November 12, 2016
Scottish Police Say Foxhunting Law Is Unworkable
Foxhunting was banned in Scotland in 2002 by enactment of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act. Since that date, there have been no successful foxhunting prosecutions there. According to Police Scotland, while “exceptions to the offence to ‘deliberately hunt a wild animal with a dog’ are multiple and provide opportunities for exploitation by those who continually and deliberately offend,” there exists a “lack of clarity,” and “the police are, on occasion, unable to establish the high threshold of evidence required to prove and ultimately, report cases.” Police Scotland say that terms such as “stalking”, “searching”, and “flushing” were not defined by the act, an omission that creates confusion that can “deflect from the original intention or spirit of the legislation…. To make this legislation more effective and workable, offences need to be simplified and terms expanded.” A review of the act by Lord Bonomy was ordered by Scottish ministers last year, and findings are expected in the coming weeks. The legislation allows hunts to use dogs to flush out foxes and chase them towards the hunts, where the foxes are shot, but there have been allegations that the law has been broken because guns have not been visibly present. Police also said that proving the “intent” of an accused individual was very difficult because of the wording of the law. The League Against Cruel Sports agrees with Police Scotland that the legislation is unworkable. According to the Scottish Director of LACS, “Our two-year investigation into the activities of Scottish fox hunts convinced us that they were driving a coach and horses through the present legislation…. The Scottish Parliament thought it had banned fox hunting in 2002. Now is the time for the law to be strengthened and for fox hunting in Scotland to be really banned, for good.” The Scottish Countryside Alliance, which promotes hunting, is yet to respond. For further detail, see the complete BBC article. Posted November 12, 2016
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Fourth Annual Sporting Art Auction at Keeneland
Michael Lyne (British 1912-1989), DRAWN BLANK, Watercolor, gouache, 17 x 23-3/4, $7,000 to $10,000
For American art lovers, the upcoming Sporting Art Auction on Monday, November 21, 2016, 4:00 pm, at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion should be of special interest. Several lots by contemporary American and European artists feature North American hunts. Two in particular of the Old Dominion Hounds (VA) were painted by the late Peter Biegel (British) in the latter part of the twentieth century. Click to view the catalog.
This annual auction combines the expertise of two renowned institutions: Keeneland, the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house and Gregg Ladd's premier Gross Gate Gallery, both located in Lexington, Kentucky. The 2016 collection features 175 high-quality lots of paintings and sculpture from renowned masters as well as talented new artists. In the foxhunting genre alone, there are works by Peter Biegel, Julie Chapman, Richard DuPont, John Emms, Dede Gold, Harry Hall, Juli Kirk, J.B. Lalanne, Michael Lyne, LeRoy Nieman, Andre Pater, Belinda Sillars, Susie Whitcombe, and George Wright.
Meet David Twiggs: Soon To Be Executive Director of the MFHA
David and Ashley Twiggs
“It’s not often that one’s business and personal passions come together into a single opportunity,” says David Twiggs, the man selected to replace Dennis Foster as the new Executive Director of the MFHA. Dennis will retire on April 1, 2017.
David Twiggs’ business career has flowered from a passion for the successful integration of sporting activities into rural economies and, with an eye for conservation, developing them into widely recognized destinations and living space. He is currently Chief Operating Officer of the 26,000-acre Hot Springs Village in Arkansas, the largest planned sporting community in the country.
