Banned in Britain, fox hunting has been replaced by hunting ... a person

Horse fox hunting, a traditional pastime of the English aristocracy, was banned in In the United Kingdom in 2006. But neither the zealots of traditions, nor the breeders of English hounds were willing to accept the loss and are coming up with new ways to satisfy the instinct of the chase — both in dogs and in people. Among the ways to replace the traditional pursuit of a fox, hunting for a person has also appeared. Don't worry, there will be no blood!

71-year-old Brian Temple is a gamekeeper and owner of hunting grounds in Northamptonshire. For many years, for him and his British hounds, November 1 was the beginning of an unrestrained run through fields and forests for red predators. Many hunters came to the fox hunt organized by Brian, and his hounds satisfied their hunting instinct by driving the prey.

However, they have been deprived of such an opportunity for more than a decade. For dogs, this is unbearable, says Brian, because the hunting instinct is in their blood.

To satisfy the instincts of dogs, and at the same time to preserve the aristocratic hunting tradition, British hunters in recent years have arranged hunts on an artificial trail, which is created from a mixture of oil with feces or urine of an animal. However, according to dog owners, this will not replace real hunting: the pack does not work as smoothly and quickly as when chasing real live prey.

And then the huntsmen came up with a more interesting idea: hunting with live prey, but without a victim. A pack of greyhounds, accompanied by hunters on horseback, is on the trail of a man who leaves the dogs, having a solid head start in time. Dogs are happy to participate in such a hunt, and after catching up with the prey, they do not attack it, but, on the contrary, show friendliness and, surrounding the "victim", happily wave their tails.

According to the hunters, there is no danger for the "victim" in this: greyhounds are genetically attached to a person and obey him, and will never harm him.

According to Brian, it is not so difficult to find a candidate for the role of "prey": many agree out of curiosity, out of excitement or just for the sake of good physical activity. The "prey" does not receive any injuries. such hunting is called "hunting on a clean trail" here — the dog is guided only by the smell of prey.

Hunting "on a clean trail" is also popular with hunters — every Sunday at least 50 people come to Brian. Hunting on your own horse will cost the participant 70 pounds (about 10,000 rubles).

About 12 farms in the country organize such hunts. However, hunters in Britain still hope that the tradition will be returned, and the traditional fox hunting will still be allowed. Moreover, after the ban on hunting, foxes, having bred, turned into a real disaster, and many farmers complain about their robber antics.