BIRMINGHAM, England—Fox hunting has been a British rural tradition for five centuries—but for the last 12 years, the huntsman’s adversary hasn’t been a furry fox, but a fuzzy law.
Fox hunting is a hot election issue, with the incumbent Conservative Party—widely expected to hold on to power—promising a vote in Parliament that could overturn the current ban.
Traditional hunts that once chased foxes over hedgerows and fences now follow fake trails, but if hunters happen to flush out a real fox, as sometimes happens, they run the gauntlet of muddy legislation.
For example, two dogs, not three, can be used to deliberately flush out a fox toward a waiting shotgun in some situations. If a fox is caught up in a fake trail hunt by a pack of dogs, then the prosecution has to prove intent on the part of the hunters.
The Hunting Act of 2004 was born of a push to outlaw traditional hunting with dog packs altogether over accusations of animal cruelty, but was watered down after years of wrangling in lawmaking chambers.
Animal welfare campaigners say the ban is not properly enforced, with hunts taking advantage of legal loopholes.
