|
Scottish
hunt becomes ban victim
ONe
of Scotland's oldest foxhunts has become the first casualty
of the ban on hunting with hounds. The Dumfriesshire Hunt has
been disbanded because it is no longer allowed to use the fields
over which it has hunted for more than 150 years.
Sir Rupert Buchanan-Jardine has told the organisers that he
could face prosecution if he continued to give the hunt access
to his 20,000-acre estate. Under the Wild Mammals (Scotland)
Act, landowners can be taken to court if an illegal mounted
hunt is held on their property.
Sir Rupert, 79, a keen supporter of the hunt, said: "I
regret having to do this but the decision is not mine -it has
been forced on me by the Scottish Parliament. To tell the hunt
my ground was no longer available wasn't something I did lightly
because I know hunting is a way of life in the countryside,
certainly in this part of the world."
Scotland's nine other hunts are awaiting the outcome of legal
challenges to the legislation, which came into force in the
summer, and some are offering a fox destruction service in which
hounds are used to flush out foxes to be shot by marksmen.
Supporters of the Dumfriesshire said its disappearance would
have a "drastic" effect on an area from Lockerbie
to Dumfries.
John Carruthers, the kennelman, said he and his wife Isobel
and their 10-year-old son faced an uncertain future. Some of
his distinctive black and tan hounds have been sold to hunts
in France, Ireland and England.
Heartbroken
"What is it to those in towns and cities what we do in
the countryside," he said. "I'm heartbroken at losing
my hounds. I'm keeping only one, Pytchley, which is my favourite.
"The black and tans are unique to this hunt. They were
specially bred with French hunting dogs in the 1920s to create
larger hounds that have a loud cry that can by heard in dense
woodland.
"Some people might try to keep the breed going. But the
end of my hunt is an end of a way of life and I feel bitter
and angry."
Hunt Master Nicky Birkbeck, 39, said: "Losing Sir Rupert's
ground is something all of us dreaded. It's not his fault. It's
the Scottish Parliament that has ruined our way of life and
our sport."
|
