Family traumatised after pack of hounds destroys fox in their garden

A young mum and her family were left ‘horrified’ after a pack of hounds tore apart a fox in their back garden.

Daisy, who would not give her surname, told of how her yard in Hingham, Norfolk, was left covered in blood and entrails after the terrifying encounter on Monday.

The 29-year-old mum-of-two said: ‘I was really distressed, not just about the fox being killed but of people thinking they have a God-given right to enter our home.

WARNING: Images below may be considered upsetting by some readers

‘It’s pretty disgusting really, I don’t know how people get enjoyment out of an innocent animal being ripped to shreds by 30-odd dogs – they can’t be right in their heads.

‘In the video, you can hear the frenzy of those dogs, there’s no way the huntsmen didn’t know they were on my patio.

‘They didn’t want to do anything about it until the fox had been killed.’

CCTV footage, which Metro.co.uk has not published, shows how the pack of an estimated 32 dogs entered the garden and started sniffing around while the fox makes a run for it.

It runs into the jaws of one of the dogs and it is torn apart, before a man jumps over the fence to retrieve the animal’s carcass. He then apparently passed on the body to someone on a quad bike, next to others on horseback.

Daisy said her two children, aged two and four, regularly play in the garden.

Her 66-year-old mum, who is undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, was also woken up by the sounds of the dogs outside.

Daisy, who is a manager for a construction business, added: ‘She was very distressed to find blood, fur and organs across the patio.

‘If it had been another day my kids would have been playing out there with her at that very moment.

‘It’s a real problem – I feel like we’re not safe in our home. We have a locked gate but it didn’t make a difference.’

She has called for the group to be prosecuted.

Fox hunting has been illegal since 2004 in England and Wales, and 2002 in Scotland.

Chasing down foxes with a pack of dogs is banned – they are only allowed to ‘simulate’ hunting.

Foxes can be hunted if they are causing damage to property or environment, but only two dogs are allowed to be used, the fox must be shot quickly afterwards and appropriate paperwork must be in place.

The West Norfolk Hunt group was identified by police as being involved.

A spokesperson from the group wrote in a statement: ‘The Hunt is aware of an incident which took place while it was conducting lawful trail hunting activities in the Hingham area on Monday, February 20.

‘The Hunt has been in contact with the occupiers of the house and apologised for any distress this isolated accident may have caused.

‘The Hunt has also been assisting the police with their enquiries.’

Norfolk Police said: ‘Police were called to Hingham on Monday, February 20 following a report that a group of dogs had entered the garden of a private property in the village without permission and killed a fox.

‘The matter is now being investigated by Norfolk Constabulary’s Operation Randall rural crime team.’

A spokesperson from the Norfolk and Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs Association, which works to stop fox hunting, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family who’ve had to endure this frightening and deeply shocking crime in their own home.

‘We understand the homeowner’s elderly mother is undergoing chemotherapy and was resting at her daughter’s home at the time.

‘We particularly sympathise with her situation and wish her well.

‘Norfolk and Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs regularly attend illegal hunts conducted by the West Norfolk Foxhounds.

‘We have observed and recorded them routinely hunting outside of the law as well as a litany of associated crimes.

‘The West Norfolk Foxhounds have a well-earned reputation for violence and intimidation meted out to sabs and local residents alike.

‘This week is the 18th anniversary of the hunting act. The act is clear, hunting animals with a pack of dogs is illegal.

‘We call for the full enforcement of the law to bring hunters and the complicit landowners who host them to justice.’

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