Police investigate after dog killed in attack on hunt kennels
Police are investigating a ‘disturbing’ attack on a hunt kennels in which a dog was apparently ‘beaten to death’ and left on the hunt master’s drive and vehicles vandalised.
Detectives are understood to be taking the incident ‘very seriously’, because it happened at the base of the Ross Harriers hunt on the Herefordshire-Gloucestershire border, and is close to one of the two areas designated for this year’s controversial badger cull - the other is in West Somerset.
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Huntmaster David Peters, who said he was very concerned by incident
Officers said they were called to an address at which the Ross Harriers are based in Coughton, a small hamlet between Ross-on-Wye and the Gloucestershire border in the Forest of Dean, earlier this week to reports of an attack from animal rights activists.
A spokesman for West Mercia police said the reports were that a 4x4-type vehicle had been vandalised some time between last Friday and Monday.
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“It is also believed that a dog belonging to the victim, which was on the property at the time, was killed during the incident,” said the police spokesman.
“However, it has not yet been established exactly how the animal died and officers are awaiting a report from a vet. Inquiries are ongoing at this time.”
The harriers’ hunt master, who lives near the kennels’ is David Peters.
He said it was his vehicle and pet dog attacked.
“I don’t want to say too much about it, because obviously there’s a police investigation going on,” he said. “But there was a dog killed and it was left on my driveway, and it obviously did not die of natural causes.
“I’ve got a young family, and this is particularly worrying.”
Last November, Mr Peters was fined £720 by magistrates in Hereford and ordered to pay £200 compensation to a hunt saboteur he was found guilty of racially abusing during a confrontation at a meet at Aston Crew last January.
A source close to the Ross Harriers hunt, who declined to be named, said while they were still waiting for the vet’s report into the cause of death of the dog, which was not believed to be one of the Harriers’ hounds, it appeared the dog had been beaten to death.
“This was not a very pleasant incident at all; the letters ‘ALF’ were scratched into the vehicles there and the dog was dead on the drive,” he said. The Animal Liberation Front is a hardcore shadowy group of animal rights activists who target everything from animal-testing laboratories to factory farms.
“The police are taking it extremely seriously, obviously because it is serious anyway, but also because these are the same sorts of people threatening all sorts with the badger cull in this area. The police are looking seriously at the activities of the animal rights activists, and a lot of people are worried,” he added.
A spokesman for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, which regularly targets hunts in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, said his organisation and his activists had ‘nothing whatsoever’ to do with the action.
“We simply do not engage in or condone criminal damage or any attacks on animals,” he said.
“We engage in legal disruption of illegal hunting and we had nothing to do with this whatsoever.
“It doesn’t sound like the sort of thing the ALF would do either, killing a dog. They have been known to steal an entire pack of hounds, but they wouldn’t harm one.”
27 Comments
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by cardinal_sin
Sunday, March 31 2013, 5:42PM
“Ah, next thing you know a hunting twit will be planting a nailbomb under their car and claiming it to be the work of British Animal Rights Society.....oh wait they just did that and received a prison sentence!”
by bosiex
Monday, March 25 2013, 7:39PM
“This story is a bit like a gang of paedophiles being busted by child protection officers for abusing kids and then a few months later phoning the press to say a child has been found on their property, abused and sexually assaulted, and claiming it was the work of child protection officers.”
by bosiex
Monday, March 25 2013, 7:37PM
“This story is a bit like a gang of paedophiles being busted by child protection officers for abusing kids and then a few months later phoning the press to say a child has been found on their property, abused and sexually assaulted, and claiming it was the work of child protection officers.”
by x_Tink_x
Monday, March 25 2013, 9:02AM
“They have jumped to conculsions abit surly, I mean why would animal rights group Beat a dog to death?!?!?
Who ever did this is sick, and if it was in protest than its the most hypercritical one and whats it acheived?”
by x_Tink_x
Monday, March 25 2013, 8:57AM
“they have jumped to conculdions abit accusing the Animal Liberation Front, surely if they are an Animal Rights group they wouldn't beat a dog to death???”
by loftylady
Sunday, March 24 2013, 7:07PM
“Erm, isn't Alf also short for Alfred? Try looking for him before jumping to conclusions - he did after all sign his name!
Strange how the dark side automatically blame animal lovers for killing a dog when they themselves kill so many hounds every year that don't live up to expectations (even puppies that won't join in the barbarity of cub hunting in the Autumn).
A cruel death is an awful thing to happen to any animal - be it a dog, fox, deer, hare - or some innocent childs pet by errant hounds. Hounds which incidentally respond much more readiliy to the kindness they receive from hunt saboteurs preventing them from illegally killing and/or straying on roads and railways during hunts, than those trying to control them.”
by neems
Sunday, March 24 2013, 1:53PM
“We enjoy doing things we need to survive,it's natures way of ensuring we do it.
be it eating,drinking,hunting or whatever else.
vermin needs to be controlled,no sane person would question that,how should it be done?
I'll keep it simple so you ignorant,unwashed,dirty,hippies can understand.
whether it be coursing,mounted hunts,lamping with a dog etc etc not every hunt/course is successful,you with me?
lots of time the prey escapes,still there?
stronger animals are more likely to escape,it's complicated I know hang in there.
weaker animals are more likely to be caught and killed,this is what's known as NATURAL selection.
before wolves where the catalyst,now dogs are.”
by 13MoonWillow
Saturday, March 23 2013, 8:47PM
“That said it all... "before we wiped out wolves"
And our ancestors did it to survive yes, not for fun, so that's hardly a logical response to it being natural... Some of us have evolved from being neanderthals... Sadly, some people clearly haven't”
by ohshush
Saturday, March 23 2013, 8:37PM
“but neems... it isn't the weak or sick. it is the first fox they come across. we hunted in the past because we were hungry. i don't think the huntsmen are starving, and i don't think "sick" carnivores are traditionally our ancestors food of choice. you must have been brought up to think this way, which is a shame for you, because there aren't many legitimate arguments available.
this is a horrible thing to happen, both for the family whos pet was killed, and anyone who actually cares about animals. if whoever did this thinks they are animal rights activists, they are badly mistaken. no-one who gives a toss about animals would have anything to do with these monsters.”
by mistywhelk
Saturday, March 23 2013, 7:22PM
“Ah! I see...so people trying to save animals from a horrifying death are more likely suspects than people who think ripping a live animal to pieces is 'sport'...I rest my case m'lud...”