Hunters foxed by a human quarry
I HAVE to respond to the farmer defending the hunting of foxes and challenging TV presenter chris Packham’s offer of presenting himself as human quarry (Letters). Hunting has absolutely nothing to do with a necessity to cull foxes. I have attended many hunts in the past and, believe me, they persecute foxes because they love this bloodsport. Fox cubs have even been bred for the sole purpose of releasing them for the hounds to chase and kill. I don’t doubt foxes can cause destruction and be an enemy of farmers, but please deal with this problem humanely. I wish there were more people like chris with such empathy and compassion for wildlife.
Mrs. J. McALPINE, Sale, Gtr Manchester.
My Daughter lives in Suffolk and keeps hens. I can’t tell you how many she has lost to foxes, despite shutting them up at night. I would like to tell chris (so-pleased-with-himself) Packham that when a fox is heard barking in the area, the local farmers will go out to shoot it, as do the gamekeepers. Many more foxes are killed in this way than were ever caught by a hunt. clearly, Mr Packham knows nothing about how the countryside works.
JOANNA MCDERMOTT, London SW10.
FARMERS are the ambassadors of our countryside and this must include preserving the natural ecology and respect for all wildlife. Sadly, though, as any nature lover can plainly see, the actions of many farmers are far from being harmonious. Foxes have the right to a life — we have encroached into their space, not the other way round. To leave such matters to country folk, as suggested by your letter writer, would mean there would be no wildlife left. I want to congratulate chris Packham on the awareness he is bringing about to do with the persecution of wild animals. DEBRA SIMPSON, Fressing field, Suffolk.
ONCE again we hear the old, tiresome concept that countrymen know so much more than so-called townies about country matters. I would suggest better fences and other secure ways of looking after livestock — and if foxes continue to be a problem, a quick shot from a rifle is far better than rampaging over the countryside with horses and hounds. This cruel and unnecessary way of so-called fox control belongs to the days of bear-baiting. In my experience of many years in the countryside, I would maintain that those from towns often have a clearer and more sensible concept of country matters than many straw-sucking farmers. HARVEY KENDALL,
Bude, Cornwall.
I AM a townie and my husband worked on a farm for 40 years. Neither of us can understand the need for foxes to be ripped limb from limb for people’s entertainment. But we do realise there may be a necessity for a fox to be shot if it becomes a nuisance. D. Nicholson, Wellington, Somerset.