Stag Hunting: Violence Breeds Violence
Whichever side of the fence you sit, there can be no denying that the hunting of any animal is steeped in violence.
Stag hunting can trace its roots back to ancient civilisations, where it was considered a test of prowess and bravery among warriors and nobility. Over time, it evolved into a recreational activity, predominantly enjoyed by members of the elite. Today, people from all backgrounds can be found supporting and aiding stag hunting, for a small taste of what they refer to as tradition.
Historical tales paint a picture that’s remained chillingly unchanged in modern times – a stag or hind subjected to a gruelling chase, before being slaughtered. Historically, the victim would have had their throat cut. Today, the hunted animal is killed using a gun. On some occasions, stags have been drowned after succumbing to exhaustion in a body of water. There have even been cases of deer launching themselves from cliffs in a desperate bid to escape their gruesome fate.
A Tradition For Violence
It will come as no surprise that those associated with hunts from supporters through to hunt masters, have a track record for acts of violence towards their fellow humans. Isolated and less used to meeting resistance, stag hunts have a particular reputation for aggression. Just this week, two hunt saboteurs were pulled from their vehicle on a public highway, beaten to the point of hospitalisation and robbed.
Within the heat of a hunt, supporters can often be heard shouting violent threats to anyone who opposes their activity. There have also been successfully prosecuted cases of violence against hunt monitors, after people have been physically assaulted, pushed down banks and had guns fired within close range.
The violence displayed by hunt supporters is not limited to the meet itself. Take John Norrish, former huntsman for the Tiverton Staghounds. In 2011, Norrish was found guilty of rape. His victim was a thirty-three-year-old woman who had, that evening, attended the Tiverton Staghounds annual hunt ball.
After consuming at least half a dozen whiskies, Norrish got behind the wheel of his 4×4 and offered the young woman a lift home. During this journey, Norrish stopped the car and raped her.
This was not the first time that Norrish had been before a judge. He had already received a caution for assault which had taken place during a hunt. He was also accused of an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act, when hounds (supposedly under his control) savaged a Jack Russell terrier in a member of the public’s private garden. The dog later had to be euthanised due to the extent of their injuries. The hunt tried to silence their owner with hush money.
This is just one case – a high profile member of a “prestigious” stag hunt, showing his true colours. The violence and threats that those who actively oppose stag hunting are frequently subjected to suggests the “sport” has many more supporters who are just as capable of these aggressive crimes. Those who have had the misfortune to witness a stag hunt in action will have seen the frenzied excitement that the pursuit whips up in supporters. At times, their need for blood is frightening – they are completely obsessed with the desire for a kill, and will stop at nothing to achieve it.
The recent attack on sabs observing the Devon and Somerset Staghounds is a perfect example of this – not only did they leave one individual in hospital, requiring a CT scan, the assailants smashed windows, windshield and even sunroof as they attempted to reach the individual locked inside the vehicle.
Start Them Young
What do we expect when many hunt supporters have been exposed to this cruelty from a young age? Children are frequently taken along to hunts to witness and participate in the ritual and blood lust. Last season, a child was seen attending a carve up (the ritual butchering of the slaughtered stag.) Within minutes they were running around playing with a pair of bloody antlers which, only moments before, had been on the head of a butchered stag. The child was completely disassociated from the violence and gore.
It’s a frightening concept – a group of people who believe it is acceptable to expose their children to animal abuse and violence, in the name of tradition. It is no wonder that these children grow up to become a new generation of entitled and aggressive criminals. When people are continually exposed to illegal activities with no repercussion, they either begin to think that this behaviour is acceptable, or come to believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.
It’s a dangerous way to live and worrying to think that there are people out there capable of such cruelty towards animals. It does beg the question – after so much exposure and normalisation, have these people become numb to the violence? Or are they fully aware, and see it as part of the thrill?