Hunt Watch was formed February 2005. It was set up as a base for all hunt monitoring groups in the UK. We will monitor fox, hare, stag/deer and mink hunts, as well as hare coursing.

Even now that hunting with dogs has been banned, there is still lots of work to do. We believe, and the hunts have said it themselves, that they are going to bend and break the law. So many hunts are saying different things about how they are going to get around the hunting act. We must keep an eye on them.We know that some hunts are going to continue going out, some may go out and stay within the law by drag hunting etc, but we know that others will totally ignore the ban. This is where we come in.

Investigating possible offences is a matter for the police; taking the case to court is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. It is our job to get the evidence and liase with these bodies to get that conviction.

We are interested in any news on hunts and what they plan to do when the ban comes in, whether it is legal activities such as drag hunting etc or continuing to hunt our wildlife with dogs. If you see or know of any hunt going out, let us know in confidence and we will alert our local contact. We are keen to get as much information on the hunts as possible.

We are in no doubt that if left unmonitored, these people will take every opportunity to continue their barbaric ‘sports’.