We sabbed Eggesford Hunt twice in the last week. On Saturday they met at South Farm on the edge of Ashreigney, where they sadly killed a sheep.
The hunt started in the valley west of the village. Hounds usually get onto foxes pretty easily in this valley and unsurprisingly they spent a lot of time in cry here. Foot teams kept tabs on the hounds while a beautiful bushy-tailed fox ran out of the valley and right past our vehicle. We covered the fox’s scent and prevented hounds from following. Sometimes it feels as though the foxes know who their allies are!
The hunt then crossed the road back onto the side of the meet and into the valley between Densham Plantation and the edge of the village. Hounds started chasing a sheep who had become separated from the rest of the flock. The hunt did nothing to intervene and when foot sabs caught up to the flock about 10 minutes later they sadly found this sheep dead in the field, still warm and eyes wide open. There were no signs of bite marks but she did have an injured foot and we suspect she had probably died of shock. The intense fear from being chased by 30-odd dogs likely triggered a fight or flight response, flooding her body with adrenaline and other stress hormones, raising her heart rate and blood pressure and eventually leading to circulatory collapse.
Various members of the hunt were informed but their response was dismissive: “Hounds don’t chase sheep”. The farmer didn’t seem overly bothered either: “Well I suppose I’ll go and deal with that now”. Don’t ever let pro-hunt farmers tell you they care about their animals! Nor should you believe the hunts’ lies that hunting is all about protecting livestock through ‘pest control’. Foxes were no threat to this fully-grown sheep, whereas being chased by a pack of hounds is terrifying for any animal.
The hunt moved on swiftly, taking hounds via Church Farm towards Bithefin Moor and Ash Wood. They spent the next hour terrorising wildlife both sides of Woodrow Bridge, including South Wood, Hole Wood and Cleave Brake, before heading back west into Eggesford Forest (where they have no permission to be). Foot teams kept tabs on them as they crossed the road onto the Hansford side and finished by drawing Hansford Plantation.
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