Animal Cruelty in UK: Huntsman and His Kennel Maid Convicted for Feeding Live Fox Cubs to Hounds
The conviction is significant as it shows a master of hounds, “blooding” the animals, training them to kill foxes, 15 years after the ban on hunting with dogs was introduced in the United Kingdom.
In a major secret investigation, officials found a senior Huntsman and his kennel maid convicted of animal cruelty and given a 16-week suspended jail sentence. Activists from the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT), secretly filmed the Huntsman, apparently preparing to throw live fox cubs to a pack of baying hounds. The conviction is significant as it shows a master of hounds, “blooding” the animals, training them to kill foxes, 15 years after the ban on hunting with dogs was introduced in the United Kingdom. The undercover footage, obtained by HIT was used as evidence in the court. Georgia Puppy Mill Operator Arrested for Keeping 700 Dogs in ‘Horrific Conditions.'
The 40-year-old Huntsman Paul Oliver, was captured in disturbing footage throwing fox cubs for his dogs to ravage and later dumping the dead animals in a wheelie bin. As per media reports, the former master of hounds with the South Herefordshire Hunt, was convicted of four counts of animal cruelty. Oliver’s partner, 30-year-old, Hannah Rose, who worked for the hunter as a kennel maid, also went on a trail alongside 40-year-old terrierman, Nathan Parry, who was acquitted. Idaho Teacher Who Fed Puppy to Snapping Turtle Found Not Guilty of Animal Cruelty by Court.
Anti-hunt activists have secretly placed the cameras at the South Herefordshire Hunt kennels in May, 2016. The recordings played inside the court reportedly showed Oliver carrying a fox cub into the kennels, as hounds can be heard barking. Minutes later, he is seen to take the dead animal to dump in a commercial bin, before spraying it with a liquid. The defendants claimed that the animals were already killed before being given to the dogs, but the District Judge Joanna Dickens, reported, that she did not find any such account of the events and found them both guilty after a week-long trial. Both the people in guilt, were also ordered to pay 300 euros in cost and 115 euros victim charge.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 11, 2019 07:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).