Richard Bowler told BuzzFeed News that fox-hunting “is no different to dog-fighting”.
This photo has been widely shared online since wildlife photographer Richard Bowler posted it on Twitter with the hashtag #KeepTheBan.
Richard Bowler
Bowler, 46, lives on the edge of the Berwyn moors near Corwen, north Wales, with his partner.
He cares for three foxes, none of whom can be released into the wild. There are two adult vixens called Rosie and Fen, and Hetty, a cub, whom you can see above.
"Both Rosie and Fen live in a large enclosure on the edge of our woodland," Bowler told BuzzFeed News. "Hetty is still young and lives in the house with us, although she also has a large enclosure in one of our paddocks to run around in and play."
He said the time he has spent with foxes at home and in the wild has made him realise how intelligent and sensitive the animals are.
As a result, he is strongly opposed to fox-hunting.
Richard Bowler
"No one would dream of setting a pack of dogs on my terrier so why foxes?" he said. "If anything they are more intelligent than dogs."
He claimed the arguments in favour of fox-hunting are untrue. He said foxes do not kill for fun: "It's certainly true that if given the chance a fox in a chicken coup will kill all the chickens. He'll then stash every carcass for later. Foxes have the ability to think ahead and plan for lean times. When a chicken owner finds dead chickens it's because he has disturbed the fox, not that it has killed for fun."
As a chicken owner himself, Bowler said it was the responsibility of the owner to keep them safe, because "no fox carries wire cutters or can pick a lock".
He also said government figures show that most lamb fatalities come down to "poor husbandry and adverse weather conditions". He added: "Certainly a fox will scavenge a dead lamb, but I have yet to see any credible photos or video of fox predation on healthy lambs, which you would expect if it was common practice for foxes."
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