I live in rural East Yorkshire and there are many things I am grateful for in my life and one of those things is my love of wildlife in our wonderful county, particularly Beverley Westwood, our remote yet beautiful coastline and respect for living things all of which bring me more joy than I can express.
The two people I hold responsible for inspiring me on this course are my dad, Bill Massey, a lorry driver and Sir David Attenborough, one of the greatest naturalists of all time. It is these two men, plus one other who have inspired me to lead a campaign against the Holderness Hunt who meet regularly and with the help of terrier men who accompany them, still kill wildlife and occasionally domestic pets who get in the way of their trail hunts which are often laid very close to places where foxes, badgers and other animals live. Such a hunt takes place on The Westwood on 26 December every year among many other hunts in “The Season”.
Most people know that since the Hunting Act of 2004, hunting with packs of hounds is illegal. What most don’t realise is that up and down the country the act is bent almost to the point of breaking by huntsmen and women behaving illegally in a way few, if any other, social groups would be allowed to do in 2017. They do it in the name of pest control.
It seems to me however, that 20-40 people on horseback all following a strict, expensive, dress code which few ordinary people can afford; accompanied by 40 hounds and men on camouflage-painted quad bikes with machetes, for exposing fox holes and with small dogs for chastising sleeping foxes out, seems more like sending a wrecking ball to crack a peanut – inaccurate, destructive and inefficient. If you don’t believe me about the reality of hunting you only need to go online and search, it will take you less than five minutes to find out that what I have written is true. Please be warned, many of the images are utterly distressing
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a spoilsport. I have no objection to people meeting together for fun, fashion, social and exercise of their horses with a good gallop as a countryside tradition, my own adult daughter has been riding with my full support since the age of 2. The inclusion of hounds however, means that there is every chance that the law may be broken. My aim is to alert people and keep wildlife safe from harm and using the power of public pressure try to convince the Holderness Hunt that there are alternatives which are both legal and fun and still involve a good gallop chasing hounds just differently. I have tried to communicate to them directly, but they have refused all contact.
One such option for the hunt is draghunting, which has been around since the 1860’s. It was developed by army officers who wanted a pass time to challenge their skills both in eluding the hounds and staying in the saddle. It involved bloodhounds trained to follow an artificial scent laid by a team of very fit runners. The dogs give chase followed by people on horses and all have a jolly good time no animals are hurt.
All the arguments of the countryside alliance about tradition and the needs of the rural economy and the desires of those of us who detest cruelty are met in one glorious sport. They also never employ questionable masked, machete wielding characters on polluting quad bikes which churn up the ground.
The main point of this article is I want to set the record straight. People like me are not part of some lunatic fringe, in fact over 80% of the British public support the ban. All we want is change for the better for everyone, animals and people. Last weekend faced with the prospect of the hunt in places where I had watched my dog gambol with a fox, I printed off and laminated signs to put around the area.
We put up dozens and people were so grateful to me and my staple gun. Of all the people we asked we only had 3 refusals. I don’t know whether my actions and those of my two helpers saved any foxes, but as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m in this for the long haul. If you want to help in changing the local hunting landscape, then make contact through www.houndsoff.co.uk which is a charity dedicated to helping enforce the hunting ban and to help people protect their property from hunt incursion. Perhaps as a group we can achieve change peacefully.
I began this article by saying I have been inspired by my dad, Sir David and one other. The one other is William Wilberforce born in and later MP for Hull. He didn’t give up easily and spent his whole life campaigning against slavery to win victory as an old man. As I am a descendant of Preacher John Newton, one of Wilberforce’s collaborators. I can think of no better guide on this journey. One-day justice will prevail for the hunter and the fox.
Lynn Massey-Davis
Lynn is a retired teacher and freelance writer who has lived in Holderness for the last 25 years. She has a family and too many animals and her favourite species of animals are wombats
Football for Good – How the Beautiful Game Is Making a Difference
Why Managing Your Household Finances as a Couple is Key
Smart Property Management: Strategies For Success
Spotlight On Lifelong Learning: How Advanced Education Is Shaping Beverley’s Professionals
Must-See Attractions in and Around Beverley
Your views are so one eyed and tunnel visioned, I lived in Beverley from 1954 until I emigrated to Australia in 1977, the Beverley Westwood was my back yard as I lived in Bishops Croft, I saw many hunts and most times if a fox was killed it was one that was either ill, injured or week. I still follow the wild life of east Yorkshire and now feral animals such as foxes rabbits and many other are now poisoned and left to dye a slow death, hedge rows have been removed that where maintained to make the hunt a great sport, leading to loss of habitat for native birds and animals, rabbits, mice, rats and numerous other pests have taken over since the hunt was stopped.
You state that wombats are one of you favorite species, it is because of people like you that have restricted hunting that the wombats have declined almost to the point of extinction through the increase in feral animals