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Driver sees fox ripped apart by hounds
Mark Branagan POLICE and the RSPCA are investigating the second complaint in 10 days about foxes being attacked by hunting hounds in separate incidents in the North Yorkshire countryside.
Officers will be taking a formal statement from a woman driving along the A171, who reported seeing a fox being "ripped apart" by hounds, five miles north of Cloughton, near Scarborough, at about 11.40am on Tuesday.
Police said an officer was sent to the scene to investigate. A spokesman added: "The officer checked the road for evidence but there was no sign of a fox when we got there. So we do not know if the remains of a fox were recovered. Inquiries are continuing."
Insp Tony Landray, of Scarborough police, added: "The police will investigate any complaint and if the offences come to light we will consult with the Crown Prosecution Service."
An RSPCA spokesman said yesterday that as the law stood, hunters just needed to be close enough to the hounds to maintain control of the dogs, which are now permitted only to follow an artificial scent.
This was to prevent the pack wandering off the prepared trail after smelling a real fox. But the hunters could still be some distance back and be within the law, providing they were sticking to the artificial trail.
Police added that there was no indication which hunt was involved in the alleged incident.
The incident comes 10 days after witnesses told police they had seen a fox surrounded by the dogs at Winton Bank close to the A684 near Northallerton.
A motorist also contacted police after she had run over a fox, claiming she saw the animal being set upon by hounds.
The carcass of the fox was handed to the RSPCA to establish a cause of death. Police have appealed for information about the incident – just before 3pm on Saturday January 28 – to contact them on 0845 6060247.
The identity of the hunt was again unknown.
mark.branagan@ypn.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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