Police investigate claims fox was mauled to death by hunters' hounds

The South Coast Hunt Saboteurs, a group which aims to disrupt fox hunts, claim the Horsham and Crawley Hunt killed a fox on Saturday.

Graphic images released by the group show the remains of a fox with its entrails hanging out.

Saboteurs claim the image was taken after the fox was mauled to death by hounds.

One resident in the village of Southwater near Horsham said she saw “frenzied hounds” kill the fox in her garden.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “All I could hear was this terrible screaming. It was just horrific, absolutely horrific.

“I sobbed and sobbed as I can’t get the noise out of my head of the dogs barking and the screaming of the fox.

“I realised it was a fox because I feed them every night so I know the noise they make.”

Police are investigating the claims made by anti-hunt campaigners that the killing was in direct breach of the foxhunting ban introduced in 2005.

The resident said: “I had to watch a fox be mauled to death in my garden and laid at my feet so I don’t know what more it takes to have something done about this.

“I have never seen anything like it.

“It was so weird to see a pack of big dogs with their eyes so glazed over like they were not aware of anything, and I didn’t know what to do.”

Disturbing video footage, which saboteurs say was captured in the moments after the incident, shows a dead fox with identical wounds to the one shown in the photograph being placed into the back of van.

Another person who claimed to witness the incident and also asked not to be named, said: “This happened on a private estate, but for the first time ever there was a police presence here today, including two police cars.”

Sussex Police appealed for witnesses to come forward.

They said: “We responded to a report of a fox being killed by hounds in the garden of a house in Southwater.

“An investigation has started and where offences are identified they will be fully investigated.”

A spokeswoman for the hunt said: “The Crawley and Horsham Hunt operates within the law to comply with the Hunting Act 2004.

“We are aware of an incident which took place on December 29 and will fully co-operate with the police.”

Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor, of the Sussex Police operations command team, said: “The role of police at hunts is to ensure the safety of everyone involved and prevent and detect crime.

“Where there are allegations of offences we will investigate.

“This includes allegations of illegal hunting.

“I can confirm we are actively investigating allegations that there was illegal hunting activity in the Horsham area on December 29.

“We always aim to balance the rights, needs and wishes of all parties involved.

“This includes the right for people to assemble and protest, and the rights of others to carry out lawful activity without fear of intimidation or obstruction.”