Animals Protection Group Slams Britain's Cubbing, Calls It As The "Most Shameful Tradition"

All eyes of wildlife advocate groups are on the planned cubbing in Great Britain where hounds are set to slay foxes.

A Euronews report said the practice of cubbing is considered by some groups as cruel because this involves training dogs to kill young foxes.

This is actually part of the preparation for the hunt that will start in November.

Read Also: First Domesticated Foxes Bred in Russia With Dog Traits Like Licking, Tail Wagging

Exposing the cruel practice

Meanwhile, the group Protect the Wild wants to expose more of this vile practice to the public to save the young foxes.

In a tweet, the group, which fights for the protection of British wildlife from persecution and bloodsports, campaigned for the spread of information about this cubbing.

"In just a few weeks the vile pastime of 'cubbing' will begin. Please give this RT and help us expose it to more people!" it said in a tweet.

 According to Protect the Wild's Robert Pownell, cubbing represents a particularly vicious form of animal abuse. He told Euronews that, "It involves training young hounds to kill foxes by targeting their cubs, as dogs do not naturally possess the instinct to kill foxes."

In cubbing, the young foxes are hemmed into small woods and they are prevented from escaping by a group of hounds. Obviously, these cubs will be scared of hounds whenever they attempt to escape.

Pownell stressed that this is one of Britain's "most vile and sordid secrets." He said cubbing is Britain's most shameful "tradition" that still continues up to now as nothing is being done to address and eventually eradicate it.

Around 10,000 young foxes are being brutally killed across United Kingdom through this practice on a yearly basis, the report said.

In 2017, an investigation took place about the a footage on social media which showed a fox cub being butchered. The clip drew flak, with people on social media branding it as vile and disgusting, according to a report on Gluocestershire Live.

Fox hunting

Meanwhile, fox hunting was already banned in Britain in 2004, however, there are exemptions in the regulations.

Further, this is still being practiced in some rural areas, such as southeast England, as some were calling the exemptions loopholes in the law.

A report on The Express said that an alliance of some veterinarians expressed in a joint letter that the population of wild red foxes had decreased since the introduction of the Hunting Act which banned their hunting process thorough the use of hounds.

Daniel Greenberg, one of those who drafted the law, explained that the passage was driven by "moral outrage" rather than concerns for the animal welfare.

Critics are also claiming that fox hunting is barbaric and cruel because foxes are being chased down by a large pack of dogs for several kilometers. After that, they will be mauled to death.

The practice of fox hunting in Britain started in the 16th century in which it was used as a means of controlling foxes that are considered as a pest by farmers.

Through the years, it gained popularity as a sport of the aristocracy, reaching its peak in the 19th century.

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