In a landmark decision, the Scottish Government ended the ‘sport’ of fox hunting for the first time ever.
Now, under the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which the Parliament just passed, there will be a two-dog limit for flushing wild mammals to guns.
Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind has been campaigning for the end to fox hunting for decades. Loopholes in the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 allowed fox hunting to continue just as much as it did before the ineffective ban.
Thankfully, this new Bill will also ban trail hunting, which has been used as a loophole for hunters to continue fox hunting in England.
The Hunting with Dogs Bill was made to clarify the law and close these loopholes that allow the slaughter of wild mammals, including foxes, rabbits, and hares with packs of dogs.
The new law states that no more than two dogs can be used to stalk or flush out animals from cover unless a license has been granted. The new rule will also prohibit trail hunting, where dogs follow an animal’s scent.
OneKind Director Bob Elliot said:
“This is a monumental day for Scotland. For twenty years the Scottish public have made it very clear that they want a real ban on the cruel ‘sport’ of foxhunting and now, after decades of tireless campaigning from ourselves and like-minded organisations and individuals, we finally have that ban.
“The chasing and killing of our beautiful foxes for ‘fun’ is unbelievably cruel and we are delighted that today the Scottish Government consigned this archaic ‘pastime’ to Scotland’s history books.
“Today we have a positive step towards wild animals finally obtaining the respect and basic protections that they deserve.
“A complete shift in mindset in how we view wild animals – as sentient individuals rather than ‘quarry’ – is desperately needed and today’s passing of the Bill shows we’re heading in the right direction.”
This “game,” “sport,” or “fun activity” is extremely cruel and should be banned everywhere. No animal should ever be subject to such a sadistic death. We need to protect these sweet, innocent foxes!
Sign this petition to encourage Ireland to finally ban fox hunting and while you’re at it, sign this petition to ban fox hunting in the UK!
This article by Hailey Kanowsky was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 26 January 2023.
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