Community: Real Life

Why I'm anti-hunting

The League Against Cruel Sports aim to abolish all sport activities involving animals. Member Kevin Palmer, 24, tells us how it is:

How did you get involved with LACS?

I was 13, and we'd had a debate on hunting at school. The issues raised fascinated me, and soon after I came across LACS at a street stall in Leeds. I picked up their literature, and it made me realise that hunting wasn't just cruel and unnecessary, but that it actually upset the countryside, rather than helping it.

I lived in a rural area and was keen to know more. I did my Year 11 project on bloodsports, and spoke to people on all sides. My conclusion was definite, however: bloodsports needed to be banned.

What exactly is your role in LACS?

I do all kind of things - I've dressed as a fox at a stall, attended and spoken at meetings, television debates and radio interviews. I also attended LACS's peaceful demonstrations on Boxing Day and at the Waterloo Cup hare-coursing event at Southport. The most important part of my work, however, is frontline monitoring (hunt observing).

What is a 'hunt observer', and how does it differ from a hunt sab?

A hunt observer, or monitor has a completely different role to a hunt saboteur. Obviously, the objective in both cases is that hunting be banned, but monitors go about it in a different way. A hunt saboteur will save the lives of individual foxes by disrupting the hunt activities on a given day.

League observers don't interfere with the running of the hunt. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that observers believe they will save more foxes in the long term if they collate information on what hunts actually get up to. For example, I once saw hounds run riot through a village, smashing a fence and decimating a beautiful garden. On another occasion I saw a hound get trapped in barbed wire, and another LACS observer had to help free it.

I've seen pets chased, fences smashed and country people tormented by the hunt. I've also been unfortunate enough to witness foxes being dug out of their hiding holes by hunt terrier men. This information is all collected locally and nationally and then used to lobby MPs and prove to the public how cruel hunting with dogs really is.

What do you think about the current state of the law regarding cruel sports?

Currently the law allows people to cause havoc in the countryside and kill animals for their own enjoyment. This is outrageous in the new millennium, and must be banned. In Scotland it already is, and hopefully we will shortly see a ban come into effect here.

Are laws changing quickly enough?

No. Laws take a great deal of time and effort to change. This frustrates many people, and that's understandable. However, changing the law is the only way we are going to show this kind of activity as what it really is ... criminal. The government has organised a consultation period, after which they will (hopefully) ban hunting with dogs. While I welcome the (possible) forthcoming ban, I am saddened by the many fox, hare, mink and stag deaths which will occur in the time it takes for this legislation to come to pass.

How can other people get involved if they want to help stop cruel sports?

There is no one way for people to get involved, however people should recognise that if we want to make a change, we have to do it as a joint effort. The best organisation to join to help wildlife has to be the LACS, because they are the people putting pressure on the government.

LACS have all kinds of regional groups and affiliated groups, so people should contact their London office (details on the website) and they'll be put in touch with their local branch.

What other anti-cruelty organisations exist apart from LACS?

Many people may be interested in joining organisations such as Compassion in World Farming and other groups that aim to bring about peaceful political change for animals. I'm a supporter of many different causes for both wild animals, domestic and farm animals and human animals, but people have to make their own decisions, based on what's out there.

Updated: 26/10/2006


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