h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How about having the hunts chase all those animal loving protesters who hit and kick and abuse the horses and hounds (they probably don't care much for the neighbours cat either).

Excuse me. Where I used to live in London (Does that qualify as a city?) we had foxes living in the railway embankments, for at least 20 years, and I've never yet heard of one attacking a child. Come on, be serious - have you seen the size of them!
As for domestic pets. . .the foxes regularly fought with the local cats. Would you like to guess which animal usually won?

My guess is that babies and kittens would come second. Foxes are predators (killers), albeit with a cute face and a bushy tail.

I know of a case where a wild fox and a domesticated cat are chums. My brother and his girl friend who live in an isolated farm building have a cat. The cat used to bring in small animals he had killed and always got a whack for his trouble. He started giving his kills to the terrier who lives near by (who used to try to get him) and the fox. Now the cat can be seen playing with the fox or the terrier. First time it happened the girl friend's mother saw the cat clinging to the fox's back and rushed out into the kitchen to tell everyone. She thought they were fighting but when they all piled out to rescue the cat, things had moved on and it was clear they were playing. It's been witnessed a few times since then.

Sal

As are cats (predators et al).

A sound came to his ears as of the baying of hounds and the flapping of wings -- and it definitely wasn't the sound of the Dobermans that were supposed to be patrolling the island! But he knew what was following him could make him as dead as the Dobermans, except the Dobermans wouldn't take his soul like that . . . thing . . . had seemed to take the soul of his host, Charles B. Griths. At least Moltone thought that was what it would sound like if someone's soul was wrenched out of his body. If he believed in the existence of the soul. The events that had occurred within the house were etched into his mind, as if the lights had been on, instead of being off. After the . . . thing . . . had finished its attack on Griths before his eyes, dropping Griths to the floor a dried-up husk of what once was a human being, it had then turned on him. . . . the rabid fox

I note fox hunting is banned because of the foot and mouth scare.

Does this mean God is a foxy lady?

One of the wilder conspiracy theories around is that the animal rights people started the outbreak to halt foxhunting and intensive farming... can't see it, myself.

The origins of the last foot and mouth outbreak in Britain - in the eighties - was traced to a shipment of frozen Argentinian lamb.

My main argument is economic

If you accept the pro sides view that they are pests then deal with them in the same no nonsence way you do other "pests" gas them, shoot them, poison them, release biological agents. All are far cheaper than hunting. It is well over £1000 per fox killed. Hey give me £500 and I'll do it for you (I am a long standing vegetarian so I'll sub-contract). I don't subscibe too much to the welfare aspect, either they are a pest and need killing in the quickest, cheapest way that avoids damage to other wildlife or they are not a pest and need leaving alone.

The previous entry has it dead on. They do it for FUN. If Badgers could run fast then they would hunt them (and yes I do know the link with TB is far from proven). If rabbits didn't have huge warrens they would be hunted. If rats less then would they be hunted?

CHawke

Whether they are actually in need of control or not is my main unknown in the whole thing - and there doesn't seem to be any remotely unbiased sources of info.

While gassing/shooting/poisoning costs less money, hunting is probably more economical. The hunters enjoy it, so it comes out of leisure time, not work time. The govt/landowners/whoever don't have to subsidise it - I don't have to give £500 to anyone - veggie or not.

People do lots of weird stuff for fun. Sometimes there are negative side effects. Sometimes there are positive side effects. I would say that we should penalise the stuff with negative side effects, and, if anything, reward those activities with positive side effects.

Whether hunting is the former or the latter is something of an open question, of course...