Duke of Beaufort Hunt shoots dead Four hounds.
Following a long running investigation carried out by the Hunt Investigation Team, supported by Keep The Ban, harrowing undercover footage has been released showing the Duke of Beaufort Hunt shooting dead four of their hounds.
The shocking videos were acquired through a covert operation in which cameras were hidden within the kennels of what is one of the oldest and most prestigious hunts in the country. In the sickening footage, members of the hunt can be seen firing bullets into four hounds.
You can watch the undercover footage below, but do so at viewers discretion, the footage is distressing and will upset most viewers.
The footage secured from the investigation is the first time that a hunt has ever been caught on camera shooting their hounds, but this is not to say that the incident is a one off.
Although it may be the first time they’ve been caught out, hunts across the country routinely kill their hounds before the start of each hunting season. It is estimated that up to 7,000 hounds are unnecessarily killed by hunts every year and very few make it past the age of five or six despite having a life expectancy of around fourteen.
A Sad Existence: the life of a hunting hound
Hounds like the ones shown mercilessly killed by the Duke of Beaufort Hunt are often deemed worthless for not showing enough hunting instinct or bloodlust.
It is worth remembering that hounds are taught to kill and the barbaric pastime of cubbing plays a key role in ensuring hounds get a taste for blood.
Further evidence ‘trail hunting’ is a smokescreen
The notion then that the Duke of Beaufort Hunt and the other 300 registered hunts across the country carry out “trail hunting” as opposed to hunting foxes and other live mammals is farcical. If hunts genuinely were following artificially laid trails as opposed to hunting foxes, then why would they need to kill their hounds prior to the start of the hunting season?
Of course, the reality is that “trail hunting” is nothing but a smokescreen for illegal fox hunting and this investigation provides yet more irrefutable evidence that this is the case. The Duke of Beaufort Hunt are not unique in the fact they couldn’t care less about the hounds they claim to love. The vast majority of so-called “trail hunts” treat their hounds as disposable tools trained to kill wildlife.
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