Twenty years on from the birth of the Hunting Act, sabs are still defending wildlife.
Yesterday we sabbed the Two Bridges Hunt Club meet on Dartmoor. This is the annual gathering of the four Dartmoor hunts (the Mid Devon, South Devon, Dartmoor, and Spooners & West Dartmoor hunts) to mark the anniversary of the Hunting Act. Essentially, it’s the hunts sticking two fingers up at the law and proclaiming that Dartmoor is their private playground. Many walkers and visitors to the moors were less than pleased to see them and to find the Postbridge road blocked with hunt traffic. It was nice to receive thanks from members of the public for standing up to these wildlife criminals. Predictably, no police were present and it was left to sabs to stop foxes from being killed, as has always been the case.
The hunts met at the East Dart Inn at Postbridge. We attended alongside Plymouth & West Devon Hunt Sabs, Mendip Hunt Sabs and South Devon Hunt Sabs. This year it was the Mid Devon Hunt’s turn to bring their hounds. In dense fog the hunts set off to the north, taking the bridlepath next to the Dartmoor visitor centre in direction of Broadun Round. They drew the gorse-covered slopes on both sides of the East Dart River, under the watchful eyes of our sabs who intervened to rate the hounds when they picked up on scent.
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