Monitoring the Exmoor Foxhounds on Exmoor National Park

To donate to us PayPal (thank you): https://www.wildlifeguardian.co.uk/do... To support us on Patreon (thank you):   / wildlifeguardian   CONNECT Website: https://www.wildlifeguardian.co.uk/ SOCIAL LINKS: Twitter:   / wlguardian   Facebook:   / thewildlifeguardian   LinkedIn:   / wildlife-guardian   VIDEO DETAILS On Wednesday 17th January 2024 it was a shock to us to find a meet of the 'Exmoor Foxhounds' at 'Dry Bridges' in the Devon part of the Exmoor National Park as the neighbouring 'Devon and Somerset Staghounds' had been cancelling meets because of the freezing conditions. Unfortunately, they had moved off already but thanks to the hill sheep and ponies moving away from them we were able to work out they had gone east towards 'Shilstone'. By the time we got to the area they were seen to be moving at speed back to the meet direction and back we went. It was a very confusing scene that we came back to around the meet. Down in Dry Bridge combe just off the road the pack was streaming down in full cry while up on the Road there was a lone man on a quad bike with his hazard lights on and soon after this he was joined by a policeman in a police van. Below The hunt went on while head quad man and policeman just had a long casual chat. My thoughts on what was going on start with the stack of evidence that trail hunting has proved just to be a smoke screen for illegal hunting !!!!! Why are meets so secretive ???. Why did we get filmed and challenged over what we were doing there ???. Personally, it was our belief that it was a fox they were chasing .Unfortunately on this occasion we did not get a fox on film so illegal hunting could not be proved. By the end of the day the hunt had travelled over vast swathes of the National Park disturbing everything in their path and in our opinion presenting a considerable biosecurity threat . it is not helped that the 'Exmoor National Park Authority grant the 'Exmoor Foxhounds' a license to trail hunt on their land . During the day we came on one hound running all on its own but thankfully running the road in the Simonsbath direction . We do hope he was ok and not hit by a car. The day ended at 14.30 when the hunt was seen entering the kennels.