The League Against Cruel Sports does not accept that hunting is a necessary form of predator or population control. We believe it is wrong that wild animals are subjected to terror and pain for the sake of 'sport' and 76% of the British public do not wish to see a return to this cruel pastime.
Although the hunting of several species of wild mammal with a pack of hounds has been banned, some hunts simply won't comply with the law. Many claim that they are trail hunting or have 'accidentally' pursued live animals.
Foxes
It is estimated that in the UK there are around 250,000 foxes before breeding season. After breeding season the number rises to around 1 million, but approximately 400,000 die each year, for numerous reasons.
Each year around 100,000 foxes are killed on UK roads, while the numbers of foxes killed by various fox hunts ranges from 25,000-35,000. There are a variety of reasons given for why foxes need to be culled and specifically hunted, with the most common reason being to reduce the numbers as they kill livestock. The League does not accept these reasons as valid justifications. Many people love foxes and believe they are not a pest to be hunted.
Deer
The population of red deer in England and Wales stands at around 16,000-20,000.The most common reason for culling and hunting deer is because of the damage they can cause to agriculture, forestry and conservation areas. The League does not believe that this damage justifies the need for them to be hunted for sport.
Hares
It is difficult to work out exactly how many hares are in the UK with estimates ranging from 817,000 to 1,250,000.Hares are considered by some farmers and foresters to be an agricultural pest and for this reason are culled and hunted. Hare coursing is carried out simply for sport. The aim of hare coursing is for two dogs (usually greyhounds or lurchers) to compete against each other in pursuit of a live hare, and provide 'entertainment'.
Mink
Like hares, it is difficult to calculate the UK population of mink with a wide range of estimates from 40,000 to 110,000. Mink are hunted for a wide range of reasons such as predation on poultry, game birds, fish, wild birds, rabbits and water voles. Hunting with dogs has a very small impact on the population of mink with less than one killed per day’s hunting and approximately 400-14,000 killed each year.