Re: Civil Disobedience?


Ruth Baltopoulos wrote:
> "PM" <hayebail@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

My comments followed Jenn C.'s statement about foxes being ripped to
shreds by dogs. I went googling for more info. about what actually
takes place on a hunt and good info is hard to come by.

> There is no comparison. Chicken or dog fighting is a brutal 'sporting
> event'. Period. Fox hunting, like many of the rodeo events (such as calf
> roping, or bronc riding), evolved from a *job* (which in this case was the
> necessity to rid farmland of vermin). Historically, it was the upper
> classes that were behind the traditional, formal hunt, but it did have a
> purpose. Farmers would invite you onto their property to hunt, and they
> wanted to see the quarry killed, or you might not be asked back. By the
> way, don't think that the farmers not involved in the traditional style fox
> hunt didn't have their method of killing critters that harangued their
> livestock.

The comparison was made to point out that animal cruelty can be part
and parcel of what is considered to be human entertainment. Not a
comparison of sport origins. Or what farmers may do on their own. I
know.

> During a foxhunt, chasing a live quarry is generally much more exciting than
> a drag hunt and basically a whole different ballgame. In areas of the US,
> this has evolved into a sport, with no intent to kill the fox, coyote, wild
> boar or whatever line of scent the hounds have found, although in some
> places here and in Europe, I believe there is still a job being done.

Why is a live hunt more exciting and so different from a drag hunt?
I've dabbled a wee bit with tracking with dogs and learned that a
skilled person could design an extremely challenging track. My dog
didn't seem to mind that we weren't tracking live.

> It is not 'kill-the-fox hunt fans' at all, as the joy is in the chase, not
> in the kill. That is a misconception that PETA and HSUS are fond of
> magnifying and bandying about.

I didn't mean to imply that the joy was in the actual kill....


> Farming is farming, and things are killed.
> It is what it is. This isn't a bunch of blue-bloodied snobs coldly
> galloping about the countryside slashing, maiming and killing everything in
> it's path. There is a huge amount of planning, sensitivity, landowner
> relations, fundraising and volunteer participation that go into keeping the
> sport alive in the face of all the activist groups that would make it
> impossible to farm anything other than brussel sprouts, given time. It is
> certainly not only the uppercrust that is involved in this tradition any
> more.

Agreed.

> My closest contact is with a drag hunt. It is done thoughtfully and well,
> and is a huge endeavor. It is an historical tradition that is being fought
> to be kept alive in many areas. Those that feel that killing of any sort is
> an abominance willl call fox hunting an abomination. They will take extreme
> situations and plaster them all over the internet crying foul.

Killing happens. Hunting happens. Both are an acceptable part of life
if you happen to be a practicing non-vegetarian such as myself. The
abomination occurs when an animal has a tortured existance or a
tortured demise.

> >> There are many animals that overpopulate and are considered a nuisance
> >> but there are more humane ways of addressing that problem.
>
> > Of course there are. But who determines when a population is out of
> > balance?

> I find this line of reasoning so foolish. Dead is dead. I grew up on a
> farm, and there are things that die, and are killed to keep your business
> safe. I guess I think it should be OK for a landowner to decide when the
> animal nuisance population is out of balance and wishes to allow hunting on
> their property. Sometimes it may be impossible to pull the hounds off of
> the quarry, but I think that is the exception rather than the rule.

Dead IS dead. Buy how one gets there can vary quite a bit, no?
Landowners generally do call the shots until their cumulative actions
impact a population as a whole. Then comes legislation and so on.

> >> And yes there are some groups that just don't like hunting period but
> >> the majority of people don't like fox hunting because of the way the
> >> fox is killed.
>
> I will guess that most who talk about how the fox is killed haven't much
> firsthand experience with the sport and have mostly read what the anti
> organizations have had to offer.

That's why I went googling to learn more. One gathering info. should
question all sources.

> > Drag surely seems like the way to go. Ackkk! I'm picturing Kambic
> > hilltopping in a pink dress and champagne wig. Not THAT kin of drag.
>
> That was not nice :)

My bad. :>)

PM

.

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Civil Disobedience?
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