organized re-enactments?
Trouble with these could be that a real fox might cross the scent and attract the hounds.
I live in a country town and have seen hunts at a distance and on one memorable occasion saw several hundred hounds running around a show ring in a joyous riot with a couple of dozen huntsmen among them to prevent complete mayhem! I read somewhere that hounds are no use after three years of age and are then put down as they do not make good pets. Does anyone know if this is true? It is not a point that I have heard presented elsewhere in the debate in the UK. If true then it seems to add a further negative aspect to the pastime – I have trouble seeing it as a sport.
So....a spectacle certainly, but still cruel...very mixed feelings, but on balance I am anti fox-hunting, or any hunting with hounds. We do seem to have too many foxes in the area and I see them all the way from home right up to Barnes, which is within the edge of truly urban London. So how do we deal with the problems that they create by attacking livestock and pets and scavenging in bins and bags? I don't believe hunting can be a particularly efficient means of culling. But after reading the above comments on trapping I don’t know what the alternative should be.
To get this on to something kind of word-related -
A poem:
Can-can (the second of: “Two Songs from Fox-Trot” by John Fuller)
The hounds are breathing at my tail, the hunt behind is in full cry,
Grimly grim.
The Master knows he will not fail
To see his tiring quarry die,
Horrible him!
Another fence won’t keep them back.
They have the panic scent too strong,
Grimly grim.
The Master close behind the pack
Knows that now he can’t go wrong,
Horrible him!
Now I am running for my life.
The hunt’s upon me in a rush,
Grimly grim.
The Master holds a little knife
With which to amputate my brush,
Horrible him!
John Fuller.
We do like to anthropomorphise don't we!
