ferreting and rabbiting {CAUTION - PHOTOS}

[MKG]

I'm not trying to get into a right/wrong argument over fox hunting (he says with a wry grin), but I wonder why anyone would NEED to hunt foxes on the fells. Foxes are predators and are therefore naturally limited in population numbers by the food supply. The only thing we could possibly want to defend there are new-born lambs - and at lambing time, there should be enough people around getting the ewes in to prevent most fox predation. Too often, I feel, foxes may be blamed for our own husbandry shortcomings. While I'm at it, I could also mention that there is, as yet, zero evidence to support the assertion that badgers are the root cause of TB infections in cows (if anything, it's probably the other way round). But they're hunted too, purportedly in the interests of farmers who can't be bothered to do the very basic research which would vindicate the victims.

There's nothing wrong with hunting if you eat your catch, but that's hardly the aim with a fox or badger. There is something radically wrong with killing for fun. Besides which, I despise the Hooray Henries who argue that they are providing a needed country service by ridding the area of nasty, vicious predators - for goodness sake, they hardly ever catch anything but they offend an awful lot of people while failing. I'll just call them Silly Billies, because what I actually call them wouldn't make for polite conversation on a forum such as this.

I'm not hijacking your thread, Konamonkey - because I suspect that this is exactly your concern. How does anyone justify killing by hunting when there are examples such as this around? Foxes and badgers - to which you could add the recently re-introduced sea eagle and beaver, the red kite in Yorkshire, and even the harlequin ladybird - are all attacked and, in most of those cases, attacked illegally. But I think the answer is quite simple, really - am I doing this to feed myself and my family, or am I doing this either out of ignorance or because, deep down, I simply enjoy it and I couldn't care less about the animals or anyone else's feelings? Alright, that was a loaded question, but the differences between those attitudes are marked.

Given that humans eat meat, there is no justifiable logical argument which allows anyone to say that the culling (for food) of a successful species is in any way different to keeping animals (for food) under controlled circumstances. There are, however, moral arguments to be taken into account - or not. The simplistic "killing is wrong" argument, no matter where you stand, is a non-starter because you have to be able to answer the simplistic retort - Why? The argument of mistreatment of animals stands a better chance, but falls down when legislation is passed guaranteeing that no mistreatment of animals occurs (but, naturally, it will - that's being human again). Of course, you have to accept for that one that killing an animal humanely is not counted as mistreatment - if you can't do that, you must become a vegan. There's really only one other argument left - "I don't like it" or "life is sacred" or "we are part of Gaia and Gaia doesn't like it" or "we have, as a species, no right to do this to another species" - they're all the same argument. And I have to add the counterbalancing "of course we have the right to do it otherwise we'd starve, and who on earth decided it was different?"

Somewhere in there is the ground on which every one of us stands - different ground for different people. You may be able to tell where I stand, because my slip shows occasionally. But I don't hunt. Even the wood pigeons in my garden are jealously protected because I love the things - even though they cost me a few food plants. Whilst they're in the garden, they're safe. Once outside, though, I could not possibly blame my neighbour for taking one down with his air rifle (he's a pretty good shot) for the pot. He does that with the rabbits, too, which are running rife in the village this year, and I sometimes wish my poodle was a lurcher.

And now I'm burbling because I've got too far into this and drunk too much blackberry wine in the process. I'll probably look at this tomorrow and think "What on earth was I going on about?" Hey ho.

Mike

[ADG]

was gonna say thats a bit deep for this time of the morning

[konamonkey]

:) I wasn't expecting any more replys (sorry to OP, did not mean to steal the thread!) I feed the wild life round my way as well but try to target the less well populated bird species. I really do like animals but some of them are just too tasty. For the moment I think I'll be doing ok just buying local produce and free range when I cant get local.

I don't want to get into the whole fox hunting thing, its to emotive.

Thanks again all