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We'd be mistaken if we thought that Fox hunting doesn't happen because of the Hunting Act, the Hunting Act does make it more difficult and has seen a decline in hunting, however, since the Hunting Act was passed, Foxes have been hunted delibratley, and illegally.
When we see hunters dressed to the nines? (even though they do look ridiculous), they are not getting up, getting dressed, and (depressingly) gathering in their thousands, just a show of solidarity. They show up on Boxing Day, the same as they always have done, to hunt. Illegally. They do not hide it, they do it openly, and you can even see it on any mainstream news channel - hunting still happens, and Boxing Day is still the golden goose day of it.
The thing is, there is not an outright ban on hunting Foxes (and other mammals, though it seems Foxes are their fave past time), and that makes it so easy for the Hunting Act 2004 to be broken.
Hunts are allowed to use fox scents as a 'trail hunt' (a seeming fake hunt). However, anybody can see that the allowence to use Fox scents make it so easy for hunts to break the law; if hounds are chasing the scent of a Fox, they are going to search out for a real Fox, and kill the real Fox. The legality of using Fox scents is one way that hunts can, and do, break the law.
Another way the law is broken, is because of the two dog policy. Hunts are allowed to use two dogs to kill a Fox. Yet, when we see Fox hunts going on on Boxing Day, how many of these hunts have two hounds? None. They have the same number of dogs. And, it can be extremley difficlut to prosecute a hunt which breaks the law with hunting a Fox with several dogs, claiming that they have used two. And, that is one of the many reasons why a complete ban on hunting Foxes, and wild mammals is needed.
On both sides of the boarder the law is broken, as one commenter stated about the Scottish hunting act, things are just the same as they were before the act was implamented. Which is due to loopholes in the act.
Given the overwhelming support for the ban on hunting Foxes, and other wild animals, it seems unlikely that the Fox hunting will ever be legalised again. Contary, it seems more likely that there will be an outright ban, and hunting will become a thing of the past.
Hunts today are boasting that 250,000 people have attended hunts across the country, but, when you think that the UK population is over 63 million people, then it is a tiny minority of people who particapte in this bloodthirst.
There is no excuse for hunting, there is no good reason for it. Hunting wild animals, and 'enjoying' watching animals being ripped to shreds by other animals, is barbaric, and psychopathic, and future generations will wonder why it took us so long to outright ban this cruel activity.