Hundreds attend Boxing Day hunt despite being told they are ‘not welcome’
Hunt supporters defy council opposition to attend annual Boxing Day meet
- Hundreds of supporters attended the annual Tiverton Foxhounds meet on Boxing Day, defying opposition from wildlife presenter Chris Packham and the local council.
- Tiverton Town Council earlier voted for a motion saying the hunt, which has run annually for about 200 years, is “not welcome”, and Mr Packham branded it "ethically and morally bankrupt".
- Hunt supporters, including the Countryside Alliance, vowed to fight Sir Keir Starmer’s proposed ban on trail hunting; the prime minister has claimed that it masks illegal foxhunting.
- Leaders from various hunts, such as Will Bryer of the Duke of Beaufort Hunt and Jane Bowen of the Grove Rufford Hunt, expressed strong defiance against the proposed ban, viewing it as an attack on rural communities and cultural heritage.
- Animal rights groups, like Protect the Wild, celebrated the proposed ban, arguing that Boxing Day hunts normalise cruelty towards wildlife.