Foxhounds have changed over the years but their evolution has never been left to chance. They are carefully, and sometimes controversially, selected.  What kind of pack do you follow? by Martin Scott

Several types of hound are bred to hunt the fox in this country and around the world, though at the moment, sad to relate, they cannot serve their purpose here. Fashion has had a hand, to a degree, in the lines people have followed and this has not always been good for the hound itself. Fortunately, certain breeders have stuck to the type that suits them, their country and their hunt. This must be encouraged, not derided, especially when such hounds are needed as an outcross, for example with the Old English foxhound. In England only a handful of purebred Old English foxhound packs remain, and a similar number in Ireland. Likewise, in the United States and Canada the demise of the American foxhound and the English foxhound to make way for the crossbred and the Penn-Marydel-type, caused by the spread of the coyote, may create problems in the future, as the use of the two original types is reduced.

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Following successful symposia in 2006, 2008 and 2010 a fourth Veterinary Association of Wildlife Management (VAWM) symposium is to be held at The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE on Thursday, 15th November, 2012
         
Topics will include:

The “Big society” and conservation
“One health” – integrating human, domestic animal and wildlife health
Life in the Wild – contrasting the life of wild and domestic animals
Disease threats from animal imports and pet travel
Bat disease surveillance
Cetacean strandings
Avian reintroductions and poisoning
 
A number of distinguished speakers have already been secured for what promises to be another influential and important meeting on wildlife diseases and conservation. Full programme and details will be published on the VAWM website

The Ministry of Justice has released new figures on Hunting Act convictions in England and Wales in response to a Parliamentary Question. In 2010 36 people were convicted of Hunting Act offences. None of those was employed by, or connected with, any hunt registered with the Masters of Foxhounds Association. Only one of those convictions relates to a hunt registered with the Council of Hunting Associations, of which the MFHA is a member.

Complete data from the Ministry of Justice from 2005 – 2010 shows that 181 people were convicted of Hunting Act offences. Just three of those people were connected to MFHA packs and three with other with registered CHA hunts. More than 97% of Hunting Act convictions did not involve hunts.

A Countryside Alliance press release on the conviction figures can be viewed here.

The Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management (VAWM) has updated its report "Hunting, Wildlife Management and the Moral Issue" and is required reading for supporters of hunting with dogs.

The group has 570 supporters who are general veterinary practitioners and are spread across England , Wales, Scotland and Ireland . Many have had years of clinical experience with all common species of domestic and wild animals. Some are, or were, in the pharmaceutical industry, some are academics with a wealth of research experience, five are veterinary professors and six are fellows of the Royal College of Pathologists.The objectives of the Association are to promote the sensible management of British wildlife by methods that are advantageous for the welfare of wild animals and which promote or sustain the health and vigour of their species.

Read "Hunting, Wildlife Management and the Moral Issue" on the VAWM website