RECENT claims by hunts that they are receiving increased support should be taken with a pinch of salt.
It is based on a survey carried out by a group that promotes hunting: indeed, evidence from hunt monitors around the country is that on normal hunting days the number of both riders and supporters is down.
The ban on hunting with dogs was not aimed at reducing the numbers of people riding in the countryside but at stopping the cruelty of hunting wild mammals with dogs.
It's regrettable that for some hunters today the thrill of chasing wild animals to their deaths seems to have been replaced by the thrill of trying to get around the law.
As convictions for illegal hunting mount it will be interesting to see how long that thrill will last.
JOSEY SHARRAD, IFAW campaigns manager, London SE1
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