Publications
Hunting wildlife management and the moral issue
Latest joint publication with the All Party Parliamentary Middle Way Group:
Please use this link to download your copy of Hunting wildlife management and the moral issue
“We are pleased to collaborate again with the Middle Way Group to produce this latest document, the third in a series of joint publications, which we believe, together with our Veterinary Opinion on Hunting with Hounds published in 2002, represents an overwhelming welfare case for repeal of the Hunting Act (2004).”
The Natural Chase A review by Katie Colvile, MSc, MA, VetMB, MRCVS
This review by one of our members is a joint publication with the All Party Parliamentary Middle Way Group which was launched at the House of Lords in January 2008. The review examines:
- How wolves hunting for prey for food has evolved into dogs hunting as an essential component of wildlife management;
- How natural predators can shape their environment;
- How such predation affects the behaviour of prey species and retains the fitness of a prey population;
- Why hunting with hounds can be considered a natural phenomenon.
Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, also one of our members and a former committee member of the Burns Inquiry, has written the foreword to the report.
The use misuse and abuse of science in support of the Hunting Act
This carefully compiled document published in 2007 in collaboration with the All Parliamentary Middle Way Group comprehensively puts the scientific record straight in respect of the hunting debate and demonstrates that there are not and never were any scientific grounds for banning hunting on the grounds of cruelty.
A Veterinary Opinion on Hunting with Hounds
A Veterinary Opinion on Hunting with Hounds was written by Dr.L.H.Thomas and Professor W.R.Allen.
The Opinion sets out the welfare case for the various methods of culling the four quarry species.
"Hunting with hounds is the natural and most humane way of controlling the population of all four quarry species"
- Supported by over 540 members of the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons
Use this link to read A Veterinary Opinion on Hunting with Hounds on-line (PDF version)
You can use this link to download an order form for a printed booklet.
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat reader, use this link to download your free copy.
Introduction
The following submission on the humane aspects of fox hunting, which also touches on hunting of the three other quarry species, deer, hares and mink, is an updated version of that originally submitted in February 2000 to the Committee of Inquiry chaired by Lord Burns and is supported by some 400 members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Following the report of the Inquiry in June 2000 it has been expanded particularly in the sections on: i) the kill and cause of death, ii) other methods of culling and in the discussion on iii) wild compared with domestic animals, iv) wounding and pain and v) the physiological responses of hunted red deer.
The submission is based largely on careful observation and informed opinion since, except for the two studies on the physiology of hunted Red deer (Bateson 1997, Harris and others 1999), and the review submitted to the Inquiry by Bateson and Harris (2000), there is little scientific evidence on the subject of hunting, especially fox hunting. Nevertheless this opinion comes from widespread clinical experience both in general veterinary practice and in research, involving a range of wild and domestic animals under normal and adverse conditions and comes in many cases from first hand experience in the hunting field.
