Fox hunting continues to draw blood in the countryside
By Emily Lawrence, Campaigns Manager
Posted 1st December 2025
The killing and chasing of wildlife by hunts and their hounds in the countryside continues as it has done since before the Hunting Act.
Since cub hunting began in August brave hunt saboteurs and monitors have already witnessed the bloodshed of foxes and watched wildlife relentlessly pursued across the countryside.
Cub hunting statistics compiled by our intelligence analysists showed over 100 reports of foxes being chased and over 300 reports of hunts wreaking havoc on rural communities through their anti-social behaviour. These are just the ones that have been witnessed and recorded between August and November. We suspect many foxes have been savagely killed in secret with no witnesses except those people watching on in the fox hunting community.
The West Country was a fox cub hunting hot spot with 48 foxes seen being hunted in the three counties of Gloucestershire, Dorset and Somerset alone, making up 43 per cent of the total across England and Wales. The Bournemouth Echo featured this story with quotes from the MP Neil Duncan-Jordan and CEO of the League Emma Swalinski.
There were 319 incidents of hunt havoc nationally which included trespass on private property, attacks on people’s pets and other wildlife species, livestock worrying, hounds loose on roads, and hunts causing road traffic accidents.
The main fox hunting season has begun and we’re already receiving and seeing shocking reports on social media of foxes being brutally torn apart or chased by hounds.
Mendip hunt Sabs witnessed a fox swimming through floodwater to escape hounds and further data collated by our Intelligence analysts have included foxes being killed with no attempt to stop the hounds and hunt staff trying to secretly remove a dead fox from the eyes of hunt saboteurs and the public.
It's not only foxes being chased by the fox hunts. There have been many reports of deer being killed and chased by out-of-control hounds.
In Warwickshire West Midlands Hunt Sabs saw two foxes to safety at the end of the cub hunting season and continue to keep a close eye on the Warwickshire Hunt who regularly cause chaos on roads and in the community. Our recorded incidents, which includes figures from the sabs as well as other intelligence, showed 13 reports of foxes being chased in the county and 18 of havoc caused by the Warwickshire Hunt alone.
You can find details on West Midlands sabs on their Facebook page.
Did you hear about the cruelty of the Coniston Foxhounds?
Already this season fox hunting has been in the media with one of the most disturbing incidents that has shocked and sickened the public to the core. Reported by the Hunt Saboteurs association and captured by the Lake District hunt saboteurs on November 8 showed chilling footage of a fox appearing to be dug out and then carried quite a distance to the waiting jaws of the Coniston Hounds. This horrifying story was covered in the Times and arrests have been made.
Hasn’t fox hunting already been banned?
Yes, 20 years ago the Hunting Act should have banned hunting wild animals for sport for good but since then hunts have been getting around the act and old-fashioned hunting with dogs has continued. You can read more about this in our blog “The Hunting Act 20 years on” on our website
What can you do?
With a government consultation just around the corner everyone will be able to have their say. That’s why we have been up and down the country letting as many people know about it as we can. Please keep sharing the link to pledge to sign up to the consultation and sign up if you haven’t already.
The relentless persecution of wildlife, blatant hunting and chaos in the countryside caused by hunts can make us feel helpless, but there is hope – by working together we can get this properly banned.
