I sent this to the National Trust and thought I'd share it here.
Dear National Trust,
Thank you for replying to my enquiry about why you chose to promote trail hunting, a form of hunting that represents the hunting of animals as sport and even promotes this view in practice. That you are interested in "protecting conservation" is now seriously in question, I believe, as you are allowing a practice that can lead, and often does, I understand, to the murder of foxes by dogs that follow the alternative scent of the real animal. If you do not know this, then I question whether the National Trust is still fit for purpose in a role whose purpose is to conserve wildlife.
You ignored my specific points in your reply and this leads me to believe that you actually do know that trail hunting can, and often does, lead to real hunting, but choose to ignore this. How can you still argue that you are interested in the conservation of wildlife when you are allowing a practice that can (and often does) endanger wildlife?
I am really, really saddened, disappointed and disgusted with the National Trust, an institution I obviously can no longer trust.
Ian Almond - 7 years ago
It is illegal to hunt live quarry, hunting was banned in 2004. Trail hunting was introduced, the hunts are supposed to follow a trail prelaid by hunt members. The hunts were supposed to retrain their hounds to follow an artificial scent. No attempts to retrain hounds has ever been made and all hunts continue to "trail hunt" in their old traditional hunting grounds which obviously are where the foxes are. Hunts claim foxes/stags are chased and killed by the hounds by accident. This is of course a blatant lie, they are useing the guise of "trail hunting as a smoke screen to continue their cruel blood sport in exactly the same way as before the ban. How do I know? I know because I know witnessed this with 4 different hunts, I went on trail hunts a few times believing niavely that they did not chase foxes anymore, I witnessed very shockingly foxes being killed by groups of hounds, hunt master asking which way did the fox go when the poor thing managed to run for its life! I tried different hunts thinking that surely they cannot be breaking the law and maybe their kill was an accident, no it was no accident, they are all the same! I then tried to find out more, the hounds are often shot and the terriers before their one if they are deemed unsuitable. I know of a gorgeous terrier that is now in a lovely home, she was not quite 1 yr but was about to be shot because she wouldn't stay down a fox hole. I promise this is all true, I reported to the police but they said without video footage as proof nothing could be done and even then its difficult to prosecute, probably because a lot of the hunt masters etc are big land owners. I have also been told by people who hunt of cubs been taken live to be used as bait for the young hounds. The terrier men are the most evil of all and are quite often involved in other acts of extreme cruelty, like badger baiting.Our whole system is a corrupt joke, one poll showed 84% of the British public is against fox hunting and yet with all the evidence that many people provide this disgusting blood sport still continues all over the country, with all these hunters being allowed to get away with putting two fingers up at the law and people like us that want these sociopaths brought to justice. This has no part in conservation, the National Trust has let their wildlife down badly natural predators like foxes are an important part of natures balance and should be left alone.
Alex Dungey - 7 years ago
The National Trust are an absolute disgrace to allow any sort of hunting. Their priorities should be the protection of all wildlife rather than supporting the outdated blood lust of these hideous hunts. Everybody knows trail hunting is just a cover up name for the exact same cruelty of the banned hunting! I can only assume that the vote was corrupted by people in power with all the money that support the barbaric hunt. This needs to be put a stop to. Thank goodness for those that care.
Amanda - 7 years ago
The National Trust will eventually be defeated on this issue and I'm sure they know it. I shall not be resigning my membership because I intend to vote again in three years. In the meantime, it's a small protest, I know, but I won't be spending any more of my cash in their shops or restaurants. I hope at least one or two of their Board members get to read some of these comments. And I would like to see some kind of inquiry into how the business was conducted because clearly the hunt lobbyists corrupted it. Distrust indeed.
Maggie Guillon - 7 years ago
We had no idea that all these so-called 'sports' were happening on National Trust land. We believed they were custodians of our countryside and its fauna and as such were proud to be members for many years. This vote has appalled us and we too will be cancelling our membership. On a positive note it has been good to read all the above comments and know that there are caring people out there despite everything.
Mae Howard - 7 years ago
I have just renewed our Membership would like our money back, you have let us all down, I know we will not be renewing it again, , you are the keeper of our beautiful countryside,
but allowing the this hunts rampage over the estate's is against everything hold dear, shame on you.
Maria Moore - 7 years ago
I was a member for years then lapsed through financial hardship. Was all set to rejoin this year but decided to await the outcome of their "vote".... glad I did! I won't even patronise the 2 NT properties on my doorstep anymore... buying their plants, and Christmas cards etc. They are disgraceful!
Roy Leader - 7 years ago
Absolutely devastated to cancel our longstanding NT membership but we cannot support an organisation that allows hounds to run out of control causing danger to both people and other animals. The members, volunteers and staff that are doing truly great work to keep places special deserve so much better from the board. The NT will not see another penny from us until they see sense.
Catherine Chizmar - 7 years ago
Utter disgust at allowing wild animal
Hunting on they’re land. Membership cancelled for me and my family.
Helen Jellett - 7 years ago
I am speaking purely about my run ins with our local NT property at Kingston Lacy. For 8 yrs we have been walking our two well behaved dogs over the estate fields and woods and droves. During the last 18 months we have constantly come up against their negativity towards dog owning families. I have written, phoned, and more....and we have had such poor reaction from them, bordering on mild aggression that we should DARE to question THEIR rules and regs regarding this property. Notices now abound everywhere on the satiate...NO dogs. DOGS on lead only etc. Fields which we walked on years ago are now chained and padlocked.The last straw was a few weeks ago walking on the droves and neighbouring fields and we were informed that our dogs were upsetting the new bird shooting facilities...."I am trying to run a shoot here" we were told......as my 2 dogs lay at my feet...... No amount of reasoning will make them listen. The customer relations person was phoned a week ago....she was "away from her desk". She has not returned our call......I am appalled, disgusted and revolted by all the Trust stand for.
Our £80 membership subs are due 31st October........dream on, never in a million years NT . ????????????
John Coates - 7 years ago
Will remain a member to vote against next time. This is a perverse decision made by National Trust who are clearly in league with the hunting set,same funny handshake club.
Joann Scott - 7 years ago
When is the next vote? I can’t get an answer from the NT who are deliberately ignoring the question. Does anyone know?
Helen - 7 years ago
We need to act from within. We need `Council members and Trustees who care what members think!
MJ Darling - 7 years ago
You stopped being a charity in the true sense this weekend. Disgusted that the selfish and greedy managed to infiltrate and influence an organisation that is meant to represent everyone and beautiful British wildlife. We are in 2017 not 1817. What place does this barbaric habit, that a mere 40,000 people out of a population of 65 million, have in this century? When we visit Trust property and we think about foxes, we expect to see them in their natural environment, safe and contented, not terrified with the possibility we will see dogs ripping them apart and people cheering and celebrating. Dogs should be under control where the public has access. You have property here with sheep on that have been injured and killed thanks to hunt-types and their dogs that are off leads despite being told on the gates to the land to keep them on leads. Nobody tells them what they can and can't do. Do you seriously think they will be lawful and courteous , going forwards? These are people that are consistently violent, intimidating and rude. This year alone there have been incidents involving riding vehicles at members of the public, pets have been injured, one man's whippet cross was seriously injured by hounds that made headline news and a woman was sexually assaulted by a master of hounds, no less. Is that what you want to expose your members to? In 2017 we have had to contend with terror incidents involving vehicles being driven at members of the public, animals, mainly cats, being brutally killed in their hundreds and yet more discussion regarding sexual harassment and assault in light of the #MeToo movement and much of this took place in our towns and cities. Our countryside is meant to be a peaceful place, not a violent one. Thank you National Trust for dragging us backwards in what is meant to be a progressive society. Maybe one day all 'sports' or pastimes or habits or whatever else people class activities that involve killing animals for trophies or vanity or so-called fun as will stop. When this all goes wrong, and it will, "we told you so" Kind regards, Your ex-members
Roger Weeks - 7 years ago
We resigned our membership because of the badger cull, as that policy has now changed we were able to re-join. We obviously voted against the continuance of so called trail hunting. While I deplore the way the vote went and the way it was achieved. I think it impossible for the hunting fraternity to deny their instinctive lust to kill, that they undoubtedly share with their hounds. This was betrayed within the debate itself by supportive rhetoric for full blown traditional hunting as an assumption of the debate’s purpose, which of course is illegal. So I am staying to defend the rules as stated and seek their enforcement from within. As a member I will hold the NT to their word of excluding noncompliance.
Jacqueline Ferris-Woods - 7 years ago
Shame on the National Trust. I cancelled my membership some years ago over their policy on allowing stag hunting on their land. Trail Hunting just opens the door for illegal hunting, it's naivety at its worst to think otherwise. They should ban ALL hunting on National Trust land.
Jeff Evans - 7 years ago
By cancelling our membership I fear we are letting the pro hunt group control the NT even more. We need to make sure the next vote is a true reflection of its members wishes.
Pippa Collins - 7 years ago
I would be very grateful if anyone could spare a moment to sign and share this new petition to get the UK Parliament to address the issues with processed meat products, Thank you ????. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/202048
Pippa Collins - 7 years ago
I would be very grateful if anyone could spare a moment to sign and share this new petition to get the UK Parliament to address the issues with processed meat products, Thank you ????. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/202048
Patricia Howard - 7 years ago
I left a comment on their Facebook page and received their reply. Since 2004 they have only allowed trail hunting on their land!! They actually expect us to believe that, they think we are gullible. Now they have made it impossible for me to reply to them. My comments just disappear!!
Janet McKeag - 7 years ago
As someone who has witnessed the notorious Atherstone hunt illegally hunting ( I spent 2 hours in Rugby police station reporting what my husband and I seen ) I know only too well that Trail hunting is a smokescreen for killing foxes. A member of a hunt that currently hunts on National Trust land said in a television interview ''......'accidents' have happened and 'accidents' will continue to happen...''. If hounds are trained to follow the scent of a fox and then taken to an area where foxes are known to live then the so called 'accidents are in fact deliberately engineered situations. It's disgusting that hunts have been allowed to get away with breaking the law for the last 12 years - the National Trust should have banned hunts on their land. Had they done so my husband and I would have joined, instead I've joined the Hunt Saboteurs Association.
Charmen Hummel - 7 years ago
I have cancelled my membership, as I feel the chairmen used his proxy votes to allow foxhunting on NT land. He also stated that the NT has not got the resources to my nitor that no fox has nting takes place.
Obviously the chairmen and most of the board are supporters of the Bloody Hunt
Ben Murrell - 7 years ago
Lots of people seem to think fox hunting is being debated, whereas it is trail hunting only that the NT has allowed. Fox hunting is abhorrent and has been banned and the hunting lobby are currently trying to muddy the argument by staging trail hunts. The hunting lobby needs to be educated, not dictated to. The NT now has a chance to regulate and licence trail hunting to show how duplicitous and deceptive it is, and this regulation could then be extended to trail hunting on all land. Then we will see trail hunting exposed as a front for illegal accidental animal hunting and a sport where violent terriermen are tolerated or even encouraged to commit crimes. The NTs regulation will then allow the ban on hunting to be strengthened. Arguing against the result of a democratic vote is only going to harden the pro hunting lobby. The NT has already indicated they plan strict licencing and regulation so let's keep monitoring and protecting the current and real ban on hunting
Loll Douglas - 7 years ago
We have too many loopholes in the present fox hunting ban. I'm one of the 84% who want a complete ban on blood sports. Its an outdated cruel tradition.
Richie - 7 years ago
The NT are supposed to be a conservation charity. I guess they're conserving an illegal bloodsport.
They should be looking out for wildlife like they claim to, instead of assisting people in tearing it up.
I don't become a member, or spend a penny until hunting is removed from national trust properties.
Karen Forman - 7 years ago
I feel that the National Trust has been lied to by the trail hunting fraternity, they are using trail hunting as a smoke screen to hide their illegal activities, they are not " accidentally" killing foxes, they are doing it deliberately, they take baby cubs out of their dens & give them to their hounds to give them the taste, then they let the hounds loose across the countryside, allegedly following a trail, but the reality is that they are hunting live prey, I accept that these are not all on National Trust lands, but some are, this really does need addressing properly, the vote on Saturday is not binding, so you can really do something about this now, before thousands of your members cancel their memberships?
Luisa - 7 years ago
Wth all the evidence that hunts are not adhering to the law as it stands they are now complicit to law breaking activities
Joann Scott - 7 years ago
My family and I feel that the vote was lost in the mountain of papers and marketing bumf we received with the magazine. Why was such an important vote not highlighted in a banner on the front of the magazine? We feel that the vote was deliberately manipulated. I’ve cancelled our membership today. The NT is already struggling due to falling a falling membership. They deserve it. Today is a sad day for wildlife.
Patricia Betty - 7 years ago
Many people did not vote because they didn't realise there was a vote. Others say they did not receive voting papers. Whatever the reason for this, the eventual vote against the motion that won the day is not reflective of the gen pop as a whole. The Trust also completely ignored the wishes of those who visit NT sites who are not members. They may not have membership, but they still spend money on the day in entry fees and in the cafes and shops. On an issue as important as this is, the motion should not have been dismissed because the bloodthirsty red coats made certain their coterie of animal abusers were well aware that their dirty Pastime could be snatched away if they didn't vote against. The hunters had nothing to gain and everything to lose, of course they'd make sure they'd vote.
Nicola Maguire - 7 years ago
As a nation of supposed animal lovers and having been blessed with such rich and diverse wildlife we should be doing our utmost to protect and care for them not murder and persecute them. There was outrage when canned shooting was exposed in parts of South Africa and now the National Trust have permitted the British version of this despicable and barbaric act on their land in the guise of Trail hunting. Since they have shown no care or consideration toward the wildlife on their land, I hope people hit them where it so clearly will hurt them, their bottom line. Stop supporting them and support your local hunt sab group instead.
Terry E Oliver - 7 years ago
I am so pleased that so many people have & are cancelling thier membership. I was going to join, but certainly not now. Is it not true NT that in some of your NT areas you have banned families from having a picnic!! So why the he'll haven't you banned fox hunting. The NT parks are areas of natural beauty, places for wonderful wildlife.
What you have done NT is NOT GOOD!! not good at all.
Barbara - 7 years ago
Yet the NT have banned picnics inside some of their properties! I would much rather see a family enjoying a picnic in a beautiful place than a pack of slavering dogs and toffs on horseback murdering down some poor unfortunate wild creature!
Stephen King - 7 years ago
Disgraceful, should never had gone to the vote, your hollow victory will only cause further division within the NT, your membership will suffer and bring nothing but bad publicity on a charity that, like many established organisations, are run for a privileged few. Times are changing, time you appealed to the majority before the National Trust loses all credibility.
Gillian Kilroy - 7 years ago
More cronyism from the NT! You need ,to take the word Trust' out of your title!! You say you only allow Trail Hunting, but we all know what that leads to! Drag hunting doesn’t involve animal scent, dogs trained to only follow the drag scent which is not animal,based, Shorter courses and lots more that is animal and fox friendly, but still gives people a good ride out. So tell me NT, why don’t you at the least have that if you must???
Kevin wood - 7 years ago
It is meant to be a place of beauty and that includes wildlife
Helen Wallage - 7 years ago
Disgraceful NT, I expected better from you. How do you equate caring for land and property with the carnage that is hunting. Shame on you.
David Spratt - 7 years ago
An absolute disgrace. This is an organisation that is supposed to protect beautiful things and the wonders of the natural world. The NT needs to be shut down and have its charitable status withdrawn. It is supposed to " look after places of historic interest or natural beauty permanently for the benefit of the nation across England, Wales and Northern Ireland". Nothing is more beautiful than wildlife, and nothing more grotesque than hunting.
Shame on you NT, and shame on those who gave discretionary votes to the Trust board knowing what would happen. SHAME - SHAME - SHAME ---- Hang your heads in shame for the cruelty and suffering you support.
I sent this to the National Trust and thought I'd share it here.
Dear National Trust,
Thank you for replying to my enquiry about why you chose to promote trail hunting, a form of hunting that represents the hunting of animals as sport and even promotes this view in practice. That you are interested in "protecting conservation" is now seriously in question, I believe, as you are allowing a practice that can lead, and often does, I understand, to the murder of foxes by dogs that follow the alternative scent of the real animal. If you do not know this, then I question whether the National Trust is still fit for purpose in a role whose purpose is to conserve wildlife.
You ignored my specific points in your reply and this leads me to believe that you actually do know that trail hunting can, and often does, lead to real hunting, but choose to ignore this. How can you still argue that you are interested in the conservation of wildlife when you are allowing a practice that can (and often does) endanger wildlife?
I am really, really saddened, disappointed and disgusted with the National Trust, an institution I obviously can no longer trust.
It is illegal to hunt live quarry, hunting was banned in 2004. Trail hunting was introduced, the hunts are supposed to follow a trail prelaid by hunt members. The hunts were supposed to retrain their hounds to follow an artificial scent. No attempts to retrain hounds has ever been made and all hunts continue to "trail hunt" in their old traditional hunting grounds which obviously are where the foxes are. Hunts claim foxes/stags are chased and killed by the hounds by accident. This is of course a blatant lie, they are useing the guise of "trail hunting as a smoke screen to continue their cruel blood sport in exactly the same way as before the ban. How do I know? I know because I know witnessed this with 4 different hunts, I went on trail hunts a few times believing niavely that they did not chase foxes anymore, I witnessed very shockingly foxes being killed by groups of hounds, hunt master asking which way did the fox go when the poor thing managed to run for its life! I tried different hunts thinking that surely they cannot be breaking the law and maybe their kill was an accident, no it was no accident, they are all the same! I then tried to find out more, the hounds are often shot and the terriers before their one if they are deemed unsuitable. I know of a gorgeous terrier that is now in a lovely home, she was not quite 1 yr but was about to be shot because she wouldn't stay down a fox hole. I promise this is all true, I reported to the police but they said without video footage as proof nothing could be done and even then its difficult to prosecute, probably because a lot of the hunt masters etc are big land owners. I have also been told by people who hunt of cubs been taken live to be used as bait for the young hounds. The terrier men are the most evil of all and are quite often involved in other acts of extreme cruelty, like badger baiting.Our whole system is a corrupt joke, one poll showed 84% of the British public is against fox hunting and yet with all the evidence that many people provide this disgusting blood sport still continues all over the country, with all these hunters being allowed to get away with putting two fingers up at the law and people like us that want these sociopaths brought to justice. This has no part in conservation, the National Trust has let their wildlife down badly natural predators like foxes are an important part of natures balance and should be left alone.
The National Trust are an absolute disgrace to allow any sort of hunting. Their priorities should be the protection of all wildlife rather than supporting the outdated blood lust of these hideous hunts. Everybody knows trail hunting is just a cover up name for the exact same cruelty of the banned hunting! I can only assume that the vote was corrupted by people in power with all the money that support the barbaric hunt. This needs to be put a stop to. Thank goodness for those that care.
The National Trust will eventually be defeated on this issue and I'm sure they know it. I shall not be resigning my membership because I intend to vote again in three years. In the meantime, it's a small protest, I know, but I won't be spending any more of my cash in their shops or restaurants. I hope at least one or two of their Board members get to read some of these comments. And I would like to see some kind of inquiry into how the business was conducted because clearly the hunt lobbyists corrupted it. Distrust indeed.
We had no idea that all these so-called 'sports' were happening on National Trust land. We believed they were custodians of our countryside and its fauna and as such were proud to be members for many years. This vote has appalled us and we too will be cancelling our membership. On a positive note it has been good to read all the above comments and know that there are caring people out there despite everything.
I have just renewed our Membership would like our money back, you have let us all down, I know we will not be renewing it again, , you are the keeper of our beautiful countryside,
but allowing the this hunts rampage over the estate's is against everything hold dear, shame on you.
I was a member for years then lapsed through financial hardship. Was all set to rejoin this year but decided to await the outcome of their "vote".... glad I did! I won't even patronise the 2 NT properties on my doorstep anymore... buying their plants, and Christmas cards etc. They are disgraceful!
Absolutely devastated to cancel our longstanding NT membership but we cannot support an organisation that allows hounds to run out of control causing danger to both people and other animals. The members, volunteers and staff that are doing truly great work to keep places special deserve so much better from the board. The NT will not see another penny from us until they see sense.
Utter disgust at allowing wild animal
Hunting on they’re land. Membership cancelled for me and my family.
I am speaking purely about my run ins with our local NT property at Kingston Lacy. For 8 yrs we have been walking our two well behaved dogs over the estate fields and woods and droves. During the last 18 months we have constantly come up against their negativity towards dog owning families. I have written, phoned, and more....and we have had such poor reaction from them, bordering on mild aggression that we should DARE to question THEIR rules and regs regarding this property. Notices now abound everywhere on the satiate...NO dogs. DOGS on lead only etc. Fields which we walked on years ago are now chained and padlocked.The last straw was a few weeks ago walking on the droves and neighbouring fields and we were informed that our dogs were upsetting the new bird shooting facilities...."I am trying to run a shoot here" we were told......as my 2 dogs lay at my feet...... No amount of reasoning will make them listen. The customer relations person was phoned a week ago....she was "away from her desk". She has not returned our call......I am appalled, disgusted and revolted by all the Trust stand for.
Our £80 membership subs are due 31st October........dream on, never in a million years NT . ????????????
Will remain a member to vote against next time. This is a perverse decision made by National Trust who are clearly in league with the hunting set,same funny handshake club.
When is the next vote? I can’t get an answer from the NT who are deliberately ignoring the question. Does anyone know?
We need to act from within. We need `Council members and Trustees who care what members think!
You stopped being a charity in the true sense this weekend. Disgusted that the selfish and greedy managed to infiltrate and influence an organisation that is meant to represent everyone and beautiful British wildlife. We are in 2017 not 1817. What place does this barbaric habit, that a mere 40,000 people out of a population of 65 million, have in this century? When we visit Trust property and we think about foxes, we expect to see them in their natural environment, safe and contented, not terrified with the possibility we will see dogs ripping them apart and people cheering and celebrating. Dogs should be under control where the public has access. You have property here with sheep on that have been injured and killed thanks to hunt-types and their dogs that are off leads despite being told on the gates to the land to keep them on leads. Nobody tells them what they can and can't do. Do you seriously think they will be lawful and courteous , going forwards? These are people that are consistently violent, intimidating and rude. This year alone there have been incidents involving riding vehicles at members of the public, pets have been injured, one man's whippet cross was seriously injured by hounds that made headline news and a woman was sexually assaulted by a master of hounds, no less. Is that what you want to expose your members to? In 2017 we have had to contend with terror incidents involving vehicles being driven at members of the public, animals, mainly cats, being brutally killed in their hundreds and yet more discussion regarding sexual harassment and assault in light of the #MeToo movement and much of this took place in our towns and cities. Our countryside is meant to be a peaceful place, not a violent one. Thank you National Trust for dragging us backwards in what is meant to be a progressive society. Maybe one day all 'sports' or pastimes or habits or whatever else people class activities that involve killing animals for trophies or vanity or so-called fun as will stop. When this all goes wrong, and it will, "we told you so" Kind regards, Your ex-members
We resigned our membership because of the badger cull, as that policy has now changed we were able to re-join. We obviously voted against the continuance of so called trail hunting. While I deplore the way the vote went and the way it was achieved. I think it impossible for the hunting fraternity to deny their instinctive lust to kill, that they undoubtedly share with their hounds. This was betrayed within the debate itself by supportive rhetoric for full blown traditional hunting as an assumption of the debate’s purpose, which of course is illegal. So I am staying to defend the rules as stated and seek their enforcement from within. As a member I will hold the NT to their word of excluding noncompliance.
Shame on the National Trust. I cancelled my membership some years ago over their policy on allowing stag hunting on their land. Trail Hunting just opens the door for illegal hunting, it's naivety at its worst to think otherwise. They should ban ALL hunting on National Trust land.
By cancelling our membership I fear we are letting the pro hunt group control the NT even more. We need to make sure the next vote is a true reflection of its members wishes.
I would be very grateful if anyone could spare a moment to sign and share this new petition to get the UK Parliament to address the issues with processed meat products, Thank you ????. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/202048
I would be very grateful if anyone could spare a moment to sign and share this new petition to get the UK Parliament to address the issues with processed meat products, Thank you ????. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/202048
I left a comment on their Facebook page and received their reply. Since 2004 they have only allowed trail hunting on their land!! They actually expect us to believe that, they think we are gullible. Now they have made it impossible for me to reply to them. My comments just disappear!!
As someone who has witnessed the notorious Atherstone hunt illegally hunting ( I spent 2 hours in Rugby police station reporting what my husband and I seen ) I know only too well that Trail hunting is a smokescreen for killing foxes. A member of a hunt that currently hunts on National Trust land said in a television interview ''......'accidents' have happened and 'accidents' will continue to happen...''. If hounds are trained to follow the scent of a fox and then taken to an area where foxes are known to live then the so called 'accidents are in fact deliberately engineered situations. It's disgusting that hunts have been allowed to get away with breaking the law for the last 12 years - the National Trust should have banned hunts on their land. Had they done so my husband and I would have joined, instead I've joined the Hunt Saboteurs Association.
I have cancelled my membership, as I feel the chairmen used his proxy votes to allow foxhunting on NT land. He also stated that the NT has not got the resources to my nitor that no fox has nting takes place.
Obviously the chairmen and most of the board are supporters of the Bloody Hunt
Lots of people seem to think fox hunting is being debated, whereas it is trail hunting only that the NT has allowed. Fox hunting is abhorrent and has been banned and the hunting lobby are currently trying to muddy the argument by staging trail hunts. The hunting lobby needs to be educated, not dictated to. The NT now has a chance to regulate and licence trail hunting to show how duplicitous and deceptive it is, and this regulation could then be extended to trail hunting on all land. Then we will see trail hunting exposed as a front for illegal accidental animal hunting and a sport where violent terriermen are tolerated or even encouraged to commit crimes. The NTs regulation will then allow the ban on hunting to be strengthened. Arguing against the result of a democratic vote is only going to harden the pro hunting lobby. The NT has already indicated they plan strict licencing and regulation so let's keep monitoring and protecting the current and real ban on hunting
We have too many loopholes in the present fox hunting ban. I'm one of the 84% who want a complete ban on blood sports. Its an outdated cruel tradition.
The NT are supposed to be a conservation charity. I guess they're conserving an illegal bloodsport.
They should be looking out for wildlife like they claim to, instead of assisting people in tearing it up.
I don't become a member, or spend a penny until hunting is removed from national trust properties.
I feel that the National Trust has been lied to by the trail hunting fraternity, they are using trail hunting as a smoke screen to hide their illegal activities, they are not " accidentally" killing foxes, they are doing it deliberately, they take baby cubs out of their dens & give them to their hounds to give them the taste, then they let the hounds loose across the countryside, allegedly following a trail, but the reality is that they are hunting live prey, I accept that these are not all on National Trust lands, but some are, this really does need addressing properly, the vote on Saturday is not binding, so you can really do something about this now, before thousands of your members cancel their memberships?
Wth all the evidence that hunts are not adhering to the law as it stands they are now complicit to law breaking activities
My family and I feel that the vote was lost in the mountain of papers and marketing bumf we received with the magazine. Why was such an important vote not highlighted in a banner on the front of the magazine? We feel that the vote was deliberately manipulated. I’ve cancelled our membership today. The NT is already struggling due to falling a falling membership. They deserve it. Today is a sad day for wildlife.
Many people did not vote because they didn't realise there was a vote. Others say they did not receive voting papers. Whatever the reason for this, the eventual vote against the motion that won the day is not reflective of the gen pop as a whole. The Trust also completely ignored the wishes of those who visit NT sites who are not members. They may not have membership, but they still spend money on the day in entry fees and in the cafes and shops. On an issue as important as this is, the motion should not have been dismissed because the bloodthirsty red coats made certain their coterie of animal abusers were well aware that their dirty Pastime could be snatched away if they didn't vote against. The hunters had nothing to gain and everything to lose, of course they'd make sure they'd vote.
As a nation of supposed animal lovers and having been blessed with such rich and diverse wildlife we should be doing our utmost to protect and care for them not murder and persecute them. There was outrage when canned shooting was exposed in parts of South Africa and now the National Trust have permitted the British version of this despicable and barbaric act on their land in the guise of Trail hunting. Since they have shown no care or consideration toward the wildlife on their land, I hope people hit them where it so clearly will hurt them, their bottom line. Stop supporting them and support your local hunt sab group instead.
I am so pleased that so many people have & are cancelling thier membership. I was going to join, but certainly not now. Is it not true NT that in some of your NT areas you have banned families from having a picnic!! So why the he'll haven't you banned fox hunting. The NT parks are areas of natural beauty, places for wonderful wildlife.
What you have done NT is NOT GOOD!! not good at all.
Yet the NT have banned picnics inside some of their properties! I would much rather see a family enjoying a picnic in a beautiful place than a pack of slavering dogs and toffs on horseback murdering down some poor unfortunate wild creature!
Disgraceful, should never had gone to the vote, your hollow victory will only cause further division within the NT, your membership will suffer and bring nothing but bad publicity on a charity that, like many established organisations, are run for a privileged few. Times are changing, time you appealed to the majority before the National Trust loses all credibility.
More cronyism from the NT! You need ,to take the word Trust' out of your title!! You say you only allow Trail Hunting, but we all know what that leads to! Drag hunting doesn’t involve animal scent, dogs trained to only follow the drag scent which is not animal,based, Shorter courses and lots more that is animal and fox friendly, but still gives people a good ride out. So tell me NT, why don’t you at the least have that if you must???
It is meant to be a place of beauty and that includes wildlife
Disgraceful NT, I expected better from you. How do you equate caring for land and property with the carnage that is hunting. Shame on you.
An absolute disgrace. This is an organisation that is supposed to protect beautiful things and the wonders of the natural world. The NT needs to be shut down and have its charitable status withdrawn. It is supposed to " look after places of historic interest or natural beauty permanently for the benefit of the nation across England, Wales and Northern Ireland". Nothing is more beautiful than wildlife, and nothing more grotesque than hunting.
Shame on you NT, and shame on those who gave discretionary votes to the Trust board knowing what would happen. SHAME - SHAME - SHAME ---- Hang your heads in shame for the cruelty and suffering you support.
Ban Fox Hunting Everywhere
All animals need protection