|
Hunt
ban threat to 20,000 dogs
MORE
THAN 20,000 hunting dogs and 15,000 horses would be destroyed
if a ban on hunting in England and Wales was imposed, according
to a far-reaching study. Miles Cooper, a former researcher and
undercover operative for the League Against Cruel Sports, said
that ‘the prospects for hunting dogs following a ban looks
bleak to say the least’.
Mr Cooper is one of at least six former senior League Against
Cruel Sports members, including two former chief executives,
a director and a treasurer, who have left the League because
they now believe a hunting ban would inflict cruelty on a greater
number of animals than a continuation of hunting. He said: ‘It
can be safely assumed that upwards of 20,000 hunting dogs would
be destroyed, with that figure most likely rising by many thousands
more.
‘The RSPCA says that hounds need not be destroyed and that
they could be retrained or rehabilitated before being placed
in domestic environments. It is difficult to take such claims
seriously.
‘Rescue and rehoming centres already run at capacity with
many organisations operating a waiting list system and some
operating a seven-day euthanasia policy for problem dogs.
‘Given that hunting hounds represent a far stiffer challenge
than domestic dogs, it is reasonable to assume that a rehoming
system already under considerable pressure would be unable to
cope with the numbers and demanding nature of thousands of new
arrivals.’
In a study that has been sent to every MP and submitted to the
Government’s consultation on hunting, Mr Cooper found that
as well as 20,000 hunt hounds, the future of 70,000 Lurchers
and long dogs, and 100,000 terriers could be at stake.
Several canine charities are understood to be extremely concerned
about the effect a hunt ban would have on the numbers of dogs
needing rehoming, but they are unable to voice their concerns
publicly because most of their donations come from animal welfare
activists who oppose hunting.
Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, said: ‘You
only have to do the arithmetic to see that the RSPCA’s
numbers do not add up. The RSPCA have told the British people
that 200,000 dogs could be rehoused. It’s clear that they
simply cannot be.’
A ban would also ‘result in a glut of unwanted, low-value
horses that are likely to become welfare cases’, James
Cretney, chairman of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC),
told the Middle Way Group, which describes itself as anti-ban
but not pro-hunting, yesterday.
Horse welfare charities had little spare capacity to take in
unwanted animals and up to 15,000 horses would need to be put
down within a year of a ban becoming effective, he said.
‘A sudden increase in the number of horses requiring euthanasia
would overwhelm the current incineration capacity,’ he
added. ‘A large number of horses being openly slaughtered
so soon after foot and mouth could be unacceptable to the public.’
The NEWC study estimated that a hunting ban would result in
19,000 quality horses being released immediately on to the market,
which in turn would create a glut of 15,000 unwanted lower value
animals needing disposal.
‘The NEWC feels strongly that, should hunting be banned,
there will be major implications for horse welfare,’ Mr
Cretney said.
In a separate presentation, Mr Cooper said that “hunting
would seem to be more consistently humane than any of the other
methods currently available” for controlling fox, hare
and deer numbers.
‘Hunting creates no wounded survivors and allows the quarry
species respite during the breeding season,’ he said.
|
