Fox hunt criticised by angry householders

Fox hunt criticised by angry householders

15 February 2012 - by CIARA COLHOUN

TWO Downpatrick neighbours have spoken of their disgust after a fox hunt went onto their land on the outskirts of the town last week.

Siobhan McGonnell said she was horrified when she heard a pack of hounds from East Down Foxhounds approach her house at Ardglass Road on Tuesday.

She said the dogs, which were howling, terrified her pets, which she quickly brought into the house.

She realised it was hunt when men passed by on horseback and said she was unhappy they passed through her land.

Siobhan said she is outraged the incident happened just days after a cat was mauled to death by fox hounds in Kircubbin and said she believed something should be done to ban the sport before another accident happens.

“The dogs were all over the places and really quite frightening,” she said. “I opened my window to ask one of those on horseback what was going on but I did not get an answer,” she said.

“I found them very arrogant and dismissive of my concerns. Part of gravel lane was dug up by the hunt and while they did repair the damage the next day, in my opinion this should not be allowed.”

Siobhan’s neighbour, Mr. Francie Morgan, said he too was annoyed by the Tuesday hunt, which he said terrified his pet dog and free range hens.

“I realised something was up because I saw my dog Sheba cowering in the corner shaking,” he said. “I then noticed the hens scattering everywhere and heard the dogs barking.

“It seems so irresponsible to allow a pack of dogs to run unleashed and unmuzzled across country land,” he said.

“This is an accident waiting to happen.”

Mr. Lyall Plant, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance Ireland who spoke on behalf of East Down Foxhounds, said the hunt did not ride across the land on Tuesday.

“Four dogs broke away from the pack and went onto the land and some members of the hunt went after them to bring them back,” he explained. “They were only on the land for a few moments before being rounded up again.

“The huntsman went back and spoke to the lady and explained the situation with the dogs, and that certainly wasn’t done in any high-handed or arrogant way,” added Mr. Plant.

“Several local farmers were riding in the hunt and it was on their land the hunt was held, there certainly was no intention to go onto other land.”

A Killinchy man has called for fox hunting to be banned after hounds from a separate hunt jumped over a wall into his stable yard two weekends ago.

“Clearly they were out of control as a huntsperson had to climb the wall and lift the dogs out, without so much as an apology to my wife who was watching,” he said.

“Luckily our cat and two small dogs were locked up or who knows what could have happened.

“Hunting is a barbaric activity and tragic when pets get killed and it is time Northern Ireland gets in line with the rest of the UK and bans this so called sport.

“Fox hunting is not welcome on our land.”