been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people.  Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

No More Hunting with Dogs - Letter to my MP

Dear Mr Rees-Mogg

Thank you for meeting with me on 3 July 2015, to give your views on hunting with dogs and your letter dated 8 July 2015.

I appreciate your time and effort to explain your views so carefully.

From our meeting, I understand that you will be voting for a repeal of the Hunting with Dogs Act.  As you will be aware, there is a vote next Wednesday for an amendment to the Act which in effect brings back hunting with dogs through the back door.

I understand that the amendment has been tabled as a ‘Henry VIII Power’ and only needs a short process to be passed.  The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, expressed concerns relating to ‘Henry VIII powers’, cautioning that by “allowing [Henry VIII Clauses] to become a habit, was to risk the inevitable consequences of yet further damaging the sovereignty of Parliament and increasing yet further the authority of the executive over the legislature.” I consider this kind of amendment, even though technically legal, to be undemocratic and damaging to the rule of law.  If you and your colleagues want to bring back hunting with dogs, then I believe it should be debated fully in an open manner, based on proper research, with a full review of the facts and evidence?  I would therefore ask you to vote against this amendment and ask for a proper Act of Parliament to be proposed, discussed in a democratic manner before being voted on.

In relation to our meeting, you told me that you supported foxes being killed by hunting with dogs for the following reasons:

That the Burns Report into hunting with dogs, which came out before the Hunting with Dogs Act was brought  in, was inconclusive on the issue of whether when a fox is being chased by dogs it understands fear above a flight or fight instinct.  That based on this report, you could not say that chasing a fox with dogs was cruel. I have looked at the report.  It found that “death was not always affected by a single bite to the neck or shoulders by the leading hound”, which was not what you thought.  It also said that it was satisfied that “this experience seriously compromises the welfare of the fox”.  The report also stated that lamping, the use of torches and rifles at night “had the fewer adverse welfare implications”.

You stated that fox numbers had to be kept under control as they killed farmers’ chickens and lambs, saying that there were four methods for killing foxes:

• Poison – this was a risky method as other animals might eat the poison and the fox would die slowly in its den.
• Trapping – this was a cruel way of killing.  I completely agree with you here but why is using traps still legal?
• Shooting – that the marksman had to be extremely good to be able to shoot a fast running fox and hit it on target, killing it in one shot.  That you needed to be an accurate shot otherwise the fox would die a slow death.  However, farmers are able to employ excellent marksmen to kill foxed for them.  I think that people should need licences to shoot animals based on shooting ability.  Shooting happens at night when foxes are active.  Lamping, with the use of a spotlight can be used on a fox, freezing them, so that they can be shot easily.  This was demonstrated on a recent BBC programme on foxes.  The Burns report said that this was the quickest and most humane method of killing wild animals.
• Hunting with dogs – you said that if you disregard the chase, the fox was killed very quickly by the dogs  with a bite to the neck and were only ripped apart after they were already dead.  You said that this method was quick and always certain.  However, prior to the hunting with Dogs Act being passed, scientific research was carried out on dead foxes by vets doing autopsies.  This is set out in the following article http://linkis.com/1GUKO with the conclusion being that trauma was found in the animals before death and that the death was not quick. Post-mortems showed no evidence that foxes are killed by a 'quick nip to the back of the neck' and found that in many cases foxes are disemboweled first. 

I then asked you if there was a fox in the area of a farm did you think the farmer was entitled to kill the fox straight away or should the farmer wait and see if anything was killed by the fox?

You said that we were talking about a wild animal with wild instincts.  If a fox with lambs then it would try to kill the animal as it is wild, it needed food for its cubs and so if a farmer saw a fox in his field, he would have to kill it. You also said that with the rise of free range chickens, these were at higher risk to being killed by foxes.  However, the statistics show that only 1% of lambs that died were killed by foxes.  Foxes are scavengers and so they are far more likely to take a dead lamb then kill one.  Based on the statistics, the risk to lambs from foxes is tiny. In relation to chickens, there is quite a lot that can be done to protect them like high electricity fences buried underground.  At most times of year foxes kill at night and so chickens should be locked securely away even if free ranging.

At our meeting, I talked to you about a recent case where 16 fox cubs were being reared by a hunt.   I made the point that case proved that rather than having high numbers and needing to be controlled, that there were actually low fox numbers and too few even to be hunted.  You said that you would absolutely condemn any hunt rearing cubs for hunting.  This is good to know, as it something that seems to have been uncovered quite a few times before. The same article reported that The International Fund for Animal Welfare had discovered that the Royal Beaufort Hunt - used by Prince Charles, his sons and Princess Anne – had been filmed rearing fox cubs for hunting.   There have been many cases of this over the years since.

When we discussed whether it was democratic for you to vote for repeal that 80% of your constituents oppose.   You said that when he stood for election, you set out a number of policies that you stood for and that people voted for that package and so you had the mandate to vote for the issues that you had told voters about.  However, I think that most people who voted for you voted for Conservative Party economic policies, especially on the economy/NHS/Schools etc.  I think you would agree (based on what you said at our meeting) that almost no one would have voted for you because of your policy on Hunting with Dogs.  As our MP, you represent the all people living in your constituency.  80% of them oppose hunting with dogs and therefore I think that it would be wrong for you to vote for something that 80% of your constituents oppose. 

I hope you will reconsider your view based on the scientific evidence and the fact that the most humane way to kill a problematic fox is to shoot it at night using a spotlight.

Yours sincerely

Mya-Rose Craig

David Cameron MP with a hunt

About the writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig 

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, conservationist, writer and speaker.    She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world.  She is looking forward to Mountain Gorilla trekking this summer and watching penguins in Antarctica at Christmas, which will be her 7^th continent.  She has been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people.  Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

No more hunting with dogs – Meeting with my conservative MP

I recently contacted my conservative MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg (JRM), asking for a meeting to discuss with him why he wanted to repeal the Hunting with Dogs Act. I said that I wanted to put the interview onto my blog.  I heard straight back from his constituency secretary who booked me into a slot within a few days.

I’ve decided it’s a lot harder to be rude about a person when you’ve actually met them!  So rather than be rude about him, I’ll disagree with him maturely.

PM with hunt

A meeting was arranged for Friday 3 July 2015 after school.  When we arrived, I had to fill in a form with my details and say what I wanted to discuss.  I wrote on my form that I wanted to discuss with JRM why he wanted to repeal the hunting with dogs act when 80% of the people in his constituency are against the repeal.

I asked him to explain why he backed the repeal of the Hunting with Dogs Act.

He spoke quietly, in a reasoned way and clearly knew the subject.  He said that prior to the Hunting with Dogs Act being made law (in about 2000) the Labour government commissioned the Burns Report.  He said that the report was inconclusive on the point of whether when a fox is being chased by dogs it understands fear above a flight or fight instinct.  JRM said that based on this report, you could not say that chasing a fox with dogs was cruel and this is still legal.  He said this then had to be set aside.

Dogs killing a fox

JRM then said that fox numbers had to be kept under control as they killed farmers’ chickens and lambs.  He said that there were four methods for killing foxes:

• Poison – but this was a risky method as other animals might eat the poison and the fox would die slowly in its den.
• Trapping – he said that this was a cruel way of killing.  He said that he had seen a fox that was so badly injured they had to get the RSPCA out to kill it humanely.  He said that foxes were known to try and gnaw their legs off to get away.
• Shooting – he said that the marks person had to be extremely good to be able to shoot a fast running fox and hit it on target, killing it in one shot.  You needed to be an accurate shot otherwise the fox would die a slow death going back to it’s den if it could make it
• Hunting with dogs – he said that if you disregard the chase, the fox was killed very quickly by the dogs and were only ripped apart after they were already dead.  He said that this method was quick and always certain.

I said going back to the need that his was talking about to kill foxes, I asked him if there was a fox in the area of a farm did he think the farmer was entitled to kill the fox straight away or should the farmer wait and see if anything was killed by the fox?

JRM said that we were talking about a wild animal with wild instincts.  He said that if a dog on a lead goes into a field with lambs, the factors that reduce the likelihood of killing are that the dog is on a lead, it is trained not to kill and is a pet in a house.  A fox however in the same circumstance would try to kill the animal as it is wild, it needed food for its cubs and so if a farmer saw in it his field, he would have to kill it. With free range chickens there is more risk for farmers.

I referred to the recent case where a hunt was looking after fox cubs, to rear them to be hunted.  I asked whether surely this showed that there are not enough foxes for hunting not too many.  JRM did not know about this case and said that he would condemn any hunt rearing cubs for hunting.

Mum then clarified my point for me; she explained that a hunt had been caught with 16 fox cubs taken from 4 vixen in a barn being fed by someone linked to the hunt.  She said the barn was 200 metres from kennels and the land owner had confirmed that both were leased to the hunt.  She said that the point I was make was that did this not prove that foxes no longer need to be hunted as there are too few and not too many.  She suggested that he looked up the case which is with the police.

JRM again said that he would absolutely condemn any hunt rearing cubs for hunting.

I then said that most of the people in his constituency opposed the repeal and should not there be a referendum on this issue in his constituency before he voted for a repeal?  I asked how it could be democratic for him to vote for a repeal when so many people opposed it.

JRM said that when he stood for election, he set out a number of things that he stood for.  People voted for that package and so he had the mandate to vote for the issues that he had told voters about.  He said actually most people didn’t care much with a very small number on each side feeling passionately about it.

Hunt

He then asked me what I thought and I said that I did not agree with hunting with dogs being brought back as I thought it was cruel.  I said that I would come back to him if I had more questions or points once I had considered what he had said.

JRM said that I should get involved in politics through hustings and had seen my Column in the Chew Valley Gazette.

My thoughts following the meeting

Obviously, I don’t agree that there is any sensible reason for bringing back hunting with dogs, except the enjoyment of the hunt.  However, I want to try and break down JRM’s arguments in the systematic way.

The Burns Report – what did it say about whether foxes feel real fear whilst being chased by dogs?

Has there been other research on the topic of whether wild animals feel fear whilst chased (e.g. raised adrenaline)?

Surely, there is no point simply saying that no foxes need to killed to keep down the population?  The law says that farmers can kill foxes.  Farmers will kill foxes.

If a farmer thinks that a fox is going to kill his animals (chickens as I think foxes rarely kill lambs – is that true – what are the stats) and wants to kill one and/or vixen/cubs, which method is least cruel?

Poison – is there really a risk to other animals (apart from rats)?

Traps – I think these should be banned as cruel

Shooting – One of the reasons for the badger cull being deemed cruel is that the badgers are shot and sometimes are not killed straight out and die slowly.  If we think shooting is cruel for badgers surely it is cruel for foxes?  Can we have excellent marksmen with licences to kill foxes rather than anyone being able to do it?

Hunting with dogs – I think the chase is cruel, I don’t think the kill is instant (can I have some info on this) and I don’t think people should be allowed to get enjoyment from causing this much distress to an animal

Was this really quick?

I think simply saying that foxes don’t need to be killed is unreasonable, as it does not deal with the concerns of farmers or the law (even though I don’t agree with either).

Can anyone help to answer my questions urgently so that I can go back to JRM straight away??

About the Writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig 

Mya-Rose Craig is a 12 year old young birder, conservationist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She is looking forward to going Mountain Gorilla Trekking in East Africa in the summer and watching Penguins in Antarctica in December 2015, which will be her 7th continent. She has recently been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

No more Hunting with Dogs – Part 3

The real Hunt

Hunt sabbing

As soon as I am old enough, I will be joining the Hunt Sabateurs Association and going out hunt sabbing on the Mendips. Every fox or cub that is saved is a victory and as an activist, I feel that I have to go out there and do something, not just talk about it.

I feel frustrated that I can’t do something more now. All I can do is keeping writing about what is happening and persuading people to sign the petition against the repeal of the Hunting With Dogs Act.

I can understand why I wouldn't be allowed to join in hunt sabing yet though, it is really dangerous as The Hunts have the attitude that you shouldn't be there, so if you get injured then it's your own fault.

An injured female hunt sabbatuer

Violence from a Hunt member, who never get prosecuted by the police/CPS
I am sure that police officers are told never to arrest hunt, and that comes from high levels

Confrontation amongst the Hunt

Read the article “Why I am still sabotaging fox hunts 10 years after they were banned” by Lee Moon in the Guardian Newspaper http://bit.ly/1eZ8pj8

Also read this article by The League against Cruel sports in the Metro Newspaper “We should never bring back hunting with dogs – and here’s why” by Chris Pitt http://bit.ly/1HXQtfK which I have copied below:

Hunt dogs ripping a fox apart

A fox killed by Hunt dogs

"Debate is currently raging about whether hunting with dogs should be made legal once again. How depressing, says Chris Pitt of the League Against Cruel Sports. 

Pro-hunt supporters will claim that hunting is a form of wildlife management, and that the activity is ‘non-wounding‘.

Does this look like "non wounding" to you?

That sounds okay, right? Here’s the reality: 

Foxes are ripped apart by hounds, often while still alive. 

‘Cub’ hunting involves areas of woodland being surrounded by hunt members who prevent young foxes from escaping when the hounds are sent in. Deer are chased to an exhausted standstill. Hares are forced to take part in the ‘sport’ of hare coursing, in which two dogs race to catch it, before ripping it apart, often in a gruesome tug of war. Some try to claim that this kind of activity is somehow ‘natural’. It’s not. 

When foxes are chased, they will bolt down holes to escape; as part of a fox hunt, the holes will be surrounded before terrier dogs are sent down to trap and/or fight with the fox. This leads to horrific injuries and potentially death for both animals. That’s the reality, and that’s why 80% of people in this country want hunting to remain illegal. That includes 78% of people in rural areas, dispelling the myth that only townie ‘know-nothings’ are anti-hunting. 

The wildlife management argument is also flawed. If you want to stop foxes – in town or country – the best methods are humane deterrents and a good fence. Another point here is that the reputation of foxes as ‘vermin’ is based on prejudice, not fact. Their impact on the farming industry is nowhere near as negative as is made out – in fact many farms benefit from the presence of foxes which kill rabbits, which in turn do a lot of crop damage.

Less than 1% of annual lamb losses can be directly attributed to foxes. 

Arguments that the Hunting Act has failed, or hasn’t helped animal welfare, are nothing but bluff – there have been over 400 successful prosecutions under the Act. At the League Against Cruel Sports we believe it could be strengthened a bit to stop people from jumping through loopholes, but basically it’s a vital and successful piece of legislation. 

Hunting with hounds is not pest control, nor ‘wildlife management’. It’s not a class issue, nor a town-vs-country argument. It’s nothing but a cruel sport that was consigned to the history books, and we believe that there will be enough MPs who will vote to make sure it stays there."

Hunt member with fox killed by dogs

My message to everyone who is not sure about acting, it is time to join us:

The line it is drawn

The curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is

Rapidly fadin'

What can you do?

Don't forget that The Hunting Lobby is powerful, with well connected aristocratic activists among them.  Before hunting with dogs was banned, the Countryside Alliance rustled up 250,000 for two marches against the ban.  As a comparison, our Hen Harrier Day last summer had 570.  That is what we are up against.

We need to mobilise ourselves quickly and ensure the government take heed of the 80% majority in our cities and countryside who oppose this act being repealed. 

Write to your MP using the following website - http://bit.ly/1JERayX

Petition the SNP to vote against the repeal - http://chn.ge/1MjHzfY

About the writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol, UK and blogs about birding and conservation from around the world. Wader conservation is important to her and she is Ambassador to the global wader initiative World Shorebird Day. She is looking forward to Mountain Gorilla trekking this summer in East Africa and to watching penguins in Antarctica in December, her 7th continent. She has recently been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter.

No more Hunting with Dogs – Part 2

Hunt member with fox killed by dogs

There is a small section of our society, mainly those who are extremely privileged, that think that it is acceptable to have their huge pack of dogs chase a fox until it is exhausted, digging into it’s home, and ripping it apart while it is still alive.

Hunting dogs killing a fox

Fox killed by hunt dogs

Un-democratic

David Cameron, PM, at a Hunting Meet

Our government should be representing the view of the 80% of the population who are against the repeal of the hunting with dogs ban. That is what democracy is about. You are voted in to represent the people, not to represent yourself and your friends.

After the elections, our elite group of ministers returned to power. My MP is the conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. I have asked to meet with him so that I can raise my concern about this issue. He is pro all things elite as this is his background. He is pro hunt and pro a repeal of the hunting with dogs legislation, previously saying “The law [banning hunting with dogs] is obeyed but its tyrannical aim to prevent people pursuing their pastimes is avoided”.

The Hunt will be happy at the moment as the new Conservative government has said that it will have a free vote on whether to repeal the ban on hunting with dogs, which Tony Blair brought in 10 years ago, virtually all my life. 

The Conservative manifesto promises a vote on whether or not to repeal the ban.

The Countryside Alliance, the main pro-hunting lobby, predicts they will get the 286 votes from conservative MP’s needed to repeal the ban. However, the League Against Cruel Sports think that more MPs will vote to keep the ban.

The Conservative’s former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said, “The hunting ban is bad legislation, bad for animal welfare and bad for the liberty of people in the countryside.”

The repeal was not mentioned in the Queen’s speech as David Cameron was trying to shake his parties’ image as a party for the rich and privileged.

Hunt dogs killing a fox

Is this kind of death reasonable for any animal

What I have witnessed

There is a Hunt that meets at the top of the woods overlooking our house, on the Mendips.

The sight of their coats fills me with anger and fear. They are the elite. Those people who think they are better then the rest of us. That they can intimidate us, that they have the right to treat us as though we are nothing.

There is a footpath through our woods, with a gate across it to show that it is not a bridleway and to discourage people on horses.

Sometimes, I have been in the garden or in our lane with a number of the hunt galloping through, with their unchecked fearsome dogs petrifying me. As they ride past, there is no apology, just a feeling that the countryside belongs to them.

Hunts often trespass, with their dogs out of control, like here

My next door neighbour is an artist. In her naivety, she joined a hunt because she loves horses and thought that it really would just be a drag hunt. She attended once, realised that foxes were still being chased by dogs and was so shocked by what she saw, that she has become a bit of an animal rights activist.

It is no co-incidence that it is very rare to see a fox where I live or and even more so on the Mendips.

This government want to change the law so that hunting animals with dogs is legal again. My message to anyone who opposes them:

Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's namin'.

What can you do?

Don't forget that The Hunting Lobby is powerful, with powerful and well connected aristocratic activists among them. Before hunting with dogs was banned, the Countryside Alliance rustled up 250,000 for two marches against the ban. As a comparison, our Hen Harrier Day last summer had 570. That is what we are up against.

Conservative MP Simon Hart, former Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance has already said that they hope to have 15,000 activists working to reinvigorate grass-roots support for a repeal. We need to mobilise ourselves quickly and ensure the government take heed of the 80% majority in our cities and countryside who oppose this act being repealed. The precedent is not good, with the Badger cull, this same government would not listen to any amount of campaigning and science. It is likely that they will take the same approach to repealing the Hunting with Dogs Act 2014.

Write to your MP using the following website - http://bit.ly/1JERayX

Petition the SNP to vote against the repeal - http://chn.ge/1MjHzfY

About the writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol, UK and blogs about birding and conservation from around the world. Wader conservation is important to her and she is Ambassador to the global wader initiative World Shorebird Day. She is looking forward to Mountain Gorilla trekking this summer in East Africa and to watching penguins in Antarctica in December, her 7th continent. She has recently been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter.