Video: Warwickshire Hunt rider threatens to 'bury' saboteur during another angry clash

A huntsman remonstrates with a saboteur over attempts to divert hounds from a scent

Warning – the video attached contains strong language

West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs (WMHS) released the new video this week. Warwickshire Hunt responded by accusing the activists of attempting to whip the hounds and said there was no evidence of illegal hunting.

The film of a hunt on Saturday, February 25 in St Dennis, near Shipston, shows hunt foot-followers remonstrating with saboteurs who are attempting to put the hounds off the scent of a trail, or fox, by using a whip with a thong.

A huntsman canters down the hill and orders the saboteurs to stop. He swears at the woman, calling her a tramp and is heard to say ‘I’ll f****** bury you’.

The activists accuse the huntsman of hunting a fox. Later in the film the saboteurs spray an fox’s escape route and claim to have saved the animal.

A spokesman for the Warwickshire Hunt said this week: “West Midland Hunt Saboteurs claim to be animal rights activists, clearly it can be seen in the video they are nothing of the kind.

"In a recent article by the New York Times WMHS admitted that the issue is one of class. If someone came out and started shouting, ranting and trying to whip your dog when out on a walk at home I think anyone would react in the same way, especially given their was absolute NO evidence hounds were illegally hunting.

A fox escaping on the new film released by West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs

"We would like to remind the Banbury Guardian and its readers that they are viewing severely edited footage, confirmed by the fact that David Graham was given a two-year suspended sentence for falsifying and editing video footage in the court of law.”

Warning – the video attached contains strong language

A WMHS spokesman said: “The Warwickshire Hunt like to distract attention away from their own behaviour. This is a hunt whose huntsman William Goffe has a previous conviction for illegal hunting and more recently another member of the hunt Gavin Field accepted a police caution for using bad language under the Public Order Act.

“It's clear from the footage that no hounds were hit. It would make no sense to us to stop the abuse of one animal by abusing another.

“The footage was filmed by a female member of our group so their comment is irrelevant.”