Save foxes and chase me instead, Packham tells hunt

TV wildlife expert Chris Packham has offered himself as a hunt’s first human quarry to stop foxes ‘being torn to pieces’.

The Springwatch presenter, pictured, suggested he run through Hampshire’s New Forest pursued by hunting hounds and riders on horseback rather than them following a pre-laid scent.

Mr Packham urged his local hunt, the New Forest Hounds, to switch to drag hunting, which involves dogs tracking either a human runner or chemical scent, claiming their ‘trail hunting’ can still end with foxes being killed.

However, the 250-year-old hunt group declined his offer, saying it would be impractical for their dogs.

Labour outlawed hunting foxes with dogs in 2004, causing the New Forest Hounds and other hunts to turn to trail hunting in which hounds chase an artificial scent.

Mr Packham, 57, visited the hunt at Linwood, near Ringwood, Hampshire, on New Year’s Day, to appeal to them to change. He offered to be their first human quarry for the dogs to chase, if the group switched to drag hunting.

The TV presenter said: ‘The law is constantly contravened. Foxes are being torn to pieces in people’s front gardens and pets are being chased. We have to make peaceful, democratic progress in ending this practice.

‘It’s difficult to monitor foxhunting and it’s also very difficult when things go wrong to get a successful prosecution. Police are under-resourced and have many other things to deal with.

But a New Forest Hounds spokesman said: ‘We thank Chris Packham for his offer of being hunted by the New Forest Hounds but we don’t think it would be practical.’