Two Men Charged After Fox Hunt Footage Recorded By League Against Cruel Sports Is Handed To Police Scotland

'The audacity of the hunts is breath taking.'
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Two men have been charged with wildlife offences after video footage was passed to police appearing to show hounds chasing foxes.

The footage, recorded by the League Against Cruel Sports, features the Jed Forest Hunt in the Scottish Borders.

The charity has previously claimed at least half of Scotland's registered hunts continue to flout the 2002 ban on fox hunting with dogs.

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The League Against Cruel Sports handed footage to the police of the Jed Forest Hunt.
League Against Cruel Sports

The law states dogs may only be used in some circumstances to flush foxes from below ground or enclosed spaces, a practice known as "flushing to guns".

The footage was passed to Police Scotland and two men aged 23 and 65 have been charged.

Robbie Marsland, Director of League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, said:  “We applaud the police for acting so quickly to arrest and charge members of the Jed Forest Hunt.

"Our latest footage strongly suggests that many of Scotland’s hunts are trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

“The audacity of the hunts is breath taking. In last year’s League video, their apparent contempt for the law shocked people across Scotland. Our new video footage suggests that nothing has changed. 

“If anything, their behaviour is even more brazen than before.”

The League has uploaded footage of the hunt, which has been passed onto the police (see below).

In a blog posted on the Huffington Post UK on Wednesday, Marsland reveals how the League goes about monitoring hunts and how the law differs in Scotland to England and Wales.  

A review of Scotland's fox hunting laws is under way, with the deadline for written evidence submissions on Thursday.

Marsland added: “This is not an issue of poor police enforcement. It is all too easy for Scottish hunts to ride a coach and horses through this well-intended law.  

“We are convinced that hunts are using flushing to guns with a full pack of hounds in an attempt to provide a false alibi.

"A number of simple changes to the law would put an end to the spectre of packs of hounds being spurred on to chase and kill foxes across the Scottish countryside."

A police spokesman said: "Police Scotland has charged two men under Section 1(1) of The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

"Both men will appear at Jedburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

"We work closely with a range of partners to tackle wildlife crime. We would urge members of the public to report any suspicious activity to us as quickly as possible to allow us to investigate suspected crimes promptly."