BBC TV presenter Chris Packham is in the limelight again after publicly supporting proposals to ban trail hunting on National Trust land across the UK.
Trail hunting was adopted by hunts ten years ago after the fox hunting ban came into force. The legal practice involves dogs chasing an artificial scent rather than a live fox.
The topic of trail hunting is due to be debated at the National Trust’s annual meeting on 21 October 2017. Packham says: “Does the National Trust want to be aligned with, or complicit in, illegal activities on its properties? or does it take this opportunity to modernise, refute an obsolete and outdated ‘tradition’ and regain its position as a respected manager of our landscape?”
In response, Countryside Alliance’s chief executive Tim Bonner says: “Chris Packham is completely incapable of passing an animal rights bandwagon without jumping on it. It’s a shame his increasing obsession with activism has clouded any reason or partiality.”
Dr Graham Ferris is joint-master of the New Forest Hounds, a group which trail hunts regularly on National Trust land near Packham’s home. He says: “While National Trust land does not represent a huge part of the area we hunt, we have never had a problem in the past and I do not see a logical reason for the trust to ban legal trail hunting.”
Packham has also released a film on YouTube slamming bird-shooting on the island of Malta. We released a film last year pointing out where he tells lies about hunting in Malta.
