Wildlife protection (From York Press)

Wildlife protection

9:37am Saturday 29th December 2007 in Letters By Reader's letter

HUNTS turned out around the country for the highlight of their annual calendar; the Boxing Day meet. Before the ban on hunting with dogs was introduced, hunters could get their kicks by setting dogs to chase deer, foxes, hares and mink.

Nowadays, the cruelty of the chase and killing with dogs is outlawed.

No doubt after this Boxing Day, hunts will be calling for the ban to be repealed so that they can once again mark Christmas with a bloodbath.

I have spent the last 25 years following hunts all around the country.

For the most part I have filmed animals being chased and torn apart by dogs to enlist support for the campaign to ban this cruelty.

Since the introduction of the hunting ban in 2005, I have followed hunts to check that they are only carrying out legal hunting activities and have been reporting any incidents of suspicious behaviour to the police.

If, like me, you believe it is important that the law is upheld, please keep your eyes and ears open to protect British wildlife.

If you know of hunts that are breaking the law or see hunts behaving in a suspicious manner, please let the police know.

They need intelligence if they are to act against determined hunting extremists, who think that they have the right not only to ride roughshod over the law but to be cruel to animals.

Kevin Hill, Hunt monitor for the International Fund For Animal Welfare, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7UD.