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"I hope we’re not going to be on News at Ten or anything now."

INTRODUCTION

It must be stated at the outset that most of the hunting and hare coursing that the Committee of Inquiry set out to observe is open to public view. The meets of many Foxhound packs and the meets of nearly all the Staghound packs are advertised in Horse & Hound and in the local papers. Some meets of Harriers and Beagles are publicised in Horse & Hound and in local papers. The phone numbers of all the hunts are listed in Baily’s Hunting Directory and their meets will with a little encouragement (or in the case of some hunts a lot of encouragement!) be given over the phone. The National Coursing Club publishes an annual fixture list. This gives a date for each fixture for each club. The venue is not given but details as to how to contact the Club Secretaries are given and in practice it is not too hard to elicit the required information.

With the Welsh gunpacks it is somewhat harder, but still not impossible to find out the location of the meets.

The lamping is a different matter. Finding out where that takes place is usually a matter of knowing the individual(s) involved.

Given that the hunting and coursing is all comparatively easy to access there were clearly several options open to those planning these Inquiry visits.

1. The first option would have been for the Inquiry team to have made their own plans and to have turned up unannounced to either side at a fixture. This would have given the Inquiry team some opportunity to see these pastimes as they really are but of course once members of the Inquiry team were asked and identified themselves the subsequent behaviour they saw would be likely to change. With no official observer from either side in attendance, but of course the hunting fraternity there for the event, the latter would have the advantage of having the ear of the Inquiry team without their opponents being able to give a counterbalancing view.

2. A second option, to make allowance for this failing of the first, would have been for the Inquiry team to have turned up unannounced but with an observer from the Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals (CPHA) to counter the view from the hunting side expressed on the day.

3. A third option, and the one that was ultimately chosen, was for the Inquiry team to give to the hunting authorities a broad list of that which they wished to observe: fox hunting, stag hunting, hare coursing and hunting, mink hunting, drag hunting etc. Then for the hunting authorities to suggest the particular packs and make the arrangements with the Inquiry team for the dates. The Inquiry team were then treated as guests by the hunt or coursing club selected and they turned up with an observer from both the CPHA and the Countryside Alliance in tow.

Many have expressed the view that in the interests of seeing what really occurs in the hunting field the Inquiry team should have operated in much the same way as a CPHA investigator. One of the latter, such as myself, would turn up at a hunt, perhaps in a hired car and using a false name. The element of deceit would be a necessary price to pay for the access with hidden cameras to record what really takes place. Such behaviour whilst fine for us would be simply inconceivable for the likes of Lord Burns and his team.

Whatever the merit we cannot have expected any of the Inquiry Committee to have lied about who they were and what they were doing to any inquiry from the hunting fraternity. We understand and accept why reputable journalists cannot tell lies in such situations and it would be wrong to expect the Government Inquiry to be any more devious.

Having said that, in the interests of gathering the best possible evidence, there were a blend of options available. Some of the visits could have been made with the agreement of the hunt concerned with only a Countryside Alliance observer present and no-one from our side if in return a similar number of visits were made to hunts at our instigation with only ourselves having foreknowledge and attending, and not the Countryside Alliance.

From the point of view of gathering information regarding the true flavour of hunting wildlife with packs of dogs it is unfortunate that a poor option for visiting was selected. Further, perhaps for reasons of economy, within this poor option the manner in which the visits were conducted was hardly conducive to acquiring the most accurate information.

It appears that apart from the initial basic request as to what they would like to see the agenda throughout has in the main been set by the Countryside Alliance. Of the 22 visits no fewer than 17 were at the behest of the Countryside Alliance. Three were at the request of the CPHA. These were the Essex Farmers and Union Foxhounds, the German drag hunt, and the drag coursing club at Wickwar. At the Essex Farmers and Union Foxhounds no actual hunting was witnessed. The visit, to the Brecon and Talybont Foxhounds, was at the request of Lord Burns, and the second visit to the Blencathra foxhounds, by Lord Soulsby alone was because the latter was unable to make the earlier visit.

Perhaps the aspect that causes most concern is that at all the hunting visits, but not the coursing where it did not apply, the transportation and guides were provided by the hunting fraternity. [A possible exception to this is at the German drag hunt where I do not know what transport arrangements were made]

In effect the Committee of Inquiry had embarked on an escorted tour of the hunting field.

The Committee of Inquiry chose the start time and the finish time but apart from that they largely went where the hunting fraternity wanted them to go and saw what the hunting fraternity wanted them to see. It is hardly surprising that little untoward came into view. There is evidence that the worse cruelty that did occur on the days of the visits took place when the Inquiry team were safely out of sight.

For all their good intentions at the outset, it is clear with hindsight that this Hunting Inquiry had about as much hope of successfully witnessing the cruelty that concerns the public as would sending a Home Office Inquiry team on an arranged visit to check for cruelty in the infamous children’s homes of North Wales.

At one of the very earliest visits I heard Lord Burns explained that these visits were important for the Inquiry to get a "flavour" of what occurred in the hunting field. To gain an impression of the sort of people who took part. It was said that members of the Committee had already seen plenty of videos of fox hunting, stag hunting etc. but these were somewhat dismissed with the view that such videos could be edited and used to portray any viewpoint. Now the Hunting Inquiry wanted to see the real thing.

For all their honest endeavours and for all the miles they travelled we will see in the coming pages just how little of the "real thing" the Committee of Inquiry were allowed to see.

EVIDENCE SOURCES.

The compilation of this report is based on the following sources of evidence acquired from various individuals:

1. Direct personal recollection.

2. Written notes made on the day or soon afterwards.

3. Video film.

4. 35mm negatives and slides and digital camera images.

The evidence acquired by methods 2,3, and 4 is available to the Committee of Inquiry and will be made available to the media and to the public.

THE VISITS.

1. 4/2/2000 East of England Coursing Club at Twenty

2. 9/2/2000 Border Foxhounds at Heatherhope

3. 11/2/2000 Kimberley & Wymondham Coursing Club at Kimberley

4. 15/2/2000 Alresford Coursing Club at St. Mary Bourne

5. 17/2/2000 Devon and Somerset Staghounds at Wheddon Cross

6. 19/2/2000 Old Berkeley Beagles at Grendon Underwood

7. 21/2/2000 Thurlow Foxhounds at Great Bradley Hall

8. 22/2/2000 Waterloo Cup Coursing Club at The Withins

9. 23/2/2000 Waveney Harriers at Wingfield

10. 26/2/2000 Brecon & Talybont Foxhounds at Felindre

11. 28/2/2000 Plas Machynnlleth Foxhounds near Machynnlleth

12. 6/3/2000 Irfon & Towy Foxhounds

13. 14/3/2000 Coniston Foxhounds at High Yewdale Farm, Holm Fell

14. 18/3/2000 Duke of Beaufort’s Foxhounds at Hawkesbury

15. 19/3/2000 Staff College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Draghounds at Puttenham

16. 22/3/2000 Essex Farmers & Union Foxhounds at Woodham Ferrers

17. 24/3/2000 Blencathra Foxhounds at Swinside

18. 28/3/2000 Blencathra Foxhounds at Borrowdale

19. 1/4/2000 Devon and Somerset Staghounds at Molland Moor Gate

20. 25/4/2000 Draghunt near Dusseldorf, Germany

21. 30/4/2000 Wickwar Park Coursing Club (Under National Drag Coursing Club Rules) at Wickwar

22. 20/5/2000 Ytene Minkhounds at Langton Long Blandford

23. 7/6/2000 Lamping in Hampshire

Meetings in Coventry and Leeds

Supplementary Evidence (Masters of Foxhounds Association Rules and National Working Terrier Federation Code of Conduct)

Conclusions

It is interesting to compare the visits that actually took place, as listed above, with those that had been originally planned. Below is the first list of planned visits that I was sent:-

27/1/2000 Bicester and Whaddon Chase Foxhounds

31/1/2000 VWH Foxhounds

3/2/2000 A Lincolnshire pack

9/2/2000 Border Foxhounds

11/2/2000 Hare Coursing, Kimberley and Wymondham

15/2/2000 Hare Coursing, Alresford

17/2/2000 Hind Hunt, Devon and Somerset Staghounds

19/2/2000 Beagling, Old Berkeley Beagles

21/2/2000 Thurlow Foxhounds

23/2/2000 Hare Hunt, Waveney Harriers

28/2/2000 Gunpack, Afonwy

6/3/2000 Gunpack, (Wales)

9/3/2000 Lamping

12/3/2000 Drag Hunt, Staff College

14/3/2000 Fell Pack (Lake District)

22/3/2000 Drag Hunt, Staff College

24/3/2000 Fell Pack (Lake District)

28/3/2000 Stag Hunt, Devon and Somerset Staghounds

8/4/2000 Mink Hunt, Ytene Minkhounds

12/4/2000 Lamping

22/4/2000 Mink Hunt, Ytene Minkhounds

27/1/2000 (THURSDAY) : BICESTER WITH WHADDON CHASE FOXHOUNDS AT PRIORS HARDWICK.

CPHA observer : Mike Huskisson

Hunting Inquiry visit cancelled.

The rendezvous place for the Inquiry team was Banbury railway station at 9.30a.m. I stayed over in Banbury the night before and was at the station on time. I waited and waited and when no-one arrived I phoned my office to find out what had happened. I learned that the decision had been made to cancel the visit due to frost.

It was a bright and sunny morning and whilst it had indeed been cold I viewed it as likely that the hunt would indeed go out. If British hunts cancelled their meets every time the weather was less than favourable our wildlife would be happy indeed! I knew that this hunt has a reputation for being fanatical, hunting in all weathers and until the last ray of light.

I went to the meet venue and true enough found that hunting had simply been delayed for an hour. Hunt monitors were out and they told me that the whole meet was strange. It was on a Thursday but was not in the usual Thursday hunt country for this hunt. The area selected for this meet was regarded as being much "safer" for the hunt.

I stayed for some time to film the meet and the hunting over the nearby countryside. I saw a bobtailed fox fleeing the hounds. In the absence of the Inquiry team I was unwelcome on the land. It was hard to monitor the hunt in this area so I left after a short while. It was a lovely sunny afternoon.

1). 4/2/2000 (FRIDAY) : EAST OF ENGLAND COURSING CLUB AT TWENTY.

Inquiry team : Lord Burns, Lord Soulsby, Dr Edwards, (Mark Sanderson)

CPHA observer : Mike Huskisson

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

Hare shortage. Two hares killed.

This was the first day of the Barbican Cup a two day meeting. The East of England Coursing Club advertised 10 days coursing in their fixture list for 1999/2000.

The Inquiry team were given the rendezvous of Ely railway station at 9.00a.m. The coursing card, subsequently acquired, states "First Brace in Slips at 9.00a.m. prompt." The drive in convoy from the rendezvous to Twenty where the coursing took place was some 60 miles and took over an hour.

I had arrived at the rendezvous on time. I met Mark Sanderson in the company of a man named Michael Darnell, who I know to be a hare coursing supporter. I was then introduced to Lord Burns, Lord Soulsby and Dr Edwards who arrived by train. We split up the party for the drive to the meet. Michael Darnell had a four wheel drive vehicle driven by his son. He took Lord Burns and Lord Soulsby whilst Dr Edwards and Mark Sanderson came aboard my car.

Knowing that coursing always starts early I was concerned throughout the drive as to what we would be missing. On arrival we drove up a track and met the person selling the entry cards. I was intrigued as to whether we would be expected to pay. Michael Darnell stepped out and spoke to the lady. We were then all passed the entry cards. I did not pay the £5 entry fee and it did not appear that anyone else from the Inquiry team had to pay their entry fee.

We were directed further up the track and parked at the end of a line of vehicles. We were then introduced to Simon Hart, the Head of Public Relations for the Campaign for Hunting, there to represent the Countryside Alliance. The hare coursing was well under way in a nearby field and we were guided forward to a suitable site from where to observe. I was determined to have more evidence than merely my recollections so I took out my photographic equipment.

I used still and video cameras and both Lord Burns and Dr Edwards also used cameras. We were introduced to Charles Blanning, the keeper of the Greyhound Stud Book and the man who runs the National Coursing Club offices in Newmarket. At a suitable opportunity the judge for the day, Mr R. Burdon, mounted on his horse, was introduced to the Inquiry team.

We saw two hares killed. Both kills happened some considerable distance from us. None of us were able to see at close-hand whether the hares were killed by the dogs or by the Pickers-up. On both occasions the Pickers-up were seen to break the hares’ neck.

When the first hare was caught some 35 seconds elapsed before the picker-up was able to retrieve the hare from the dog. I thought I saw it at the time and checking my video after the event suggests that this first hare caught was not killed by the dogs. When released from the dogs it appears to make a dash to escape and the Picker-up catches it and kills it. He turned and obscured what he did to the hare from our view.

The strong wind whipping across this open Fenland made hearing difficult. When the second hare was caught I heard the hare crying. I checked with Dr Edwards and she told me that she had not heard this but perhaps this was due to her untrained ear. Simon Hart who admitted that he had seen very little of coursing before this event also said that he had heard nothing from the hare.

I asked that the Inquiry team be allowed to see the body of the first hare killed. We were told that this would be no problem but in fact we never were shown that body despite my reminding the organisers on several occasions that they had told us that we could see it.

We were shown the body of the second hare killed. This was a male. The only visible injury was a cut producing blood from just in front of a back leg. In the first instance the body was shown to Lord Burns, Dr Edwards and myself. Lord Soulsby was nowhere in sight.

That would have been that and the body would have been disposed of but for the fact that knowing Lord Soulsby to be a senior vet I expressed the opinion that he should see the body too.

We set off to find him and located him back with the supporters vehicles. He was keen to see the hare and we all proceeded some distance up the track to a suitable place and the body of the hare was tipped out of the binliner on to the ground. Lord Soulsby crouched down and felt the neck of the dead hare.

Lord Soulsby : "Did it have its neck broken...er..by the hunt?"

Mike Huskisson : "The picker-up....."

Hare Courser : "No, the dog.....the dog went for it"

Hare Courser : "First grab...."

Mike Huskisson : "Sorry?"

Hare Courser : "First grab was the back of the neck..."

Hare Courser : "And when it come forward the other one got hold of the other end."

Mike Huskisson : "Right."

Hare Courser : "And actually it was dead before the other one collared it..."

There was a pause while Lord Soulsby examined the body of the hare. Then a vehicle horn sounded indicating that we were blocking the way. A hare courser apologised to Lord Soulsby and indicated that there was room to the side.

Lord Soulsby : "No, that’s fine. The....er...It seems to have been got by the by the neck....."

It was indeed "got by the neck". We had seen the picker-up break the hares neck. What is disputed is whether death was caused by the picker-up breaking the neck or by the dog. The Inquiry team, and others, may wonder whether it is common for the picker-up to break the neck of a hare that is already dead.

I thought it would be a good idea for the Inquiry team to see the Slippers’ view of the coursing. It is a view that I, when posing as an ordinary coursing supporter, have never been given. I felt sure that if the request was made the coursers would feel obliged to help and they duly did so. Lord Burns joined the Slipper in his shy to see the dogs released. He had been in the shy when he dogs were released that resulted in one of the kills. I had hoped that all the members of the Inquiry team would be able to take a turn in the shy but on this visit only Lord Burns was able to do so.

For the last coursing beat that we saw I waited with Dr Edwards by where the dogs are gathered before being put in the slips. We were waiting for Lord Burns, Lord Soulsby and Mark Sanderson. We saw the beat line coming in and I was torn between waiting with Dr Edwards for the others to arrive and making my own way down the flank line to film, and thereby record for the Inquiry team, whatever occurred. My briefing had been not to leave the Inquiry team so I waited with Dr Edwards.

Realising the need for urgency she then said that we should go on ahead and leave the others to catch us up. We did so. Lord Burns and Mark Sanderson quickly joined us but Lord Soulsby never did. Instead he stayed way back from the area where the hare was likely to be caught, near the slip Steward. He seemed to have a problem with his mobility which did not bode well for future visits given that that this was the very flat lands of the Fens.

We saw no more kills but one of the coursing dogs did suffer a severe impact when misjudging a jump over a ditch at the edge of the field whilst in close pursuit of the hare. In severe pain the dog howled and cried horribly. Dr Edwards heard this too and accompanied me to see what had happened. Luckily the dog, we were told, did not have a broken leg. Nevertheless after a period to recuperate it was carried from the scene. Lord Soulsby, the man with veterinary expertise was too far away to know that any of this had occurred. I noticed that the injured dog was carried past him. Later I asked him his opinion of the injury but he did not tell me that he had checked it himself. He did repeat the coursers diagnosis of the injury.

At 3.00p.m. the Inquiry team felt that they had seen enough and they decided that we should leave. The coursing carried on. The Darnells drove Lord Soulsby back to his home. Simon Hart and I ferried the remainder of the team to Peterborough railway station (that was much nearer than the Ely station to which they had come in the morning). I had the pleasure of Lord Burns’ company for this journey whilst Dr Edwards and Mark Sanderson travelled with Simon Hart.

Points of note:-

At any coursing meeting there is a real onus on the spectators to behave in a manner so as not to impede the escape of the hare. This is clearly stated in the National Coursing Club rules. All coursing meetings of any size produce cards that have to be purchased for entry (we were given ours this day). On many cards there is reference to this rule in however an abbreviated form. The card for this day, for the very prestigious Barbican Cup included no reference to the need to stand still and keep quiet if the hare approaches.

I did not hear anyone from the Coursing club, nor did I hear Simon Hart, tell members of the Inquiry team about this rule and they certainly did not tell me. Indeed when we took up our position on the coursing field it was left to me to point out to the Inquiry team how we should act in order not to impede the escape of the hare.

Aside from the kills, the most memorable fact from the whole day was the shortage of hares. We arrived an hour after the start and yet they had run just three courses in our absence. The lines of beaters walked in again and again with very few hares to show for their efforts. The coursers told the Inquiry team that this was due to the efforts of poachers, often working at night. These coursers were at pains to stress to the Inquiry team the great cruelty that is caused by those who poach hares, with coursing dogs.

As the hares were clearly present on the farmland in very low numbers they could not be described as pests. It is often claimed that where there is coursing there will be hares. It is not the case here. Furthermore for all their complaining about the shortage of hares what is certain is that at the day of this day there were at least two hares fewer.

Finally, albeit that it is was source of humour and banter it was clear that many of the beaters employed for the day were students playing truant from the local schools.

2). 9/2/2000 (WEDNESDAY) : BORDER FOXHOUNDS AT HEATHERHOPE.

Inquiry team : Lord Burns, Professor Winter, (Brian Caffarey)

CPHA observer : Mike Huskisson

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

Fox saved by the presence of the Inquiry team and the media. Two other foxes killed out of their sight.

I made the long trek to the north by car on the Tuesday evening. I was booked in at the prestigious Percy Arms Hotel, a well known hunting establishment, the rendezvous for the Inquiry team in the morning. The last half hour of my drive over the open moorland was made through a blizzard. Much more of that I thought and the local foxes will be given a rest day in the morning.

I was somewhat surprised when on checking in, giving my name and filling in the hotel registration form I was told: "Oh! The rest of the Inquiry Committee have phoned to say they will be a bit late." I asked how the chap, who I took to be the owner, knew that I was anything to do with the Inquiry. There was a brief embarrassed silence followed by the news that he had been told. But he could not remember who had told him.

At 9.30p.m. Lord Burns, Professor Winter and Brian Caffarey arrived. Lord Burns and Brian Caffarey had travelled up by train whilst Professor Winter took the aerial route from Bristol. We all enjoyed dinner together.

After about 45 minutes we were joined at our table by Michael Hedley, the Joint Master and Huntsman of the Border hunt and by Simon Hart. It transpired that Simon Hart was staying with Michael Hedley at the hunt kennels nearby.

At the end of the evening we were told that the hunt had arranged for two guides from the hunt, Barry Richardson and Gordon Wright, to collect us in a Landrover 110 from our hotel the following morning. It was all a bit too civilised for my comfort.

We duly met these people at 9.15a.m. on the Wednesday. It was a bright dry morning and it was clear that there had been little further snow. We were advised that there would be a drive of about an hour to the meet. I piled into the Landrover with the rest of the Inquiry team whilst Simon Hart chose to follow along behind in his car.

This was the day of the television crews. The meet was at Heatherhope high up in the Cheviot hills on the Scottish side of the border. The previous Friday Simon Hart had expressed the view to me that for a Wednesday meet in Border Hunt country there would be just a few riders and followers but there were more than a few. A couple of supporters introduced themselves to Lord Burns as being followers of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase hunt. They said that they were sad that he had not been able to see their hunt but they had come to see him.

At the meet, which seemed to be the end of a track in the hills, one of the wildest and remotest places imaginable, a couple of television crews came strolling up! One was local, from Border television, doing a "fly on the wall" type documentary "A day in the life of a hunt". The other was from Sky television. The presence of the latter caused considerable consternation to the Inquiry team. The reporter from Sky TV was asked how they knew about the event but he merely said that his colleague in London had been told.

Sky television filmed an interview with Lord Burns and with Michael Hedley. Lord Burns took some photographs of the meet. Professor Winter did not appear to have a camera with him. It was noticeable the high number of supporters riding quad bikes at the meet.

A liberal amount of drink was passed around. Eventually Michael Hedley set off on foot with the hounds at about 11.00a.m. We watched from the vehicles and then drove in pursuit as the hunt appeared to drift to the north towards Hownam. We came upon the Sky TV film crew parked by the road. They were out of their vehicle with their camera on a tripod trained on the hillside. It was about twenty minutes to noon. Lord Burns was the first of our team to see the fleeing fox that had been the object of the cameraman’s attention. We stopped, jumped out and observed a big fox making his way with no great rush from left to right on the hillside across from us. He disappeared near some buildings to our right. The hunt was some way behind with their hounds running widely scattered. In due course the lead hounds came by giving cry. Simon Hart timed them as being four and a half minutes behind. They appeared to be running right on the line of the fleeing fox.

One of our guides from the hunt advised us to turn round and drive in pursuit which we did. We noticed a cluster of quad bikes parked to our left. Stopping we approached them but the riders indicated that the hounds had gone on. We clambered back into our vehicle and drove on and next saw the hounds milling about in a field of grass to our left. I feared that they had already killed the fox. We parked and made our way to the scene. Simon Hart was there first, chatting to the hunt supporters milling around. A hunt follower coming away told me that the hounds had marked the fox to ground. "What will happen now?" I thought.

The hounds were digging and baying at the edge of an old stone wall. We rushed to the scene as did the Sky TV crew. They trained their camera on the hounds and I did likewise with my small digital videocamera. The whole Inquiry team were swiftly at the scene. Riders on quad bikes and horses were there as were plenty of other hunt supporters but not Michael Hedley. I noticed a hunt terrier catching a ride on a quad bike. The hunters used their radios to call up Michael and discuss the situation with him. It was decided to "give the fox best".

To my knowledge the landowner was not present at the scene. At least if he was he did not introduce himself in my hearing. The Inquiry team was not told whether the landowner wanted the fox killed or left. From the manner of its gait that we had previously witnessed this fox was not of an age or in a state of injury so as to render it infirm.

The Inquiry team was told that the fox was left by the hunt out of fear that the wall might collapse if they dug under it. I was delighted that the fox was left alive but as to why, I saw no effort made to ascertain the exact nature of the underground tunnels, and in my opinion the reasons for the fox being left had more to do with the presence of the Inquiry team and the cameras, particularly from national media.

Sky television conducted an interview with Lord Burns and Professor Winter by the wall overlooking the scene.

After that incident the hunt was mostly confined to distant high hillsides apart from one occasion when they came near us close to a small reservoir by Heatherhope. I had previously ascertained from the Hon. Sec. of the hunt, a Lt. Col. Cross, that the hunt does have one artificial earth that he knows of, albeit an old one. I took the opportunity to discuss this in the presence and hearing of Lord Burns, Professor Winter and Brian Caffarey. Lt. Col. Cross said that he did not know why the artificial earth had been built.

With the hunt roaming the distant hillsides and ourselves confined to the hunt Landrover there was little of interest that we could see. At one point I noticed Lord Burns dropping off to sleep in the front passenger seat. He slumbered and we sat in the vehicle whilst who knows what was taking place out of our sight. He stirred and I waited until he was fully awake. Then knowing his role as a Director of Queens Park Rangers football club I commented "This is about as exciting as watching a football match from outside the stadium!" He laughed out loud then added to my view with his own opinion that it was worse than my analysis because at least outside a football stadium you could hear the sounds of the crowd!

However no-one can expect bloodsports to be banned because they are boring. The goal for our opponents appears to be that by making the pastimes appear boring, by eliminating the drama, they reduce the drive for legislative reform. At all our visits our hosts were very hospitable. We were driven here to see hunts in the distance, we were driven there to see hunts in the distance. We were told what the hunt were probably doing whilst out of sight. But this glamorous facade concerns no-one. What angers people, and generated the need for this Inquiry, is what happens when the quarry is caught, and just before.

Professor Winter had a flight booked at 6.00p.m. so we had to leave the hunt at 3.15p.m., before the hunt had finished. As a result we missed the main action because when I phoned Michael Hedley the next day he told me that they had in fact killed two foxes that day. At the time of our departure from the hunt we had not been aware of any kill having happened.

Points of note:-

During the conversation at the dining table the previous night Michael Hedley told us that his hunt operates over some 200,000 acres. He said that a lot of the country they hunted was Ministry of Defence land or Forestry Commission land. He claimed that all the landowners in their hunting country made them welcome. He said that they kill about 200 foxes a year and that of these they dig out a lot, about a third.

When we approached the reservoir on the hunting day our guide had cheerfully informed us that the previous shepherd to the current one by the reservoir had so disliked the hunt that he used to wire up the gates whenever the hunt visited and that his actions made it really difficult for the hunt. Given the claim from Michael Hedley the previous night that every landowner welcomes them perhaps there is a difference in attitude to the hunt between those who own the land and those who work it?

Comparisons:-

J.N.P. Watson in Volume III of British & Irish Hunts & Huntsmen (B.T. Batsford Ltd., London 1986) describes his visit to the area as follows:

The meet was at Buchtrig...............Driving me there from Otterburn, in the company of his Jack Russell and Border terriers, Roy Wallis - one of the great benefactors (with his time, energy and craftsmanship) of the Border hunt - waved his hand towards either side of the road, indicating the stands of conifer plantation, which have been a feature of those foothills for the past 40 years or so. He remarked that they were at once an asset (in their value as fox strongholds) and a hindrance (in that foxes too often led hounds into them, and thus shook off their scent among fresh foxes)."

Of his actual day with the Border hunt J.N.P. Watson writes:

"They drew blank over Mr John Tweedie’s Buchtrig, and the same down Hummelmoor and Chatto Farm, which belongs to that generous all-round field sportsman, Mr Bob Tyser. Mr Tyser likes to see plenty of foxes, as well as pheasants on his land, and has no time for the local, government-sponsored ‘Fox Club’, whose members shoot and gas in the interests of ‘vermin control’. Who needs a fox club, ask the Border followers, when their hunt, the traditional means of fox control, accounts for 50 brace and more a year? (Last season, notwithstanding seven weeks missed owing to hard weather, they succeeded in killing 63 brace.)"

It should be noted that this meet described by J.N.P. Watson and the area that was hunted over was very close to the area hunted at the time of this visit by the Inquiry team.

BACK TO THE VISITS

3). 11/2/2000 (FRIDAY) : KIMBERLEY & WYMONDHAM COURSING CLUB AT KIMBERLEY.

Inquiry team : Professor Marsh, (Brian Caffarey)

CPHA observer : Mike Huskisson

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

An unusual day’s hare coursing.

The rendezvous was Norwich railway station at 8.20a.m. I caught the train from Diss and by pure coincidence found myself sat behind Brian Caffarey who I observed ploughing through a lengthy tract from the National Coursing Club.

Amongst the influx of commuters heading for work Professor Marsh met us at Norwich station and drove us in his aged but sturdy Volvo to the venue for the days coursing at the small village of Kimberley, to the south-west of Norwich. It was a lovely sunny morning.

Brian Caffarey had been advised by the Coursing Club to look out for their direction signs which would show the way to the coursing meet. In my experience such signs are never big advertising boards saying "Live hare coursing this way". The coursing clubs prefer small, and more anonymous (several inches high) coloured direction arrows or similar sized arrows with simply the initials of the club on.

As a consequence finding the venue was not easy and necessitated several turn arounds. We ended up paying more attention to following cars that looked to contain coursing supporters. The name Hall Farm had been mentioned. I recalled the location as having been the site of a hare hunt by the Dunston Harriers that I had attended the previous Autumn. For all that it was still hard to find the coursing and we ended up amid several cars of bemused and lost coursing supporters. Eventually the correct site was found. The card declared a start a 9.00a.m. sharp and we were about half an hour late. However we had missed nothing, the start was delayed to 10.00a.m. due to frost on the ground.

Coursing dogs have enough problems to contend with in the form of adverse ground conditions such as sharp flints and, if the time of season suits, short sharp stubble. Both these can lacerate their paws. Frozen ground is an additional hazard that can often be avoided by waiting for the sun to rise.

I pointed out to the Inquiry team that on the back of the meet card there is in bold print the warning:-

"PHOTOGRAPHY, BOXES, STOOL ETC. STRICTLY PROHIBITED"

It was soon clear that there was an abundance of hares in the locality. Perhaps this is because Norfolk Constabulary are more able or more willing to deal with the threat posed by illegal coursing than are their counterparts in Lincolnshire. Certainly on the one occasion, early in 2000, when I called out Norfolk police to illegal coursing they reacted with commendable swiftness.

The coursing started with it soon apparent that there was almost a queue of hares waiting to be driven on to the coursing field. The slip length appeared to be the normal. The conditions of the ground and the field topography must have favoured the hares as none were killed. One however was caught by the dogs right in front of us and flicked up in the air. Thankfully it landed intact and was able to escape thus negating the common claim from coursing supporters that their dogs kill the hares "instantly" by the "swift nip to the back of the neck".

Soon after we noticed the slipper, Bob Blatch, experiencing a degree of difficulty in the slips. On closer examination we saw that this was due to his two canine charges, waiting in their paired collars, having a fight. In many years observing coursing I have seen such fights occur before but they are a rarity. That they do occur is evidence of the measure of excitement and expectation engendered in the dogs. The coursers explained to the Inquiry team that the fight was due to the dogs involved being puppies.

Many of the coursing supporters were people whom we had seen on our visit to the East Of England Coursing Club at Twenty, the previous Friday. Many had also travelled large distances. One I spoke to had driven up from Kent to attend both venues. This confirmed our view that hare coursing is, with the single exception of the Waterloo Cup, supported by a small group of enthusiasts who travel from club to club and drive large distances for their pastime.

Thankfully there was just one hare killed on the day. It was a curious kill because the hare was caught by a single dog running on its own. I have seen this happen before but it is a rare event. The course lasted more than 50 seconds before the hare was caught. When she was caught the picker-up, or trainer, moved in quickly and obscured the condition of the hare from our view. After this kill I suggested to Professor Marsh and Brian Caffarey that they should have a look at the body. The coursers appeared willing to oblige but I recalled that with the first hare killed at the East of England the coursers had appeared likewise willing to help but had never actually produced the body of the hare. This time their willingness was never tested as Professor Marsh declined my suggestion saying that he didn’t think they would gain anything from seeing the dead body.

The coursing day ended at about 3.15p.m. when the final course scheduled was not run due to one of the dogs involved being withdrawn. The whole Inquiry team stayed until the end. Brian Caffarey told me that he had counted 32 courses run. Whilst welcome, the low kill ration of 1 out of 32 was wholly unusual and in no way representative of the usual threat to the hare posed by coursing. (I have seen reports of kill ratios as high as 82% over a full days hare coursing) Having said that I cannot point my finger at any unusual difference to the organisation of the coursing on this day.

Professor Marsh took a turn in the shy observing the slipper at close hand.

Points of note:-

There are several points to be noted from the meet cards that were given to myself and the members of the Inquiry team (these cost the coursing supporters £5 each but again we were allowed in free).

Firstly, on the front is the following caution printed in bold text:

"Anyone found returning to the running grounds and poaching will be reported to the NCC and will lose their membership of K&WCC"

Now of course the initials here represent the National Coursing Club and the Kimberley & Wymondham Coursing Club.

The need for this caution must have arisen comparatively recently. I have in my possession two other meet cards for the Kimberley & Wymondham Coursing Club, both also for coursing at Kimberley. One is dated Monday 4th March 1985. The second is dated Monday 15th January 1990. Neither contains any reference to the caution against club members returning to the running grounds and poaching. Clearly this "difficulty" for the organisers of coursing is a new phenomenon.

When the Committee of Inquiry ponder over the vehemence with which the coursers at the East of England Coursing Club damned the cruelty and threatening behaviour of the "illegal coursers and poachers" they should recall this matter of the meet cards at a nearby club.

I had some discussion with Professor Marsh as to the level of economic input provided by such a coursing club. Whilst the meet was at Kimberley Green there was no question of the equivalent to the hunting "stirrup cup" at the local pub taking place. The meet was merely a rendezvous point from which to follow the direction signs to the coursing field. There was some input of money to the locality by the payment of beaters. The refreshments were provided by a mobile catering vehicle which if my memory serves me correctly was the same one as seen previously at the East of England coursing fixture. With a two day meeting, as this was, there might be some trade provided for local hotels, B&Bs and the like but given the need to accommodate the coursing greyhounds this cannot have been taken up by all. Most importantly this club only advertised 10 days coursing in their entire 1999/2000 season and given that they have several venues at which to course their presence cannot be portrayed as a significant input into local economies.

BACK TO THE VISITS

4). 15/2/2000 (TUESDAY) : ALRESFORD COURSING CLUB AT ST. MARY BOURNE.

Inquiry team : Professor Winter, Dr Edwards, (Mark Sanderson)

CPHA observer : Graham Sirl

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

Committee of Inquiry see and hear hares suffer.

The Alresford advertised 7 days coursing, one of which was listed as (P Provisional) in their fixture list for 1999/2000.

The coursing started at around 10.00a.m. and finished at around 3.00p.m. The Inquiry team were present for the whole duration of the coursing. There were around 60 people present, most of whom were the owners of dogs, the trainers of dogs, or friends and colleagues of the aforementioned. There were few true spectators or locals.

To start with the team were placed in a position from where they were unlikely to see any kill. At the request of Graham Sirl they were moved and within 5 minutes, at 10.55a.m., a hare was caught just yards from where they stood. Some 4 seconds after it was caught the hare is clearly heard screaming. It took all of 22 seconds for a picker-up to arrive and pull the hare from the dogs. The hare was still alive when the picker-up and the owner/trainer reached it. The actual killing of the hare was concealed from the view of the Inquiry team. When questioned later the picker-up claimed that this hare was already dead when he got to it. The picker-up placed the body of the hare in a black plastic dustbin liner.

The drive was changed. Soon after midday the Inquiry team saw an occasion when a hare was coursed by three dogs. Whilst this hare escaped she was effectively mobbed by being coursed in this fashion and must have endured greater suffering than is usual as a consequence. This incident must have been caused by a loose dog becoming involved in the course. Rule 28 of the National Coursing Club rules allows for any person who allows any dog or dogs to get loose during a meeting to be fined. Indeed the meet card for this day, given to the Inquiry team, includes the following warning on the back:-

"The fine for a dog getting loose is up to £10 (NCC Rule28)"

It is more usual for a third dog to become involved in the course when it hasn’t been caught again by its owner/trainer after the previous course. This time though the dog had broken free whilst waiting to go into the slips. The hares were being driven past the dogs queuing to enter the slips and not surprisingly this drove the dogs frantic. It must have caused chaos to the running order!

Coursing was seen to take place in a wood to the side of the running field and soon after, at 12.17p.m., and a second hare was caught. Again the hare was heard to scream as the greyhounds tussled over her. This time Professor Winter ran with the picker-up and was present when the hare was retrieved. Professor Winter noted that the hare was alive and screaming when he arrived at the scene. It was noticeable that on this occasion when the picker-up was running with a member of the Committee of Inquiry at his side he ran with a far greater sense of urgency than had been displayed when the unfortunate first hare was caught.

There were only a small number of pickers-up present with none at all at the end of the field (where the hares are likely to be caught).

The final course scheduled was a failure owing to shortage of hares. Over the two day event four hares were killed.

The coursing steward told the Inquiry team that on the previous day there had been a number of sad incidents with dogs being injured on the flints on adjacent fields. There was one incident on the day of the visit where a dog was injured following a collision. It was noted that there was no vet present.

Points of note:-

The Code of Rules of the National Coursing Club includes the following:-

(1) Notwithstanding that this Code of Rules provides for the appointment of four ‘Pickers-up’ at every Coursing Meeting it shall be the duty of any person (including any person who has gone forward in accordance with Rule 19(2) but excluding the Judge) who is in the vicinity of any hare brought down, before taking any other action, to satisfy himself that the hare is dead and if it is not dead to kill it forthwith."

No indication or advice is given as to how to actually go about killing the hare. Whether it should be clubbed, or have its neck stretched, or anything else that comes to mind. Scientific evidence suggests that having the neck broken alone is not a humane death as the blood supply to the brain if maintained can ensure a painful death albeit that the victim may be paralysed and therefore not apparently suffering. On one occasion at the Waterloo Cup I had the misfortune to see a hare caught by the crowd at a meeting at Lydiate. She literally had her head torn off when a chap stood on her body and ripped her body away. Such a death was savage and gruesome to watch but all things considered it was probably a damned sight more humane than the current means of death meted out to most hares at coursing meetings. This should not be taken to excuse the former but rather to damn the latter.

The only reference to this rule of a duty to dispatch the hare on the meet cards that were given to the Inquiry team is the catch-all Rule 42 Jurisdiction of the National Coursing Club the gist of which is that anyone at the coursing meeting should have read the Bye-laws and Code of Rules and agreed to abide by them. The National Coursing Club sent their Code of Rules to the Inquiry team. Whether they also impressed on individual members of the Inquiry team their personal responsibility for minimising the suffering of hares when visiting hare coursing is unknown.

When the first hare was caught Professor Winter, Dr Edwards and Simon Hart were with Graham Sirl watching. They were clearly much nearer to the site where the hare was caught than was the Picker-up. The rules of the National Coursing Club imposed a clear duty on them to satisfy themselves firstly that the hare was dead and if it was not, as was clearly the case, to kill it forthwith. It might not have been expected of Professor Winter, Dr Edwards or Graham Sirl that they should carry out this action but there was a clear onus on Simon Hart to do so. He must have had some experience of dispatching animals in his hunting career (he was Master and Huntsman of the Royal Agricultural College Beagles from 1983-1985 and Joint Master and Huntsman of the South Pembrokeshire Foxhounds from 1988).

Failing that, the organisers of the coursing should have placed someone with the Inquiry team who was capable of dispatching any hares caught by the dogs. Their failure to do so and their failure to move the Pickers-up to a position nearer to where the hares were likely to be caught resulted in increased suffering to the first hare caught.

It should also be noted that the front of the Alresford Coursing Club meet card includes the following instructions to those attending:-

Spectators must stand still when a course is being run, and they are requested to avoid damage to fences etc."

This is exactly the reference that was missing from the East of England Coursing Club meet card.

At the Alresford meeting Charles Blanning from the National Coursing Club was asked about the relocation of hares for coursing at the Waterloo Cup. He said that there was a shortage of hares at the Waterloo Cup in the 1970s and that the Cup had been stopped for four years from 1977. He told the members of the Inquiry team present the following about this hare movement:-

"They brought in hares from East Anglia where they were in excess and restocked the grounds. They waited four years until 1981, which is why they appear in the accounts for 1981, and then the Waterloo Cup started again." The clear impression that he gave to the Inquiry team was that the movement of hares to the Waterloo Cup happened on just this one occasion. It is conceivable but rather far-fetched that he was unaware that is has happened regularly and indeed that the restocking of the coursing grounds with hares was envisaged by the Waterloo Cup Committee in 1981 as being an "annual necessity".

Comparisons:-

It is pertinent to note that the meet card for the Kimberley & Wymondham Coursing Club for their meet at Kimberley on Monday 4th March 1985 includes the following on the back:-

"To meet the requirements of Rule 42 and in particular to ensure the effective control and authority of the National Coursing Club over meetings - to which the House of Lords Select Committee attached great importance - all persons directly interested in entries at a meeting as well as all persons actively engaged in whatever capacity, must have in their possession an up to date copy of the National Coursing Club Rules and agree to submit himself to these Rules in their entirety."

Then below this is printed the following caution:-

"RULE 21 (i) .....it shall be the duty of any person........who is in the vicinity of any hare brought down before taking any other action to satisfy himself that the hare is dead and if not to kill it forthwith."

BACK TO THE VISITS

5). 17/2/2000 (THURSDAY) : DEVON AND SOMERSET STAGHOUNDS AT WHEDDON CROSS.

Inquiry team : Lord Burns, Professor Marsh, Professor Winter, Dr Edwards, (Brian Caffarey)

CPHA observer : Graham Sirl

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

The first hind hunted was lost in thick gorse. They returned to the starting area to draw for a second hind. This hunted deer ran exactly the same line as the first and ended up on Dunkery Beacon before running onto National Trust land at about 3.00p.m. The hunt then ended for the day. The Inquiry team were with the hunt for the full duration of the hunting.

Points of note:-

The hinds hunted would have been about 4 months pregnant. The hinds give birth to their calves in May and June. Hind hunting starts early in November and ends at the end of February. Connoisseurs of the pastime reckon that the later hind hunting offers better "sport" as the following quote confirms:-

"At first the hinds will perhaps run round and round in a most exasperating way, and many days are marred by the hounds changing on to fresh deer when their hunted one is more than half beaten; nevertheless the sport is often first-rate. Especially is this the case after Christmas, as by that time the calves are able to take care of themselves, and a mother when pressed by the hounds will leave her offspring and go straight away, instead of ringing round to the place where she hid the little one under a bush in the morning." (Fur, Feather, & Fin Series Edited by Alfred E.T. Watson. Red Deer. Pub. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912. Page 238-9. Stag-Hunting section by Viscount Ebrington, Master Devon & Somerset Staghounds 1881-87)

Tom Yandle the guide for the day of the visit, the High Sheriff of Somerset and Chairman of the hunt had told the Inquiry team that Snowdrop Valley, that they went into, was usually closed at that time of year but had been opened especially for the team.

Graham Sirl checked this claim with the Exmoor National Park Authority and was told that the road into Snowdrop Valley had been opened to avoid any congestion with the scheduled coaches which are run at this time of the year for visitors to see the Snowdrops. The hunt had in fact refused to change their meet. The Exmoor National Park also confirmed that they had received a number of complaints the next day about hunt vehicles being driven over the verges and destroying the snowdrops.

Comparisons:-

Given the day of the week and the time of year there was an unusually high number of supporters both on horseback and in vehicles. There were around 60 riders on the day compared to around 30 the following Thursday, even though the latter was also half-term.

Conversely, whereas there are usually 5 or 6 riders on trail bikes following the hunt on this occasion there was only one.

The Thursday following the visit by the Hunting Inquiry a hind was killed within half an hour of the hunt setting off.

BACK TO THE VISITS

6). 19/2/2000 (SATURDAY) : OLD BERKELEY BEAGLES AT GRENDON UNDERWOOD.

Inquiry team : Lord Burns, Professor Winter, (Brian Caffarey)

CPHA observer : Graham Sirl

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

The hunt moved off at around 1.00p.m. The Inquiry team left the location at 4.00p.m. with the hounds still hunting. Not much hunting was missed as it would soon have been dark.

There was an abundance of hares in the area hunted.

One of the Joint Masters of the hunt, R.A. Knight, told Professor Winter that the beagles were not bred for speed. He went on to say that he could make them faster by cross breeding.

Professor Winter ran with the hunt staff following the hounds. He saw them running backwards and forwards for three quarters of an hour in a wood that turned out to be owned by the Woodland Trust.

Graham Sirl filmed the hunt staff crossing a railway line near Quainton to the north west of Aylesbury. This line is used twice a day by trains from London. He pointed this trespass out to Lord Burns.

The President of the hunt, John Robinson, told Lord Burns that Beagling does not control the numbers of hares. He said that hare numbers are controlled by foxes killing the leverets. He also told Lord Burns that it was not necessary to have any other form of hare control on Knapps Wood Farm, which was where they were hunting that day.

John Robinson told Lord Burns that the leverets were around at this time of the year.

Points of note:-

The concept expressed during this visit that the beagles should not be bred for speed fits in very well with the general theory for enjoying this pastime that the quarry, the hare, should not be "over -matched". This was emphasised for hare hunting enthusiasts by the following advice printed some twenty years ago:-

7). 21/2/2000 (MONDAY) : THURLOW FOXHOUNDS AT GREAT BRADLEY HALL.

Inquiry team : Lord Soulsby, Dr Edwards, (Mark Sanderson)

CPHA observer : Mike Huskisson

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

Young healthy dog fox dug out and killed.

This hunt and venue were proposed by the Countryside Alliance. The Countryside Alliance arranged the transportation for the Inquiry team and our movements in the course of the visit were determined by the Joint Hon. Sec. of the hunt, Paddy Bell.

This is an old hunt. The first Master of whom much was known was James Paton who was Master from 1770-1800. The present hunting country that amounts to an area of about 13 miles by 15 miles was formed as the Newmarket and Thurlow hunt in 1884. In 1970 that hunt was amalgamated with the Puckeridge to form the Puckeridge & Thurlow hunt but in 1992 that amalgamation ended and the hunt reverted to its original name.

Reference to a map of foxhunt countries in the United Kingdom show that the Thurlow, at 195 square miles, occupies one of the smallest areas of size.

There has been a long tradition of preserving foxes in the Thurlow hunt country. Michael Brander in his book Portrait of a Hunt The history of the Puckeridge and Newmarket and Thurlow combined hunts (Hutchinson Benham Limited, London 1976) writes on page 93 of the Newmarket and Thurlow in the 1920s:-

"At this time the country was being hunted five days a fortnight and the old strife between hunting and shooting interests had entirely ceased. Everyone was dedicated to foxhunting and no one shot on hunting days any longer and keepers did not kill foxes. Poisoning and trapping were no longer hazards to be suffered in silence. Mr C.F. Ryder of Thurlow Hall was a keen fox preserver and General Sir Charles Briggs, ex-cavalry commander and successor to Mr R.W. King as chairman of the hunt committee, rented the shooting of several of the best coverts on the Wickhambrook side of the country as well as maintaining supplies of foxes in his own."

And adds on page 97:-

"Just how considerable a fox preserver Mr C.F. Ryder had become may be a little hard to appreciate without outside evidence. In his first season Mr Deacon personally counted twenty -two litters of cubs within a two mile radius of his house."

From the rendezvous at Whittlesford station at 9.05a.m. we drove in convoy to the hunt kennels at Wadgells Farm, Great Thurlow. We were then given a guided tour of the hunt kennels by a team from the hunt, Joint Master and Huntsman, Edmund Vestey, Joint Hon. Sec. Paddy Bell, and Kennel Huntsman and 1st whipper-in, Chris Amatt.

Edmund Vestey gave us all a little green booklet entitled "A List of the Thurlow Foxhounds". The Inquiry team were shown a hound that had been entered into the pack way back in 1991. I was surprised that they retained a hound that old in the kennels but on checking the little green booklet it is clear that at the time of our visit they had three hounds in kennels that were entered in that year.

It was clear that the Inquiry team were impressed by the care apparently shown towards the hounds. It is not always the case at this hunt. I recalled an incident some years previous when I and a colleague were monitoring this pack as they hunted in the Horseheath area. Driving towards Horseheath on the busy A604 I was alarmed to see an HGV in the distance, heading in the same direction as myself, throw up a cloud of smoke and slew across the road as he locked his wheels after fierce braking. Reaching the scene we found the incident had been caused by a hound running over the road. There were no hunt staff or supporters around. We stopped to prevent other hounds from crossing this road. When a member of the hunt staff eventually appeared I suggested that the hunt was at fault for allowing their hounds over this road to the peril of the drivers. This impressed him little so I added that if nothing else they could easily kill a hound that way. His response was to the effect, with suitably fruity language, that it would save shooting it!

Whenever I hear hunting fanatics professing their love for their hounds I am reminded of the following words spoken by the acknowledged hunting expert on hounds:-

"When asked the secret of his success, the greatest hound-breeder of all time, Lord Henry Bentinck, replied laconically, "I breed a great many; I put down a great many." His were the highest of standards, and even if he put down many hounds for the slightest fault~hounds that, with patience, might have proved themselves~Lord Henry did prevent what he thought were indifferent hounds from begetting their kind."

(Come and Hunt. The Hon. Charles Willoughby. Pub. Museum Press. London. 1952. Page 144)

We were told that they make no charge for their collection of fallen stock.

In the yard I asked Edmund Vestey about artificial earths. We know that the Thurlow Foxhounds have at least 31 of these together with at least 16 stickpiles. I asked if he could arrange for the Inquiry team to see an example of one of these. He said they had nothing to hide and would be happy to do so. We were told that the foxes that are caught are old, infirm, sick or injured.

We were driven to the meet and once there it was clear from the greetings exchanged that Lord Soulsby was in the company of plenty of friends, but that is not too surprising as he lives not far away. There were a large number of riders and followers at the meet but that was explained by the hunt as due to it being half-term rather than any attempt on their part to bus in supporters.

The hounds were taken into Hart Wood for the first draw and we followed. I know of no artificial earth in Hart Wood so I asked Paddy Bell, our guide and driver, if there was an artificial earth in the wood that he could show to the Inquiry team. He replied to the effect that he did not know and that I knew more about artificial earths in Thurlow Hunt country than he did. Besides being Joint Hon. Sec. for the Thurlow Foxhounds he is also I believe Land Agent for the Thurlow Estates so I think in his reply to the Inquiry team he was being shall we say, economical with the truth.

We parked by the pheasant release pen in Hart Wood and climbed out to listen and watch. A deer ran by through the wood but the hounds made no attempt to pursue it.

Paddy Bell told us that if they didn’t find a fox in this wood they certainly would in the adjacent wood. He was right. The fox, pursued by the hounds, left the adjacent wood then returned, ran round and around then went to ground. We faced a bit of a trek over the wet farmland to reach the scene. Dr Edwards, Mark Sanderson, Paddy Bell, Simon Hart and I set off. Lord Soulsby said that the walk was beyond him and he returned to the Landrover. That deprived us of his veterinary expertise at the dig. However before we had reached the adjacent covert a rider approached us and told us that they had decided to leave the fox.

Why? I asked whether it was in a natural earth. He told us that as far as he knew it was in a natural earth but he hadn’t seen the site himself. He didn’t know why they had decided to leave the fox. I tried to press for an answer but without success.

However he had ridden up to us to tell us. Someone knew why they had decided to leave this fox so why when the message was passed to tell us that they were leaving the fox was the message not passed as to why? We were an Inquiry team after all. The failure of the hunt to adequately explain opens the door to all manner of speculation as to the real reason why this fox was left.

We turned about and returned to join Lord Soulsby. I was beginning to feel that this hunt would only display to the Inquiry team exactly what they wanted them to see.

Paddy Bell expressed the view that as the hunt was due to head for Carlton we should do so to. There is an artificial earth in Carlton Wood and a stickpile in an adjacent copse so I found it none too surprising that they should head in that direction to find a fox. As we were about to leave we could hear the hounds returning and we queried with Paddy Bell that we might be better to stay. But he was adamant that we should drive round so we did so. It was clear that in his mind he was taking us on a guided tour, just as tourists might be taken on an escorted tour of the Pyramids. He was operating on his schedule, showing us what he wanted us to see. He was amenable to making subtle changes such as lingering a little longer if members of the Inquiry team wished but he never viewed his role as being merely that of a chauffeur, going where and when the Inquiry team wanted, at their bidding. I am sure that the Inquiry team would have been ably to acquire more useful evidence that day if they had enjoyed a free hand to travel wherever they wished and their own transport in which to do so.

We were driven round to a spot between Park Grove (where there is an artificial earth) and Lophams Wood (where there is another artificial earth). We looked back across the fields and saw the hounds in Hart Wood, exactly where we had just left and where Paddy Bell had been insistent that we should leave. The hounds went out towards Carlton and then returned. As we looked towards Park Grove a fox crossed the open field from left to right in our view.

There was a deer settled down in the open in the same field. The hounds appeared and although they were slow to follow the scent of the fox they were, admirably, totally disinterested in the deer. Mind you I noticed that the hunt placed a rider in a strategic position to ward off any riot after the deer that might occur.

We then followed the hunt down towards Temple End. The fox was not to ground but the hunt opinion was that he was close at hand. Whilst they tried to stop the hounds casting off for a fresh fox exactly that occurred. A fresh fox jumped up from some long grass at the back of the farm giving the Inquiry team a grandstand view of the hounds coursing the fox at close quarters. The fox, little bigger than a cat, dashed past the bulk of the mounted field who were waiting in the farm yard. The contrast in size was memorable.

This fox was pursued out towards the old Bomber Command airfield at West Wratting, then hunted back towards Temple End, then lost.

Following in the wake we saw some further hunting and then saw the hounds marking at what appeared to be a drain in the distance. Paddy Bell drove us to the scene. Simon Hart was quickly out of our vehicle and strode forward to have a chat with Edmund Vestey, out of our hearing. The terriermen drove up in their Landrover.

Simon then returned to us and told the Inquiry team that the hunt were happy for them to see how they would usually deal with this fox. In the interests of safety they would just have to stand back when the fox was actually shot. I knew then that the hunt were determined that the Inquiry team should see a fox killed that day.

The Inquiry team considered the offer from Simon. They agreed as they felt it necessary that they should see the kill. To my knowledge the opinions of the landowner were never canvassed nor was there any mention of this fox being "old, sick or infirm", nor any claims of it being a "pest".

To me it seemed as if a very clinical exercise was about to be played out. There was just one problem, the fox it appeared, was not willing to play his role. The terrierman, Dean Smith, explained the theory of what they planned to the Inquiry. They would net one end of the pipe and then put a terrier into the other end to drive the fox into the net. Then they would shoot the fox in the net. First they had to check that there was a fox in the pipe. He crouched down and peered into the dark tube. He announced with no small hint of regret that it must have been a false mark as there was no fox in the pipe.

The Inquiry team, in particular Dr Edwards, appeared relieved that they were not going to see the fox trapped and shot. They also appeared a bit sceptical of the explanation given. If the fox was not in the pipe where had it gone? It cannot have vanished into thin air. If it had run off why had the hounds not picked up its scent and pursued it? Were the hunt and its terriermen trying to pull some kind of "fast one" on the hunting Inquiry?

In fact this was all part of the learning curve for those inexperienced in the ways of hunting wildlife with dogs. Such hunting is not an exact science. The hounds are only canine and they can be confused and fooled. Whereas they hunt the fox for fun he flees from them, for his life. The motivation is different.

The fox could have run through the pipe and away and the hounds failed to detect his leaving. The fox could have run to the pipe but declined to go in and backtracked or run of at a tangent, with the hounds not picking up this ploy. What is certain is that in a hunting country where there are a lot of such pipes, perhaps field drains or artificial earths (and we know of at least 31 artificial earths in the Thurlow hunt country) the hounds will be all too used to marking at pipe entrances and at the first sign of any difficulty with owning the line of the fleeing fox will mark at the nearest pipe entrance.

The Inquiry team must have made their scepticism obvious because I was offered the chance to have a look up the pipe just in case I did not believe them. I did not bother. I suspected from their whole demeanour that more than almost anything in the world at that moment they wanted a fox to be in there so that they could demonstrate a reasonably quick and clean kill to the Inquiry.

We climbed back into our hunting transport and Paddy Bell drove us back to the old airfield. Soon afterwards there was another hound mark at another drainage pipe. We drove as near as we could then disembarked and walked towards the sounds of the hounds baying. Simon Hart again went ahead to have a word with the hunters at the scene. However before either ourselves or the terriermen reached the site Simon returned with the news that the fox had bolted of his own accord from the pipe. The Inquiry team exchanged slightly baffled looks.

Soon afterwards the hounds were taken to Lophams Wood to draw. This is a very well known covert in the Thurlow Hunt country with a long history of use for the pastime of hunting foxes.

It was explained to us that this was a covert that was deliberately planted so as to be "warm" and thereby attractive to foxes and a range of other wildlife besides. I also knew that it held an artificial earth and wondered if Paddy Bell would show it to us, and indeed if he would show us the same artificial earth that I knew of! (At least one Thurlow covert, Trundley, holds two artificial earths, several others hold an artificial earth with a stickpile nearby).

As we walked into the covert Dr Edwards, Mark Sanderson and Simon Hart strode ahead with Paddy Bell. I strolled behind keeping Lord Soulsby company. We chatted about the pleasures of draghunting in various parts of the world.

As the hounds circled Lord Soulsby returned to the Landrover and I joined the others at one of the junctions of the rides in the wood. The hounds were piling through the wood in full cry. Visually tracking ahead of their sound as they hesitated I saw the hunted fox crossing a ride some distance beyond them. I stifled my exclamation out of fear that Paddy Bell would holloa to put the hounds right. Simon Hart saw what had happened and, surprisingly, shared the difficulty of my position. I wanted to tell Dr Edwards and Mark Sanderson what had happened, to keep them fully informed as to the course of the hunt, but top priority was not to imperil the safety of the fox. Simon Hart did not holloa. Either then or again a short while later when he saw the fox cross the ride nearby with the hounds floundering to pick up his scent. He explained that in his view his role was not to interfere in the normal course of the hunt.

Soon afterwards with it apparent that there would be a quiet spell in the proceedings Paddy Bell offered to take the Inquiry team to see an artificial earth in the wood and duly took us to the site of the one I knew of.

We are told that such earths are not built for foxes to breed in but instead are built to locate foxes where they do no harm. If the foxes thus "located" do no harm then why torment and kill them as "pests" I wondered. The facts about this issue are fairly straightforward. Artificial earths are often built in remote locations making their construction a difficult task that involves no little expense. A wide raft of reasons could be offered for their construction. What is beyond doubt, as one of the greatest hunting enthusiasts and experts of all time, the Duke of Beaufort made clear in his book, is that whatever additional purpose artificial earths may serve they are for foxes to breed in:-

He felt that artificial earths should be primarily intended as breeding establishments, and so among the chief points to be borne in mind should be the aspect, position, soil, drainage and materials used for their construction." (Fox-Hunting. The Duke of Beaufort. Pub. David & Charles. 1980. Page 141)

As for the current hunting claim that it is solely a matter of "location" some of the 31 artificial earths that we know of in Thurlow country are placed precisely where foxes might be accused of being a threat. No fewer than 8 are located in woods that also contain a pheasant release pen (and one of the commonest reasons offered for reducing fox numbers is the threat they allegedly pose to shooting interests). One of these artificial earths is barely 40 metres from just such a release pen. The Inquiry team were told that the Thurlow hunt had put in no new artificial earths recently.

Whilst admitting that they had fed the foxes in their hunt country they said that such practices had stopped once they realised that to do so was illegal.

Paddy Bell then drove us back to follow the hunt who were operating in the vicinity of the old airfield again. There were plenty of foxes about. The hunting from our perspective was a matter of drive, stop, look, drive on, stop look and so on in increasingly frantic fashion. Eventually a fox was marked to ground in the corner of a wood. Low and behold this turned out to be Lophams Wood again. We drove across the field of grass to the scene and again Simon Hart jumped out and went ahead to have a word with the hunters gathered at the scene. This turned out to be the terriermen. He came back and I feared for the safety of any fox that might be in their clutches now. I noted the time on my watch as 3.05p.m. but of course the fox had been marked to ground some time earlier.

The hunted fox was in a shallow rabbit warren. Simon Hart told the Inquiry team that the hunt invited them to see how they would usually deal with the fox in such a situation. There was general agreement to watch and whilst it at first appeared that Lord Soulsby would have difficulty reaching the scene in the wood, to his credit he did eventually do so.

No-one identified himself as the landowner and said that he or she wanted the fox killed. If the fox was to ground on Thurlow Estates land and Paddy Bell, as Land Agent was responsible, he did not say so. In fact I had earlier asked Paddy Bell if they would be hunting on Thurlow Estates land that day and he told me, no. No-one offered any reasons as to why the fox should be killed. There was no claim of local damage caused by foxes, no claim that the fleeing animal had been seen to be old, injured or infirm. It appeared to me that this hunt were keen to seize their opportunity to demonstrate to the Inquiry team that a fox could be dug to and killed with little difficulty. From a shallow rabbit warren that was hardly surprising. In drier weather conditions the hounds might easily have completed the task themselves.

We dutifully walked forward to see the end game. The terrierman, Dean Smith, and his assistant were at the warren. I saw that the entrances had been blocked. We were told that in the interests of our safety when it came to the moment to shoot the fox we would have to stand well back. (They were using a free bullet pistol, not a captive-bolt and feared the effects on the Inquiry team of an unforeseen ricochet).

The blocking material used in the entrances was packed earth or more simply a spade thrust in. A small white terrier named Susie was put in. We could clearly hear the barks and yelps as the terrier bayed the fox just a short distance below ground. The terrier was brought out checked and put back into the fray on several occasions. Whenever it was visible it appeared uninjured. On other similar occasions at other hunts I have seen terriers dripping blood from wounds sustained in their underground combat with the trapped fox. The absence of blood on this occasion did not prove the absence of injury. It is well known that dogs can fight and bite each other in quite a vicious way without inflicting puncture wounds that draw blood. The injuries can lurk below the fur invisible to the eye. No-one from the Inquiry team asked to check the condition of the terrier.

While all this was taking place the pack of hounds were being held in check in the grass field adjacent to the wood. The riders were milling about. Clearly they were becoming impatient for something to happen as one of their number on several occasions rode up and called out to enquire how much longer it would take. The reply was always "Not long!" I asked why the hounds were being held waiting.

The Inquiry team were told that the MFHA rules prevented a fox being bolted from such a situation, so that was out of the question, and the hounds were only being held so that they could eat the fox when it was dead. This is not unusual hunting practice as it is generally reckoned that if the hounds get a taste of their fox in such circumstances it will help to keep them sharp, focused and hunting the right quarry.

However, at about 3.25p.m. they must have found the waiting simply too boring because the hunt and hounds outside the wood left the scene, presumably to draw for another fox elsewhere.

With the fox’s room for manoeuvre considerably restricted the terrier was taken out and Simon Hart volunteered to return her to the terrierman’s Landrover.

Near the end of the dig Lord Soulsby asked how many of the people out hunting would normally see such a dig-out and kill. Paddy Bell said very few. It was stressed that such a dig-out was not part of the entertainment and indeed that the MFHA rules barred too many people being present at such times. It does of course have the effect of preventing undercover cameramen such as myself from recording exactly what happens on such occasions, when Government Inquiries are not present.

Eventually, by digging the roof off the shallow tunnels the fox was cornered in a very small area below ground. Dean’s assistant commented that he could see the brush of the trapped and helpless fox. He forced his spade into the entrance of the tunnel to thwart any attempt to escape. We prepared for the death of an animal.

Dean advised us that he was ready to shoot and as requested we moved back. Slowly and deliberately he loaded his pistol, reached into the hole and fired. We could not see what he was shooting at. I noted the time as 3.35p.m. He then pulled the body of the fox out and displayed it on the ground before us. Dean examined the teeth and estimated the age as 2-years old. He had been shot through the top of his head. Until that finality he had been a young, healthy dog fox. His body bore no signs of old injuries.

I had been taking video film and photographs throughout. At the end Dean commented:- "I hope we’re not going to be on News at Ten or anything now."

I was not in the least surprised that such hunt enthusiasts should be so keen for their actions to be kept out of public view. Paddy chipped in something to the effect that it was part of the agreement that pictures taken would be private to the Inquiry.

This was news to me. My view on these images has been made clear already. At the time I agreed that I was taking them for the Inquiry and left it at that.

The hunt had continued elsewhere but the Inquiry team decided not to follow any further and instead we climbed back into the Landrover and Paddy Bell drove us back to the kennels. Lord Soulsby sat in the front passenger seat next to Paddy Bell and casually asked what would happen to the body of the young fox. Paddy replied that it would be taken away by the terriermen and then dumped in the incinerator at the kennels.

We returned to the kennels and parted company, leaving the hunt to carry on in our absence.

At a later date I returned to Lopham’s Wood and paced out the distance between the place where the fox was killed and the artificial earth where he may well have been born. The distance was no more than 370 metres.

Points to note:-

The Inquiry team spent their day in prime Thurlow hunt country an area of countryside that has for years been dedicated to the pursuit of foxes for sport. As long ago as 1827 the Thurlow Hunt Club was set up with one of its aims being to preserve foxes which were apparently in short supply at the time. Later in the same century the Thurlow Hunt Club was restarted and at a meeting in Newmarket on May 31st 1859 some resolutions were agreed to, of which the following are of particular interest:-

5th - That the following Gentlemen, having consented to attend to the preservation of Foxes in the covers attached to their respective names, form a Committee of management, viz:

There then followed a list of people and coverts of which only the following are relevant to this Inquiry visit:-

W. TRAYLER, Hart, Temple, Lophams, Thurlow Groves

The resolutions continued:-

12th(sic) - That if any complaint of the loss of fowls &c, by any person not being a member of the club, be laid before such meeting, such complaint be considered by the members present, who shall have the power, if they think proper, to award compensation out of the funds of the club.

Michael Brander noted the significance of this latter resolution on page 46 in his Portrait of a Hunt:-

"In the 1850s the idea of making good losses of poultry was comparatively advanced. It was unusual, to say the least, before this for the hunt to consider claims for damages of this nature. When, however, it was decided to set about breeding foxes deliberately, it must have been felt that some form of compensation must be made to those who had suffered by it."

This attitude towards foxes continued to more recent times as evidenced by the following reference again from Michael Brander on page 98 of his book, concerning a Newmarket and Thurlow hunt press announcement made in September 1939:-

"Mr. E.H. Deacon, Master of the Newmarket and Thurlow, has left to join his Regiment, and his wife has been elected joint-Master, and will carry on in his absence, with G. Samways as huntsman. Fifteen couple of hounds have been put down. As from Saturday, September 30th, no claims will be recognised or paid for damage done to poultry by foxes for the duration of the war."

BACK TO THE VISITS

8). 22/2/2000 (TUESDAY) : WATERLOO CUP HARE COURSING AT THE WITHINS.

Inquiry team : Lord Burns, Lord Soulsby (Brian Caffarey)

CPHA observer : Mike Huskisson

Countryside Alliance observer : Simon Hart

Meeting the hare coursers but seeing little of what they do, and nothing of the movement of hares that has sustained this event. A particularly brutal kill occurs after the Inquiry team have left.

It was almost 50 years ago that a previous Government Inquiry, the one whose Chairman was John Scott Henderson K.C., found that coursing such as carried out at the Waterloo Cup to be cruel. And that was a Committee that viewed gassing with cyanide as a humane method for destroying animals which live underground! Their finding that the Waterloo Cup was cruel appears in paragraph 280 of the Scott Henderson report:-

"Having regard to the meaning which we have given to the word "cruelty" in reference to wild animals, as set out in paragraph 11, we should not regard the degree of suffering which is involved in coursing as constituting cruelty in so far as it is used as a method of control. But coursing is also practised as a sport and, as pointed out in paragraph 274, the National Coursing Club do not claim that the control of hares is an object of coursing as carried out under their rules. No doubt, however, hares are kept down in number in some localities as an incidental result of the coursing meetings held there and, although the primary object of the meetings is sport, more shooting of hares would be necessary if coursing did not take place. In so far as that is true, on the principles we have adopted for our enquiry, the suffering caused to hares coursed at such meetings would not constitute cruelty. But that obviously does not apply to the coursing that takes place at, for example, Altcar, where hares are far more numerous than they would be if their numbers were controlled by ordinary methods, and the same is probably true in varying degrees in other places. Consequently, the suffering which is caused to hares coursed at such meetings comes within the definition of cruelty which we have adopted."

[Note: The Waterloo Cup is held at Altcar.]

The arrangement was for the Inquiry team to rendezvous at the Countryside Alliance tent at The Withins at 10.00a.m. The coursing card for the day shows at the bottom "First Brace in slips at 9.30a.m.".

I arrived at the tent on time and met Simon Hart. No-one from the Inquiry was present. The coursing had started. Lord Burns, Lord Soulsby and Brian Caffarey arrived at about 10.30a.m. They were introduced to prominent officials from the Countryside Alliance. The Hon. Secretary of the Waterloo Cup Coursing Club, Ronnie Mills, was introduced to us as our guide for the day.

Soon afterwards Ken Livingstone MP arrived with a considerable media entourage. Robin Page, who had been selling copies of his new book The Hunting Gene from a car boot type pitch near to the Countryside Alliance tent was one of the first to go and berate him. Vinnie Faal a notorious lurcher enthusiast from Manchester was also quick to harangue Ken Livingstone MP.

Ken Livingstone MP went to watch the coursing, with the attendant media circus, whilst we were left being introduced to a variety of coursing stalwarts. Eventually Lord Soulsby disappeared to see the coursing with one of the supporters and Lord Burns, Brian Caffarey, Ronnie Mills, Simon Hart and I went to see the coursing from the entry point where the dogs are first taken on to the field. Lord Burns asked to be taken into the shy to see the dogs being slipped. Ronnie Mills replied that he was happy to do so but only one of us at a time would be allowed into the shy. He took Lord Burns and I stayed with Brian Caffarey whilst Simon Hart went off elsewhere.

In bold text on the back of the coursing card is the following warning:-

PHOTOGRAPHY NOT ALLOWED WITHOUT PERMISSION

When a hare was driven into the coursing arena and the dogs were released I started to take film and photographs. The lady who was taking the details of the dogs, who I assume was the Slip Steward, asked if I had the authorisation to take photographs. I said that I was doing it as part of the Hunting Inquiry and that she should check the matter with Simon Hart if she had any problems. He of course was not about and nothing further was said. Quickly we saw a hare caught. The Picker-ups were not able to reach her and do their job as the dog with the hare returned to its handler. He was seen to dislocate her neck. Lord Burns returned from the shy. Once again the hare had been caught when he had taken up that position.

I suggested to Lord Burns and Brian Caffarey that it would be a good idea to walk up the path towards the incoming beaters to see the hares gathered in the beat funnel just off the coursing field. Ronnie Mills was quite happy to take us and we walked up the path.

On the way I had an encounter of note with a chap from the coursing fraternity who I had befriended way back in the early nineties. He of course did not know who I was, either then or now, and he was really friendly. I responded in kind but I was unwilling to linger long. I quickly walked off with Lord Burns and explained that such an experience was one of the unsavoury aspects of undercover work. By adopting such a role one inevitably befriends people who would probably really dislike you if they knew who you really were. When they are cruel ignorant thugs such deceit causes no qualms. When they are not, as with this chap, it does.

We walked forward as far as we could to the point where I had expected to see many hares milling about in the beat funnel. In fact there were surprisingly few. We chatted to one of the beaters stood at this point who by his appearance and demeanour had considerable experience of such a role. Lord Burns asked how they stopped too many hares being driven on to the coursing field at once. The beater pointed to a small stack of straw bales right in the middle of the funnel, in line with the slipper’s shy and told us that there was someone hiding there whose task was to jump up whenever one hare goes by and stop other hares following. Coursing at the Waterloo Cup is clearly a well oiled operation. Perhaps it has to be with the entry card costing £10 and the prize for the winner being £4,000 plus trophy.

On closer inspection of the beat funnel Lord Burns was able to see a number of hares moving about, unwittingly waiting their turn to enter the arena. We then returned to the main coursing crowd as Lord Burns was anxious to be present when the expected pro-hare demonstration arrived.

We called in at the Countryside Alliance tent and it was at about this time that I was tackled by Lord Soulsby who clearly felt that I had misled him regarding the movement of hares to the Waterloo Cup.

The previous day when driving him to the Thurlow Hunt visit I told him that they regularly shipped hares to the Waterloo Cup. I said that they needed a lot of hares for the Waterloo Cup (it is a 64 dog stake and there are two subsidiary competitions, the Waterloo Plate and the Waterloo Purse) and it could only happen because they had in the past netted hares in other parts of the country and moved them up. I was at pains to stress that they were not moving them up and releasing them from boxes on the day. I said that we had no proof as to exactly when they moved them up but there had been something in their rules to the effect that it should be no less than six months beforehand.

Lord Soulsby was under the impression that I had told him that hares were shipped up for that Waterloo Cup being run at that instant. Conversely he had spoken to one of our opponents who had denied that hares had been shipped up in her memory. There then followed a brief dispute between myself and a Countryside Alliance representative as to what the National Coursing Club rules on the topic were. I mentioned the six month rule but this was laughed at. When I invited her explanation as to what the current rules actually were regarding the movement of hares for coursing nothing was forthcoming.

This was farcical. They must surely know what their own rules are on a such a sensitive topic as the movement of live hares about the country by coursing enthusiasts. In desperation I looked round and saw Sir Mark Prescott, to whom we had been introduced earlier, standing nearby. Now we may stand on opposite sides of the ring when it comes to coursing but I knew him to be better informed than almost anyone on the running of the Waterloo Cup. He is also at times surprisingly candid.

I invited Sir Mark Prescott to come and explain to Lord Soulsby exactly what the situation was regarding the movement of hares to the Waterloo Cup. He was pleased to oblige. He said that the coursing had all but ended in the late seventies due to shortage of hares. In the early eighties they had shipped a lot into the area. I asked when was the most recent time that they had shipped hares into the area and he said that it was when the Waterloo Cup had been cancelled due to frost and snow in the early nineties. I asked him exactly how long ago this was and he said "Three to five years".

Most significantly the National Coursing Club Rules on the relocation of hares by coursing enthusiasts for coursing purposes appear to have changed over recent years.

For an area of land such as where the Waterloo Cup is staged there must be a natural carrying capacity for hares. That is dependent on the habitat, the food supply, the local topography, and not surprisingly the influences of man such as roads and the proximity to towns from whence people with lurchers might be expected to come to course them. In other words the natural population cannot be raised and sustained for any period of time above a certain level. The hare population can only be maintained above this natural level by the regular importation of hares.

At the Waterloo Cup, a 64-dog stake with two subsidiary competitions, a large number of hares are needed. If the natural population found on the local fields cannot provide enough for coursing at the end of February will shipping some in in March for coursing 11 months later really solve the problem? Clearly not as the hares will not stay there over and above the natural carrying capacity.

So how long might they be moved there in order to still be there when required for coursing 6 months? 3 months? or the week before? For years there has been a battle of wits fought out between our investigators trying to prove just how short a time before the Waterloo Cup the hares are moved and coursing authorities trying to ensure that we know as little as possible about their movement of hares. It would be fair to admit that with a few exceptions the coursers have won this battle. For a pastime that claims to fear nothing from close public inspection they are at times remarkably secretive.

However their evidence now submitted to the Hunting Inquiry more or less resolves the situation. It is the changes in time allowed that holds the key.

The Rules of the National Coursing Club, as revised April 1972, included the following regarding the movement of hares:-

(2) The Standing Committee may, if upon due enquiry it finds that any affiliated club has been guilty of any of the foregoing practices, order that such Club be expelled from affiliation and disqualified from becoming affiliated for five years."

This appears to have been changed at least once since 1972 because a more recent rule book of the Coursing Section of the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club, that is based on National Coursing Club Rules, includes the following:-

The use of running ground for coursing where the hares have not been at liberty for the preceding three months and the use of ground which, in the opinion of the Committee, is designed to restrict, artificially the complete freedom and liberty of the hares."

Note how the six months rule has now been reduced to three months. It has been reduced further. The National Coursing Club submission to the Hunting Inquiry, that has been posted on the Internet, includes the following reference to this aspect of their rules:-

(2) The Standing Committee may, if upon due enquiry it finds that any affiliated club has been guilty of any of the foregoing practices, order that such Club be fined a maximum of (see appendix) and/or expelled from affiliation and disqualified from becoming affiliated for five years."

Six months to three months to "insufficient knowledge". Who is to judge when a hare that has been netted in one area, boxed up and transported to another for coursing has sufficient knowledge of her new locality? How can you tell? Is it a matter of allowing the hare one year, one month, one week or one day?

In early February 1997, in an anonymous phone call to the League Against Cruel Sports, it was alleged that hares were to be captured in nets, for transportation to Altcar for the Waterloo Cup, on Monday 10th at the Six Mile Bottom estate near Newmarket, Suffolk. In the company of LACS Executive Committee member Lawrie Payne I went to the venue and in the face of considerable intimidation and threat, including being barred from access to a public road, we were indeed able to film hares being captured in nets, transferred to cramped boxes and loaded into a Landrover. The supervisor of the whole operation was David R. Midwood, Chairman of the Waterloo Cup Committee. His role as current Chairman of the Waterloo Cup Committee is confirmed by the meet card given to members of the Inquiry team on their visit.

Mr Midwood and later the British Field Sports Society denied that the hares were going to Altcar and between them at various times gave the destinations of the hares as Dartmoor, North Wales, Shropshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Surrey. They claimed that the operation was conducted by The Hare Conservation Society - a little know organisation run by a Mr W.B.K. Steadman who is also a member of David Midwood’s Waterloo Cup Committee as well as the British Field Sports Society’s Coursing Committee.

Our video of the hare netting was handed to Professor Stephen Harris for comment. (It was Professor Harris who conducted the national hare survey for the Government’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee)

In his report to the League Against Cruel Sports Professor Harris said:-

"The operations portrayed in the video were grim; they were likely to cause considerable stress to the animals and maximise the chance of injuries."

He added that the hares should have been covered and that noise should have been kept to an absolute minimum. He was particularly critical of the handling of a hare while it was being extracted from a net. The animal was held off the ground and the Professor said that if it had kicked it could have fractured or injured its spinal column due to the power with which hares can flex their backs using their hind legs. He also said that the boxes used were only suitable for holding hares for brief periods because there was no way the hares could be fed or watered.

He noticed that it was raining during the operation and he warned that putting wet hares into boxes in which they could not dry off would also pose risk of fatalities. He complained that the handling of the hares was "haphazard and showed no care for the animals", and that the stacking of the boxes on top of each other, (one on its side) was "disgraceful".

Finally, Professor Harris pointed out that the time of the hare capture (February 10th) coincides with the period that female hares were either heavily pregnant or already had dependent offspring. In his view: "Removing hares at this time of the year will lead to young dying of starvation and a great deal of trauma to pregnant does".

Coursing enthusiasts who do know about the regular movement of hares to Altcar in recent years and who are prepared to talk to us tell us that at the Waterloo Cup the hares that turn about and run back into the beat funnel or who run into the crowd are the hares that have been shipped in recently.

It is clear that whatever the Rules of the National Coursing Club back in 1997, and wherever those hares went, if a similar operation had been mounted this year with hares netted in early February for transportation to Altcar for release into the area ready for the Waterloo Cup starting on February 22nd there would have been no breach of the latest National Coursing Club Rules on this matter. Twelve days or more could clearly be argued by coursing fanatics to give the hares the sufficient knowledge required.

The Waterloo Cup has been dependent for some time for its running on the regular importation of hares. The Waterloo Cup Report and Annual Accounts 1981 includes the following reference to the movement of hares under the section Report of the Committee to the Waterloo Cup Nominators :-

"The Committee annex an Income and Expenditure Account for organising the 1981 event which reveals a serious deficit of nearly £2000. The Committee consider that there is limited scope for reducing expenditure and therefore they must concentrate effort on finding a way to increase income. It will be noted that no expenditure is included in this account for hare restocking for breeding purposes which the Committee are satisfied must in future be an annual necessity."

The accounts for the following year revealed a figure under "Sundry Expenses" of £363 paid for "Hare re-stocking".

How the hares are netted and how they are transported merits close scrutiny. One might also ask the very pertinent point if the hares need to be shipped up so regularly to Altcar what is the fate that awaits them?

It is interesting to reflect that the whole question of the movement of hares was considered by the Scott Henderson Committee. They give the following finding in paragraph 275 of their report published in 1951:-

"The allegation that hares are specially imported for coursing gives rise to the further suggestion that they may not be familiar with the ground over which they are coursed and may consequently be at a disadvantage. This objection is said to apply more to the large, organised meetings than to the smaller, local meetings, but as the movement of hares within six months of coursing is forbidden we think that hares are in fact sufficiently familiar with the ground over which they are coursed."

At the time the National Coursing Club had their "six month." rule in force. I wonder what the Scott Henderson Committee would have made of it being reduced to "three months" and then to the meaningless term "insufficient knowledge" as we have now? This was clearly a point of some concern to Lord Burns as he raised it with the following exchange during the Oral evidence session on Monday April 10th:-

[Here I quote from the evidence as posted on the Internet rather than from my own sources]

"THE CHAIRMAN [Lord Burns] : How do you know when a hare shows knowledge of its area and secondly typically how long do you think that gap is? There may not be a rule about the gap there should be, but do you have any indication that you can give as to what it typically would be?

MR BLANNING : Yes"

Subsequent evidence reveals that if the Inquiry team are under the impression that hares are not moved for the Waterloo Cup less than six months before coursing they are being misled. Under current National Coursing Club rules they could be shipped into Altcar on a Sunday and coursed the following Tuesday. When a wild animal, such as a hare, is moved it needs to gather "sufficient knowledge" quickly or it is dead.

I understand that at some point in the morning Lord Soulsby went to have a turn of viewing the coursing from the slippers’ shy.

Lord Burns was keen to see the arrival of the march of people protesting at the cruelty of coursing and we moved to watch. He asked me to introduce him to someone on the march so that he could have a discussion with them. He had previously cleared this proposal with one of the senior police officers. I was pleased to help but to be honest with all the cacophony of noise I am not sure that much could be heard.

Lord Burns then expressed a keenness in seeing the coursing from the crowd stood on the bank side. Ronnie Mills was happy to oblige so he led Lord Burns, Brian Caffarey, Simon Hart and myself round to the bank side. Lord Soulsby did not join us. Instead he wandered off in the direction of the Countryside Alliance hospitality tent. He had earlier remarked to me how good their Game Soup was. We reached the bank and stood in the crowd. We watched some coursing. There was no kill. We left at about 12.45p.m. and returned to the Nominators enclosure. That was the last coursing that we saw at the Waterloo Cup.

Outside the Countryside Alliance tent I encountered Clarissa Dickson-Wright sounding off to a television camera about her loving for coursing the hare. Amongst other quotes she offered the following:-

"If I were a hare I would rather die on a day like this, if I were to die, and as I said it was only 1% last year, you know with the crowds cheering and doing something I knew how to do than be run over by a car. Are we going to stop driving?"

Soon after this, at about 1.30p.m. Lord Burns and Lord Soulsby declared that they had seen enough and as they had a flight to catch they decided to call an end to this visit. They left and I was obliged to leave also. There was a break in the coursing for lunch but it then continued until 4.15p.m. In effect the Inquiry team had left the coursing rather like leaving a football match at half-time. Of more concern though was the fact that they had seen so little coursing.

The last course of the day ended in a kill at 4.15p.m. when the light coloured dog running in the red collar caught the hare. There were cheers and applause from the watching crowd. The black dog in the white collar grabbed the other end of the hare and both dogs tussled over her. A picker-up dived in and grabbed the white collared dog. The canine in the red collar ran off with the hare.

To accompany this there was the following commentary over the public address system:-

"Just to remind you Ladies and Gentlemen, after a really cracking days coursing - I’m sure you’ll agree that the sixty four courses we’ve seen today have been as good as you’ll get, and er... everyone’s put a lot of effort and hard work into ..er..producing this coursing today - tomorrow of course we’re at the Lydiate."

The dog ran off with the hare past the flank line who made seemingly half-hearted attempts to stop her. The crowd walked away home, happy.

Comparisons:-

As well as myself with the Inquiry team the CPHA had monitors amongst the hare coursing crowd filming the event. Their evidence confirms that there was a clear difference between the coursing on show for the Inquiry team to observe and that which occurred after the latter had departed.

This is frustrating for those who are keen to see the full horror of coursing exposed but it is by no means unusual. The first part of the first day is always the time when television cameras and Fleet street’s finest are in attendance. Once they have got their required images and are out of the way the coursers can get down to the real business.

The film acquired by these CPHA monitors, taken from amongst the crowd, showed some interesting attitudes that should have been heard by the Inquiry team.

At 11.50a.m. the hare is caught and becomes the victim of a tug of war. The picker-up releases the hare and sets about trying to kill her. From one of the coursers near the camera there is the loud shout:-

"Kill the cunt!"

About fifteen minutes later another hare is caught. Once again the picker-up is required to dispatch the hare. This time there is the following clear shout of encouragement from the coursing supporters:-

"Go on.........wring its neck!"

Another quarter of an hour or so elapses and another hare is twisting and turning as she flees for her life. As she runs, her canine tormentors are encouraged thus:-

"Fucking have it!"

Eventually this hare escapes by heading back past the slipper’s shy towards the be