Pro fox-hunting Duke to visit animal shelter
A right royal row has developed over a proposed visit by the Duke of Kent, who has links to fox hunting, to the Scottish SPCA’s Clackmannanshire animal welfare rescue centre.
The duke is scheduled to visit the Fishcross centre, which opened in 2012, in the next few weeks, but staff there have questioned whether he is a suitable guest.
The 84-year-old cousin of the Queen is a member of the prohunting group the Countryside Alliance which has campaigned against legislation banning fox hunting in Scotland, England and Wales.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn described fox hunting earlier this year as “abhorrent”.
A Scottish SPCA insider said last week: “People aren’t happy. The duke is controversial with his links to fox hunting, especially since we nurse foxes back to good health.
“[He] stands for many things that animal lovers reject.”
In May this year the Fishcross centre was caring for 28 fox cubs who had been separated from their mums.
The cubs ranged from only a few days to a month old and were to be released back into the wild after being cared for at the centre.
Animal Concern secretary John Robins said this week: “We’re disappointed that someone so prominent in fox hunting has been invited to the Scottish SPCA centre.
“The Scottish SPCA has improved over the last few years.
“I have been doing this job a long time. Going back to the 1980s and 1990s there were fox hunters on the board at that time. Campaigners had to take dead foxes to their annual general meeting to embarass them into opposing fox hunting.
“That’s no longer the case but this visit isn’t appropriate given the duke’s fox hunting background. It’s very strange – and a slap in the face to Scottish SPCA staff who work very hard.
“The duke is an elderly gentleman now, you wouldn’t expect to see him on horseback, but he is a member of the Countryside Alliance which was set up to try to stop foxhunting being made illegal.”
Scottish SPCA chief executive Kirsteen Campbell said this week: “Part of our work is to engage with a wide range of people and sectors, including those who may not necessarily share our viewpoint on animal welfare and wellbeing issues. And we welcome that engagement.
“Experience has told us that the most effective way to constructively influence positive change is through having a dialogue and showing people how our positions on animal welfare matters are shaped by what we see every day. This approach has been central to our success in campaigning for the recently announced reform of animal welfare law in Scotland.
“If the Duke of Kent’s visit to our centre goes ahead, we look forward to discussing the preservation and future of wildlife.”