Fox Hunting News

Horses will be required to wear diapers in order to march in the Halloween Parade in Davenport, Iowa this year. “Even though horses have long been staged at the rear of the parade, their droppings sometimes become a mine hazard to those leaving the parade route afterward,” says the Quad City Times. According to the newspaper report, the street sweeper who follows the parade route can’t quite make the streets safe enough for the populace. To FHL’s thinking, if horse manure was the most undesirable substance found on the city’s streets, Davenport would be at the top of every list for the Most Livable City. Nancy Hicks has been riding her horse in the Halloween and Saint Patrick’s Day parades for thirty years, and she’s not about to put a diaper on her horse. “Making us put diapers on our horses could be a disaster,” she said. “To get a horse to even wear a diaper would take months. Besides, there were only four horses in the parade last year…. You just don’t take a riding horse and put a diaper on it.” Foxhunters who ride their horses in the parade are fortunate. They are already equipped with the required “plain, gold, safety pins.” Read Barb Ickes article for more information.

Alice Barnard, 33, has taken over the reins of Britain’s Countryside Alliance. She is not only the first woman to lead the organization that boasts a membership of 100,000, but the youngest to do so. In a recent interview, Barnard urged Prime Minister Cameron to make good on his promise to hold a free vote within this Parliament and before the next general election on the repeal of the despised 2004 Hunting Act. “The Act just hasn’t worked,” she said. She went on to say that it wasn’t based on evidence, but rather on a class attack by those trying to punish the toffs. “But hunting has never been about that,” she said. As we already noted in an earlier FHL article, former Prime Minister Tony Blair in his recent memoir expressed regret at having pushed for the passage of the Hunting Act during his term. “Blair got it all wrong,” said Barnard, referring to Blair’s turn-about, “and it is just a shame that he didn’t have his Damascan moment at the right time.” Barnard is a rider since childhood and a former Master of the Cambridge University Drag Hunt, a foot pack of bloodhounds. She gave up a successful and well-paid career in corporate sales to take over her new post. See Rosa Prince’s article in the Telegraph for more.October 6, 2010

The secret of the Eastern coyote was revealed just this year when scientists discovered wolf DNA in coyotes living in the U.S. Northeast. The scientists hypothesize that the Western coyotes mated with wolves as they migrated eastward north of the Great Lakes across Canada during the last century. The finding helps to explain why the Eastern coyotes are larger than their Western cousins, and why the colors of their coats vary—a predictable result of an out-cross. That the Eastern coyotes are more adept at deer hunting than their Western forebears is another observation that supports the hypothesis. The Western coyote tends to restrict its hunting to smaller game like voles and rabbits. Evidence that the animals thought for decades to be coyotes are in fact coyote-wolf hybrids was released by two research teams. Roland W. Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum, led a team that studied coyotes from New Jersey to Maine. Jonathan Way, wildlife biologist with the Eastern Coyote Research consulting firm, and his colleagues studied coyotes around Cape Cod and Boston. Both teams published their papers independently. For more, see Carol Kaesuk Yoon’s September 27 article in the New York Times.October 3, 2010

Four states—Arkansas, Arizona, South Carolina, and Tennessee—have right-to-hunt referendums on the ballot this year. Kentucky may follow. Such constitutional guarantees have already been passed in nine states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Not all the legislation has been recent; Vermont passed their amendment in 1777! California and Rhode Island have established constitutional rights to fish, but not to hunt. The right-to-hunt initiatives are spreading now as a result of animal rights pressures against hunting and fishing across the country. Dove hunting has already been banned in Michigan, a state with a million hunters, as a result of HSUS efforts, and bear hunting is under attack by activists in Kentucky and Minnesota. Sportsmen seek to establish their rights in state constitutions before animal rights activists persuade a majority of American citizens that hunting is bad. Animal rights spokespersons pooh-pooh the attempts as unnecessary.September 12, 2010

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has banned the use of enclosures in the hunting of fox or coyote with hounds. The decision, made at a commission meeting on Wednesday, September 1, made permanent the temporary ban instituted in February. The ban is the result of complaints concerning at least one pen owner’s non-compliance with requirements and game laws. Hounds may still be used to chase foxes and coyotes in the open. One such venue is Eglin Air Force Base, where a fox and coyote season for chasing runs from May 15 to August 31. Foxhound training pens are used by many hunts around the country as a part of their puppy training program. The pens are also used by individuals who simply enjoy running their hounds. Foxes (or coyotes) are provided with refuges within the pen to allow them to escape hounds when pressed. There are rules that limit the number of hounds that may be in a pen at any one time. The Florida Commissioners considered possible new rules but decided they would be unenforceable. Jeff Barker’s article in the Panama City News Herald has more.September 12, 2010

Foxhound training pens are used by many hunts around the country as a part of their puppy training program. The pens are also used by individuals who simply enjoy running their hounds. Foxes (or coyotes) are provided with refuges within the pen to allow them to escape hounds when pressed. There are rules that limit the number of hounds that may be in a pen at any one time. Under pressure from animal rights activists and evidence that certain Florida pen owners were breaking state game laws, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shut down all fox pens in February until it could work out new fox pen rules. Two meetings have been held to allow stakeholders to come to a consensus on improved rules. However, of forty-seven proposals considered, only six could be agreed upon by both sides. The Commissioners considered possible new rules but decided they would be unenforceable. They plan to vote this week on whether or not to ban the practice entirely in the state of Florida. (More on Naples News.)August 30, 2010

Horse owners in Alabama and elsewhere have been advised to vaccinate against Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries says that six cases of EEE in horses have been found in the state and contiguous counties. Commissioner Ron Sparks said, “Heavy rainfall has made us extremely vulnerable to the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, and we need to protect our livestock and ourselves.” Sparks encouraged horse owners to vaccinate their horses for both EEE and West Nile Virus as soon as possible. For more information in Alabama, contact Dr. Tony Frazier at 334-240-7253. Unusually high levels of EEE infections are being reported in many states this year. With an eighty percent horse mortality rate, horse owners are well advised to vaccinate and to destroy standing water mosquito-breeding sites.August 24, 2010

So far this year, four horses have been diagnosed with West Nile virus in California: in Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Madera Counties. Each of the four horses was either unvaccinated or not vaccinated completely. State officials have renewed calls for all horse owners to vaccinate, warning that outbreaks of the virus are still a risk for horses. “Horse owners should contact their veterinarians as soon as possible to ensure vaccination status is current,” said California State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer. Symptoms of West Nile virus include stumbling, staggering weakness, muscle twitching, and inability to stand. More information may be found at www.cdfa.ca.gov.August 18, 2010

The coalition government in Britain has confirmed its intention to offer Parliament a chance to repeal the Hunting Act by a free vote. After an online petition on the Number 10 Downing Street website called for repeal, the government responded, “The Act has not been a demonstrable success. It is an unnecessary drain on police resources and there have been few prosecutions. “We will put forward a motion before the House of Commons on whether the Act should be repealed and, if the motion is carried, bring forward legislation in due course.” See Abigail Butcher’s item in Horse and Hound for more.

The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) has announced plans to sell some of its land in Exmoor to raise funds for a £1 million campaign to defend the hunting ban. This is in response to the coalition government’s promise for a free vote in Parliament on the repeal of the Hunting Act. LACS would place restrictions on the land to prevent hunting or shooting there, no matter the outcome of the vote. Spokespersons for the Countryside Alliance have argued that the Act is flawed and does not work. No date has yet been set for the vote, but according to BBC News, it could come as early as September, when Parliament returns from summer recess.August 14, 2010