I know many people in our area are passionate about animals and their welfare. I share the view that we have a duty to protect animals from harm, especially by other people. It is especially at Christmas that I reflect on how far we have come in terms of banning horrific and cruel sports like fox hunting.
Fox hunting was banned by the Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales. This was a hard won law which I was proud to vote for. However, as the League Against Cruel Sports have found, people are still hunting foxes illegally on an alarmingly regular basis. Between the middle of August and the end of October, there were 300 reported incidents of suspected illegal fox cub hunting across England and Wales.
I am angry at the apparent disregard for the law - as if those hunting are above it. S, I urge those who are thinking of breaking the law to think again. Killing any animal for fun is not a sport, it is plain cruelty.
Although it is not all doom and gloom because various institutions, including local councils and the National Trust, are committing to uphold the ban. Others should follow their lead.