Hunters prepare to slaughter 10,000 innocent fox cubs

Right now, across our ‘green and pleasant’ land, thousands of tiny fox cubs are exploring a new world. Born in March and April, these tiny, vulnerable little bundles of fur are clumsy, curious and full of life. They’re finally beginning to explore the world. Chasing bugs through long glare, these iconic little cubs are totally unaware of the ticking time bomb that’s so close to going off. A shadow is creeping up on them. And in just a few weeks, their peaceful summer ends. And for so many fox cubs, so do their lives.

Trapped in the woods

August marks the arrival of cubbing season. And that is when the tranquil lives of these tiny cubs are shattered. Hunters politely call this ‘autumn hunting’ or ‘hound exercise’ to mask the reality. The reality is, this is a schooling season for new hounds, and the curriculum is blood. Hunts are not looking for the usual long, dramatic chases across open fields. This time, they’re targeting the most vulnerable animals they can find.

Come August, when these tiny little fox cubs are ready to explore the world, the hunt will strike. Huntsman will take young, inexperienced hounds into small patches of woodland called a covert where foxes live. And there, the slaughter begins. Huntsman choose late-summer fox cubs because they’re young, lacking in stamina and don’t quite yet have knowledge of their territory. This lesson for the hounds is simple. Learn the scent of foxes and gain a taste for killing innocent wildlife.

Escape is pretty much impossible. As hounds flush terrified cubs out from hiding, riders and followers line the perimeter. When a tiny, panicked cub tries to make a break for safety, huntsman slap saddles and crack whips. These monsters deliberately terrify the cubs back into the drooling jaws of the hounds.

The bloody data

And the scale of these activities are damning. A suspected 10,000 fox cubs die every single year to this cruel ‘training’. Can I ask… why the hell are they even training the hounds to kill when hunting live mammals with dogs is illegal? Because these rich huntsman, frankly, don’t give a shit about the law. When hunters claim they’re simply exercising the pack, or following a pre-laid, false trail, they’re lying. The data exposes the truth.

Because the police don’t seem to care, independent monitors watched 624 hunt meets across the country. A mere 23 of these actually showed evidence of an actual trail being laid. A pathetic 3.7% actually showed intent to follow the law.

And the violence is skyrocketing. Monitors recorded 127 incidents of illegal cub killing in just three months. Within that, they saw 106 young cubs being illegally chased by hounds. This is a wild 83% increase compared to last autumn.

This blatant disregard for our laws spills into communities. Hound hunts caused 315 incidents of havoc, targeting domestic pets and trespassing on private land. And that’s just in that same three-month window.

We need to be on the ground for these fox cubs

The Hunting Act 2004 banned this bloody cruelty two decades ago. So why is this bloodshed continuing, and in fact, ramping up? And it’s not like the hunt actually even care about the hounds that are ripping apart these innocent cubs. To the hunt, these hounds are nothing but tools. And they treat them as such. If a young dog fails to recognise scents or it’s too slow to keep up with the pack, the huntsman regularly shoot them in the head when they think no one is looking.

These baby fox cubs and discarded hounds are running out of time. Right now, the government is running a public consultation on finally closing the loophole that is ‘trail hunting’. And it ends on Thursday 18 June 2026. This is our chance to end the smokescreen that allows 10,000 fox cubs to be massacred every year. Why not join or support the Hunt Saboteurs Association who help to monitor these illegal hunts?

We can’t allow these rich, horse-riding monsters to quietly wipe out the next generation of foxes. Will we continue to look away? Or will we finally say enough is enough? Have a look at the consultation, and let’s get boots on the ground this August to end this lawlessness once and for all.

Featured image via the Hunt Saboteurs Association/Three Counties Hunt Sabs

By Antifabot

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