Cotswold Hunt fined £5k after fox allegedly buried alive

Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch said it filmed the footage on the Miserden Estate in Gloucestershire

A hunt has been fined £5,000 after a video emerged of a fox appearing to be found buried alive inside a bag.

Footage appeared to show hunt saboteurs rescuing the fox from a man-made den before a hunt member called hounds away on the Miserden Estate on 18 March.

The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) has now fined the Cotswold Hunt and suspended its chairman and joint masters for two years.

Gloucestershire Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

No arrests have been made.

WARNING: Images below may cause distress

The footage was captured by the Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch and was first shown by Channel 4 News.

The group claimed the video showed the illegal practice of "fox-bagging" - where a fox is captured, trapped and then released for hounds to chase during a hunt.

It sparked a public outcry and the BHSA suspended the hunt's membership. The hunt will now have to apply for reaccreditation before it can hunt again.

Hunt saboteurs allegedly discovered the fox in a bag buried under the ground

Following a BHSA disciplinary hearing on 14 April, a panel imposed the following sanctions on 28 April:

• The hunt to be fined £5,000 to be paid within 28 days.

• The chairman and joint masters to be suspended from membership of the BHSA for two years.

• The huntsman to receive a written reprimand and a reminder of his responsibilities as a huntsman to ensure the good conduct of all those over whom he has authority.

• The hunt to apply to the BHSA for reaccreditation before carrying out further hunting activities.

• The hunt may not carry out terrier work on hunting days and must ensure appropriate supervision of its followers and supporters, in particular those on quad bikes.

Those who are subject to sanctions have 14 days to appeal against this decision, the BHSA said.

'Serious breaches'

It added: "The panel found that on the balance of probabilities the evidence revealed serious breaches of the core principles and rules of the BHSA but that no one involved in the management of the hunt had prior knowledge of the fox being placed in an artificial earth, or would have condoned such conduct.

"The panel agreed that the hunt, its chairman and joint masters were collectively responsible for a failure to ensure the highest standards of conduct by all those participating in the hunt's hunting activities."

The allegations came just a month after Wiltshire-based Avon Vale Hunt was thrown out of the sport's governing body after footage appearing to show a fox being dug out of its den and thrown to hounds was posted online.

It has been illegal to hunt foxes in England since 2004 but hunts are permitted to simulate a chase by following a pre-laid scent, which is known as trail hunting.