Killing defenceless wild animals with dogs is sadistic, antiquated and cruel
Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK where hunting with dogs remains legal. England, Wales and Scotland already have bans in place and Northern Ireland is lagging behind.
According to a 2024 opinion poll, almost half of the people in Northern Ireland think hunting with dogs is illegal. When they realise that it isn't, between 7 and 8 out of 10 people believe it should be.
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The arguments against a ban are based on it being a countryside tradition and pest control. These are flimsy covers to disguise the cruelty of this activity. There is a small section of our community who enjoy hunting and killing wild animals with dogs, as a source of entertainment. Its legality also provides cover for those engaged in the illegal killing of badgers, euphemistically known as badger baiting.
There are two types of hunting with dogs:
- The ‘red coats’ on horseback with their hounds.
- The ‘terrier men’, people on foot with their terrier type dogs who hunt foxes and other wildlife.
We want to see both types of hunts banned
Hunting dogs will kill any companion animals they come across and hunt members simply shrug off these victims as collateral casualties. Tame deer are ‘carted’ into the countryside and released in order to be persecuted by dogs, an activity that is already illegal.
The farming community is surviving in economically challenging times; disease control in animals and crops is a priority. Many farmers, acutely aware of the need for bio-security, are less than happy at the hunt crossing their land and have banned them from their land.
In January 2023, Scotland enhanced their legislation to close loopholes to bring this cruel act to an end. We have an opportunity to learn from Scotland and develop the most robust legislation that leads the way to bringing this barbaric act to an end.
The USPCA has recently joined the League Against Cruel Sports to launch a campaign to help bring this barbaric activity to an end.
