League Against Cruel Sports
Encyclopedia
The League Against Cruel Sports are an animal welfare
organisation that campaigns
against all blood sports including bull fighting, fox hunting
and hare coursing
. It also campaigns to ban the manufacture, sale and use of snares, for the regulation of greyhound racing
and for an end to commercial game shooting
and trophy hunting
. Famous supporters include vegetarian Sir Paul McCartney
, Bill Oddie
, Uri Geller
and Gemma Atkinson
.
Scottish
actress Annette Crosbie
OBE has been the President of the League since 2003.
We respectfully invite Religious, Education
, Social Welfare, Humanitarian and allied bodies, by passing resolutions towards this end, to co-operate with us to make our demand effective.
in 2004, there is still a very strong pro-hunt lobby which seeks to have the Hunting Act repealed. The League campaigns vigorously to ensure that the Hunting Act is preserved. The League’s ‘Keep Cruelty History’ campaign was launched in September 2009 and focused on highlighting the position on hunting of local candidates at the following year's general election
.
The League runs a Hunt Crimewatch service through which members of the public can report any suspicious activity which may be in breach of the Hunting Act. Members of the public call the Hunt Crimewatch line several times a day to report suspicious behaviour. This information is logged and passed on to police where appropriate. The League also coordinates a network of volunteers who monitor and record the activities of hunts in order to help create cases for prosecution.
s are thin wire nooses that are set to trap any animal perceived to be a pest or threat. The design of a snare garrote
s its victims and often leads to extreme pain and suffering. Commonly used by gamekeepers to catch fox
es, rabbit
s and stoat
s, many protected mammal
s such as badger
s and otter
s plus livestock
and even domestic pets
are either caught, seriously injured or killed in snares. Despite being banned in most countries across Europe
, snaring is still legal in the United Kingdom
. The League believes that snaring is cruel, indiscriminate, and wholly unnecessary and calls for an end to the manufacture, sale and use of snares in the UK.
in 1835, dogfighting has been gaining ground in some communities in the UK. Dogs are trained to be violent by being starved and beaten. Those that seem weak or fail to show enough aggression are killed. If they do not die of their wounds, losing dogs may be electrocuted, drowned, or hanged. The League campaigns to raise awareness of the prevalence of dog fighting in the UK. In April 2010, the League launched a new telephone line through which members of the public can report suspicious incidents that they think might be related to fighting dogs.
s according to the League’s website; though this is not the case in most instances and is, in fact, opposed by people such as BASC
. LACS website also states “the misery doesn't end there - all kinds of wildlife suffer at the hands of the shoot, in the name of predator control.” The League campaigns for regulation of the shooting industry. It also conducts investigations to highlight what it alleges is the cruelty within the industry and highlights concerns about teaching children to kill.
anywhere in the world and lobbies
regional and local governments to put an end to bullfighting internationally. The League discourages big business
es from associating with or sponsoring bullfighting and generally raises awareness of the cruelty and suffering involved in bullfighting. The League also promotes the Worldwide Anti-Bullfighting Pledge, in which signatories pledge never to visit a bullfight anywhere in the world.
but believes there is a much darker side to this sport. Thousands of greyhounds go missing every year, many put down, others dispatched with a bullet
to the head or a brick around the neck. The League campaigns for a number of changes such as; independent regulation of the greyhound racing industry; the set-up of one single regulatory authority tasked with establishing and enforcing welfare rules; and a compulsory levy
from bookmakers to fund welfare improvements.
is the stalking and killing of wild animals for 'sport'. The League says this multi-million pound international industry is causing an irreversible decline in some of the world's most threatened species
and campaigns to see it abolished. The League focuses on exposing British travel companies who promote trophy hunting. The League has also conducted numerous investigations into trophy hunting around the world.
for hunted animals. Concentrated around Exmoor
and the Quantock Hills
in the West Country, the League now owns around 40 wildlife reserves, the first of which it set up at Baronsdown, near Dulverton
. In 2002, they faced accusations by hunt supporters and the British Deer Society of poor practice in wildlife management
. A League spokesman said: "With its close links to field sports organisations, it comes as no surprise to the League that the BDS has chosen at the behest of its members to attack an organisation that does not support their principle of management by killing." In 2005 the League conceded that the Baronsdown deer
were infected with bovine tuberculosis and agreed to stop feeding the 300-strong herd in winter to decrease overall numbers.
, passed in 2002 by the Scottish Parliament
, and the Hunting Act 2004
. Both laws make it illegal to chase a fox with more than two dogs, but allow the use of two dogs (England) or a pack of dogs (Scotland) to flush a fox out of its lair to be shot. Both laws allow the use of one terrier at a time below ground to flush a fox to be shot, if the owner of the terrier has written permission from the land owner or occupier to reduce fox populations in order to prevent or reducing serious damage to game birds or wild birds being kept on the land. The Hunting Act requires that the terrier is fitted with an electronic locator collar.
The League is currently campaigning against commercial breeding
of non-native game birds for shooting, and against hunts that it believes are continuing to hunt wild mammals contrary to the 2004 ban.
It also campaigns to extend hare coursing
/fox hunting legislation
from Scotland, England and Wales to Northern Ireland
. Between 2006 and 2008, it successfully undertook private prosecutions against four hunt officials under the Hunting Act, because the police would not take action, and argued that this showed that the Hunting Act was clear in its meaning. The first prosecution led to a conviction, but this was overturned on appeal, and the second conviction was upheld in the Crown Court.
as an Animal Welfare Consultant.
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
organisation that campaigns
Civil society campaign
A civil society campaign is one that is intended to mobilize public support and use democratic tools such as lobbying in order to instigate social change. Civil society campaigns can seek local, national or international objectives...
against all blood sports including bull fighting, fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
and hare coursing
Hare coursing
Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight and not by scent. It is a competitive sport, in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and turn a hare, rather than a form of hunting aiming at the capture of game. It has a...
. It also campaigns to ban the manufacture, sale and use of snares, for the regulation of greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
and for an end to commercial game shooting
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
and trophy hunting
Trophy hunting
Trophy hunting is the selective hunting of wild game animals. Although parts of the slain animal may be kept as a hunting trophy or memorial , the carcass itself is sometimes used as food....
. Famous supporters include vegetarian Sir Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
, Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
and Gemma Atkinson
Gemma Atkinson
Gemma Louise Atkinson is an English actress, television personality and glamour and lingerie model.-Personal life:...
.
Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
actress Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
OBE has been the President of the League since 2003.
Original charter
In 1924, the League issued the following charter entitled "What We Stand For":- Our Principle: That it is iniquitous to inflict suffering, either directly or indirectly, upon sentient animals for the purpose of Sport.
- We Condemn: Fox-huntingFox huntingFox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, otterOtterThe Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
-hunting, stag-huntingDeer huntingDeer hunting is survival hunting or sport hunting, harvesting deer, dating back to tens of thousands of years ago. Which occurred though out Europe Asia and North America There are numerous types of deer throughout the world that are hunted.- New Zealand :...
, hare-huntingBeaglingBeagling is the hunting of hares, rabbits, and occasionally foxes with beagles. A beagle pack is usually followed on foot. However, there is one pack of beagles in the U.S. which are distinguished as being the only hunting pack to hunt fox and be followed on horseback...
and rabbitCoursingCoursing is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight and not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, and commoners with sighthounds and lurchers...
and hare-coursingHare coursingHare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight and not by scent. It is a competitive sport, in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and turn a hare, rather than a form of hunting aiming at the capture of game. It has a...
, because they are organised forms of crueltyCruelty to animalsCruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
for pleasure, and, therefore, prejudicial to the best interests of the State. - We Support and Recommend: All clean humane forms of Sport, such as footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, runningRunningRunning is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, swimming, scoutingScoutingScouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, hill-climbing, etc., etc. - We Specially Recommend: Drag huntingDrag huntingDrag hunting is a sport in which a group of dogs chase a scent that has been laid over a terrain before the hunt...
as a substitute to hunting animals and we appeal to Hunts to adopt it. Also "hunting" Big Game with the Camera as Major Dugmore and others do. - Blooding Children: We protest against the insult offered in hunting circles, not only to the child-life of the nation but to the community in general, by smearing children's cheeks with blood from the brush or pads of a foxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
or other animal hunted to death, and we demand the cessation of this demoralising custom.
We respectfully invite Religious, Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, Social Welfare, Humanitarian and allied bodies, by passing resolutions towards this end, to co-operate with us to make our demand effective.
Hunting
Despite the passing of the Hunting ActHunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
in 2004, there is still a very strong pro-hunt lobby which seeks to have the Hunting Act repealed. The League campaigns vigorously to ensure that the Hunting Act is preserved. The League’s ‘Keep Cruelty History’ campaign was launched in September 2009 and focused on highlighting the position on hunting of local candidates at the following year's general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
.
The League runs a Hunt Crimewatch service through which members of the public can report any suspicious activity which may be in breach of the Hunting Act. Members of the public call the Hunt Crimewatch line several times a day to report suspicious behaviour. This information is logged and passed on to police where appropriate. The League also coordinates a network of volunteers who monitor and record the activities of hunts in order to help create cases for prosecution.
Snaring
SnareSnare
Snare may refer to:* Snare trap, a kind of trap used for capturing animals* Snare drum* SNARE , a family of proteins involved in vesicle fusion* The Snares, a group of islands approximately 200 kilometres south of New Zealand...
s are thin wire nooses that are set to trap any animal perceived to be a pest or threat. The design of a snare garrote
Garrote
A garrote or garrote vil is a handheld weapon, most often referring to a ligature of chain, rope, scarf, wire or fishing line used to strangle someone....
s its victims and often leads to extreme pain and suffering. Commonly used by gamekeepers to catch fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s and stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
s, many protected mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s such as badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s and otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s plus livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
and even domestic pets
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
are either caught, seriously injured or killed in snares. Despite being banned in most countries across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, snaring is still legal in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The League believes that snaring is cruel, indiscriminate, and wholly unnecessary and calls for an end to the manufacture, sale and use of snares in the UK.
Fighting dogs
Despite being made illegal in BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1835, dogfighting has been gaining ground in some communities in the UK. Dogs are trained to be violent by being starved and beaten. Those that seem weak or fail to show enough aggression are killed. If they do not die of their wounds, losing dogs may be electrocuted, drowned, or hanged. The League campaigns to raise awareness of the prevalence of dog fighting in the UK. In April 2010, the League launched a new telephone line through which members of the public can report suspicious incidents that they think might be related to fighting dogs.
Shooting
The shooting of game birds for sport involves the killing of millions of birds every year. Over 35 million pheasants and 6.5 million partridges are produced to be used as live targets in the UK each year. These birds are often reared in battery cageBattery cage
In poultry farming, battery cages are an industrial agricultural confinement system used primarily for egg-laying hens...
s according to the League’s website; though this is not the case in most instances and is, in fact, opposed by people such as BASC
British Association for Shooting and Conservation
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation is a non-profit making Industrial and Provident Society, whose mission is to promote and protect sporting shooting and the well-being of the countryside throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. With around 130,000 members and 105 staff BASC...
. LACS website also states “the misery doesn't end there - all kinds of wildlife suffer at the hands of the shoot, in the name of predator control.” The League campaigns for regulation of the shooting industry. It also conducts investigations to highlight what it alleges is the cruelty within the industry and highlights concerns about teaching children to kill.
Bullfighting
The League Against Cruel Sports seeks a complete end to bullfightingBullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
anywhere in the world and lobbies
Lobby
Lobby may refer to:* Lobby , an entranceway or foyer in a building* Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians* Lobby , a thick stew made in North Staffordshire, not unlike Lancashire Hotpot...
regional and local governments to put an end to bullfighting internationally. The League discourages big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
es from associating with or sponsoring bullfighting and generally raises awareness of the cruelty and suffering involved in bullfighting. The League also promotes the Worldwide Anti-Bullfighting Pledge, in which signatories pledge never to visit a bullfight anywhere in the world.
Racing animals
The League is not fundamentally opposed to greyhound racingGreyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
but believes there is a much darker side to this sport. Thousands of greyhounds go missing every year, many put down, others dispatched with a bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
to the head or a brick around the neck. The League campaigns for a number of changes such as; independent regulation of the greyhound racing industry; the set-up of one single regulatory authority tasked with establishing and enforcing welfare rules; and a compulsory levy
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
from bookmakers to fund welfare improvements.
Trophy hunting
Trophy huntingTrophy hunting
Trophy hunting is the selective hunting of wild game animals. Although parts of the slain animal may be kept as a hunting trophy or memorial , the carcass itself is sometimes used as food....
is the stalking and killing of wild animals for 'sport'. The League says this multi-million pound international industry is causing an irreversible decline in some of the world's most threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
and campaigns to see it abolished. The League focuses on exposing British travel companies who promote trophy hunting. The League has also conducted numerous investigations into trophy hunting around the world.
Timeline
- 1923 – The League began in MordenMordenMorden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
, (now a suburb of LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) after Henry Amos raised a protest against rabbit coursingCoursingCoursing is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight and not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, and commoners with sighthounds and lurchers...
; he was successful in motivating support and managed to achieve a ban. This encouraged him to organise opposition to other forms of blood sportBlood sportBloodsport or blood sport is any sport or entertainment that involves violence against animals.Bloodsport includes coursing or beagling, combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, or other activities...
s and so, along with Ernest Bell, he established the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports. Although many blood sports such as bullBull-baitingBull-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of bulls.-History:In the time of Queen Anne of Great Britain, bull-baiting was practiced in London at Hockley-in-the-Hole, twice a week – and was reasonably common in the provincial towns...
, bearBear-baitingBear-baiting is a blood sport involving the worrying or tormenting of bears.-Bear-baiting in England:Bear-baiting was popular in England until the nineteenth century. From the sixteenth century, many herds of bears were maintained for baiting...
and badger baiting and cock fighting had already been outlawed at the time, animal protection laws only applied to domestic and captive animals. With the RSPCA unwilling to take action against hunting, Amos and Bell identified a clear need for an organisation which would campaign against what it classified as cruel sports. - 1927 – The organisation had 1000 members.
- 1932 – Bell left the organisation due to a difference in tactics. He went on to found the National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (NSACS).
- 1948 – Actress Yvonne ArnaudYvonne ArnaudYvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
became the League's President until 1951. - 1960 – League patron, Sir Patrick Moore, introduced an anti-hunting motion to the RSPCA's AGM but it was defeated.
- 1967 – Reverend Lord Donald SoperDonald SoperDonald Oliver Soper, Baron Soper was a prominent Methodist minister, socialist and pacifist.Soper was born at 36 Knoll Road, Wandsworth, London, the first son and first child of the three children of Ernest Frankham Soper , an average adjuster in marine insurance, the son of a tailor, and his...
became President of the League a position held for 30 years, until his death in 1997. - 1975 – An anti-hare coursingHare coursingHare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight and not by scent. It is a competitive sport, in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and turn a hare, rather than a form of hunting aiming at the capture of game. It has a...
Bill, supported by the League, passed through the House of Commons, but failed in the House of Lords. - 1978 – The League helped establish legal protection for otterOtterThe Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, which numbers were declining, by making it illegal to kill them. - 1989 – As part of a "Safe Setts" campaign, the League joined forces with the RSPCA, WWFWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
, RSNC and NFBG to push for further protection for badgers. The previous legislation covered the actual animals, but not the setts, which were said to be still being destroyed. - 2001 – The Sunday TelegraphSunday TelegraphThe Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
reported that one of the League's then press officers had previously been arrested for violent disorder at Hillgrove Farm which bred cats for scientific research. More than 1,000 protesters converged on the farm and many, including this person, fought pitched battles with 400 police, some in riot gear, drafted in from five forces. He had been sentenced to three months imprisonment for his actions. Also in 2001 controversially, Graham Sirl resigned his position with the League, saying that he no longer believed a complete ban on hunting was in the best interests of wildlife. Sirl stated: "I now believe hunting with hounds plays an integral part in the management system of deer on Exmoor and the Quantock HillsQuantock HillsThe Quantock Hills is a range of hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The Quantock Hills were England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty being designated in 1956 and consists of large amounts of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land.The hills run from...
."
- 2003 – Actress Annette Crosbie was named President of the League. In a January 10, 2003 interview with David EdwardsDavid Edwards-Music:*David Edwards , lead singer of the Welsh band Datblygu*David Eugene Edwards, American musician; lead singer of Woven Hand and 16 Horsepower*Dave Edwards , former big band musician from The Lawrence Welk Show...
, Crosbie told the Daily Mirror that she felt the human race to be "the nastiest species of animal on the planet". In the same interview she describes herself as "impatient, intolerant, judgmental, tactless – I'm not very nice, I'm really not. And if you don't do it my way, by God you'll be sorry." - 2005 – With the commencement of the Hunting ActHunting Act 2004The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
, fox huntingFox huntingFox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
with dogs became illegal in England and Wales. "We are delighted that 80 years of peaceful, legal campaigning has paid off and that hunters will not be permitted to inflict suffering on wild mammals for their entertainment," a spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports told BBC News. - 2006 – A huntsman with the Exmoor Foxhounds, was found guilty of illegal hunting foxes with dogs in a private prosecutionPrivate prosecutionA private prosecution is a criminal proceeding initiated by an individual or private organisation instead of by a public prosecutor who represents the state...
taken out by the League. (In 2009, the huntsman's appeal was upheld by the High Court, and the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to contest that ruling.) The League continued to monitor hunts so that evidence of law breaking could be brought before the Magistrates' CourtMagistrates' CourtA magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
s. - 2007 – A second successful prosecution was brought by the League against two members of the Quantock Staghounds after they were filmed chasing a deer for more than an hour.
- 2008 – the League is successful in a third Hunting Act private prosecution. The League moves from London to new offices in GodalmingGodalmingGodalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
. - 2009 – announced a new campaign against dogfighting, amidst news reports that there is an increase in dogfighting in London.
- 2010 – the League rebrands and launches a new image and new logo "to better equip [it] for the campaigning challenges ahead."
Sanctuaries
The League began buying land in 1959 to provide a safe havenNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
for hunted animals. Concentrated around Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
and the Quantock Hills
Quantock Hills
The Quantock Hills is a range of hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The Quantock Hills were England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty being designated in 1956 and consists of large amounts of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land.The hills run from...
in the West Country, the League now owns around 40 wildlife reserves, the first of which it set up at Baronsdown, near Dulverton
Dulverton
Dulverton is a town and civil parish in the heart of West Somerset, England, near the border with Devon. The town has a population of 1,630. The parish includes the hamlets of Battleton and Ashwick which is located approximately north west of Dulverton...
. In 2002, they faced accusations by hunt supporters and the British Deer Society of poor practice in wildlife management
Wildlife management
Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include game keeping, wildlife conservation and pest control...
. A League spokesman said: "With its close links to field sports organisations, it comes as no surprise to the League that the BDS has chosen at the behest of its members to attack an organisation that does not support their principle of management by killing." In 2005 the League conceded that the Baronsdown deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
were infected with bovine tuberculosis and agreed to stop feeding the 300-strong herd in winter to decrease overall numbers.
Recent activities
The League supported the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) ActProtection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002
The Protection of Wild Mammals Act was passed by the devolved Scottish parliament in February 2002, making Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to ban traditional fox hunting and hare coursing.-Passage of the Act:...
, passed in 2002 by the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, and the Hunting Act 2004
Hunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
. Both laws make it illegal to chase a fox with more than two dogs, but allow the use of two dogs (England) or a pack of dogs (Scotland) to flush a fox out of its lair to be shot. Both laws allow the use of one terrier at a time below ground to flush a fox to be shot, if the owner of the terrier has written permission from the land owner or occupier to reduce fox populations in order to prevent or reducing serious damage to game birds or wild birds being kept on the land. The Hunting Act requires that the terrier is fitted with an electronic locator collar.
The League is currently campaigning against commercial breeding
Factory farming
Factory farming is a term referring to the process of raising livestock in confinement at high stocking density, where a farm operates as a factory — a practice typical in industrial farming by agribusinesses. The main products of this industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption...
of non-native game birds for shooting, and against hunts that it believes are continuing to hunt wild mammals contrary to the 2004 ban.
It also campaigns to extend hare coursing
Hare coursing
Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight and not by scent. It is a competitive sport, in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and turn a hare, rather than a form of hunting aiming at the capture of game. It has a...
/fox hunting legislation
Fox hunting legislation
Fox hunting legislation refers to various laws and legislative history related to fox hunting in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.-History:Hunting has been regulated for many centuries, most often for the benefit of the upper class. The word "paradise", for example, comes from a Greek word for...
from Scotland, England and Wales to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Between 2006 and 2008, it successfully undertook private prosecutions against four hunt officials under the Hunting Act, because the police would not take action, and argued that this showed that the Hunting Act was clear in its meaning. The first prosecution led to a conviction, but this was overturned on appeal, and the second conviction was upheld in the Crown Court.
Controversies
In the late 1980s, League Executive Director Richard Course was fired from the League after he expressed views divergent from the League's mission. He had begun to spend some time with the mounted fox hunts as an outgrowth of his work. After a period of time talking with professional wildlife managers and hunt supporters, he concluded that: "I find it repugnant that some people will kill another living creature for recreational purposes" but said that the dogs easily outpace the fox within a minute or two and kill it within a second or two and that how the fox is located is "totally irrelevant" to animal welfare considerations. James Barrington assumed Course's position within the League. Barrington later resigned stating that he concluded that an absolute ban on hunting was not in the best interests of animal welfare; he later joined the Countryside AllianceCountryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as country sports, including hunting, shooting and angling...
as an Animal Welfare Consultant.
External links
- Official website
- Hunting Culture: A Former LACS Official explain why LACS is wrong
- League Against Cruel Sports weblog
- History of the League Against Cruel Sports
- Copy of publication by Clifford Pellow, former huntsman
- Horse & Hound: Anti turns pro: "Miles Cooper"
- Horse & Hound: Anti turns pro: "Graham Sirl speaks out"