Boxing Day fox hunts in Britain draw crowds
LONDON (AP) — More than 300,000 people thronged the British countryside Tuesday for the annual Boxing Day fox hunts, organizers said, two years after Parliament passed a law banning traditional fox hunting in which dogs chase and kill the prey.
Fox hunting, which dates back centuries in Britain, historically involved groups of riders following a pack of hounds trained to track down and kill foxes. The new law restricting the use of dogs in hunts was passed after a bitter fight in Parliament and raucous street demonstrations.
The Countryside Alliance, a group that represents hunting enthusiasts, said more than 300,000 people took part in more than 300 legal hunts across Britain on Tuesday, the day of the traditional post-Christmas hunt.
``We think we've had a record turnout this year,'' Alliance spokeswoman Charlotte Fiander said. ``We were expecting a big turnout as there is a lot of support for hunting across the country.''
Supporters say fox hunting is a vital rural tradition and an important way of controlling predators. Opponents consider it cruel, unnecessary and a preserve of the upper classes.
Under the Hunting Act, which took effect in February 2005, dogs can be used to locate a fox and drive it into open ground, but not to harm the animal, which is shot instead.
Many hunts have since been reformed into trail or drag hunting, in which dogs track an animal scent that has been artificially laid out through the woods in advance.
The anti-hunting group League Against Cruel Sports said it had no objection to the hunts, provided they were held within the limits of the law. In a statement, the group said it had created its own watchdog unit to help crack down on illegal hunting.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
