Born Free rallies for change to trail hunting law

Chris Packham, Born Free’s Olivia Evans and Megan McCubbin at the rally (c) Rose Summers

On Saturday 9th May, Born Free and more than 500 campaigners joined a rally opposite Parliament, organised by the League Against Cruel Sports and the Time for Change Coalition. 

The rally brought together wildlife protection charities (including Born Free, Badger Trust, Four Paws & Humane World for Animals), hunt monitoring organisations, and a large number of passionate wildlife protection activists, from across the country.

The rally was organised to draw attention to the importance of the ongoing government consultation on banning trail hunting and strengthening the Hunting Act. The proposed changes are aimed at preventing the illegal chasing and killing of foxes, deer and hares by packs of hounds.

Speakers at the rally included naturalists and broadcasters Chris Packham CBE and Megan McCubbin, actor and animal rights campaigner Peter Egan and the CEO of the Badger Trust, Nigel Palmer.

Nigel Palmer spoke to the assembled crowds of the terrible suffering to badgers as a result of terrier men who follow the hunts, illegally filling in badger setts.

Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin gave passionate speeches about their experience of seeing first-hand the threats, intimidation and cruelty of trail hunting, when recently monitoring hunts in the West Country.

Peter Egan spoke of the importance of the government keeping its commitment to ban trail hunting, calling on everyone who attended the rally to complete the consultation and to call on friends, family and work colleagues to do the same.

The Defra Trail Hunting consultation closes on the 18th June. If you, like us, want to see trail hunting brought to an end, please use the link below to see our guidance on completing the consultation response form.

TAKE PART IN THE CONSULTATION