Letter: Supporters rally to defend a well-loved scavenger

Penny Little
Saturday 07 November 1998 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

THE GAFFES and inaccuracies in Ross Clark's profile of the fox are so numerous that it is difficult to know where to start.

As a hunt monitor who follows and films hunts two or three times a week throughout the season, I have never witnessed a fox running "right in front of the hounds several times while being hunted and surviving".

Terriers do not chase foxes, they maul them underground. Foxes do eat berries, but have not mastered nut-cracking.

The fox is not "steadily giving up hunting and becoming a scavenger". Foxes have always been largely scavengers of carrion.

The passage on animal lovers preventing a career move for the fox to being farmed for fur is too offensive to merit comment.

This article begins by saying hunts will be meeting "today" (Sunday) as Tony Blair has not acted to ban hunting. Foxhunts do not meet on Sundays. However, Ross Clark got one thing right. Tony Blair has failed to ban hunting. Shame on him, and shame on Ross Clark.

PENNY LITTLE

Great Haseley Oxfordshire

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in