Westmeath Council thanked for deleting hunt document 11 January 2013
ICABS has thanked Westmeath County Council for responding positively to an appeal and deleting a hunting document from its website.
The 6-page Background to the Westmeath Hunt presented information about the history of the hunt and its masters.
"Considering the fact that hunting is a blood sport involving cruelty to animals, that it brings shame on Westmeath and that a majority want it outlawed, we hope Westmeath County Council will remove this foxhunting document from its website," we stated in our appeal.
Highlighted to the council was the cruelty of hunting in Westmeath...
A 2011 Farmers' Journal hunting report told of how sixteen mounted followers of the Westmeath hunt, along with 29 hounds, found a fox that was caught and "chopped." Later on, another fox was "overhauled before he managed to put any distance between himself and them." Both "chopped" and "overhauled," in hunting terminology, mean that the fox was caught by the hounds and brutally killed.
In 2007, there was a probe into allegations that a rope was tied to the leg of a fox and that it was pulled out of a burrow and fed alive to the dogs - See Irish Independent report.
A 2008 Irish Field report revealed that the Westmeath Hunt's hounds chased a fox into the freezing water of the Royal canal and along its banks - the fox and the pack swam across the canal and continued along the banks to the Mullingar/Ballynacargy Road...the fox, with four and a half couple (9 hounds) in pursuit, then swam the canal again before retracing their steps back to Newman's Bog." Following complaints, Waterways Ireland moved to contact the hunt and tell them to keep away from the Royal Canal.
The Irish Field of December 1991 documented the obscene ritual of cutting off the tails and tongues of foxes - "Terriers were some time in coming as car followers were the wrong side of the wind for hearing. A quick dig followed and two foxes were dispatched. Eamon had a brush for Clarissa and a fox's tongue which he intends pickling in vinegar to cure warts and draw thorns." (Westmeath Foxhounds, Hunt Report)
Videos: Foxhunting Cruelty
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