HUNT SABOTEURS
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THE HUNT SABOTEURS ASSOCIATION (H. S. A.) was formed in the early 1960s by a small group of people who were disillusioned by the reluctance of Parliament to legislate against hunting with hounds. The founders of the H. S. A. realised that the subject of bloodsports was a political hot potato and, despite the fact that a substantial majority of the public opposed hunting, it would not be outlawed for many years to come. Regrettably they proved to be correct and, twenty years on, foxes, hares, mink and deer are still being killed in the name of sport.
Fortunately, during this period the H. S.A. has grown to become a formidable opponent of the hunt.
The principle aim of the H. S. A. is simply to save the lives of as many hunted animals as possible until the time that Parliament finally sees fit to outlaw 'killing for fun'. Our activities are aimed against all forms of bloodsports although most of our efforts are concentrated against fox and hare hunting. The Association has numerous local groups throughout the country which operate more or less autonomously, with an annually elected national committee of volunteers who look after administrative and group liaison duties, as well as areas such as the updating of tactics. Our tactics primarily involve covering the scent of the hunted animal with a strong smelling, but safe chemical mixture, which disrupts the ability of the hounds to find and catch their quarry. The most commonly used material is antimate-type spray which is available from pet shops for treating bitches in season. It contains natural products such as lemon and eucalyptus oils and is harmless but very smelly. Another commonly used substance is crushed garlic in water. Hunt Saboteurs' other main 'weapon' is the hunting horn. Good horn blowing by a saboteur can distract hounds sufficiently for the quarry to escape. It is not uncommon for a saboteur to gain control of some, or all, of a pack of hounds from a huntsman during the course of a hunt. It is perhaps worth pointing out at this stage that our members are bound by a strict constitution which forbids any actions which could injure any of the animals involved in the hunt. Needless to say, most saboteurs are vegetarian or vegan, and treat the horses and hounds used in hunting with the same respect which they show for the quarry species. On the face of it, our tactics are fairly straightforward but, in practice, 'hunt sabbing' can be a difficult task. Just maintaining close contact to a hunt may be difficult due to the rough terrain, shortage of public rights of way, and so on. Another problem can be the presence of 'hunt heavies' who often seem to enjoy chasing saboteurs more than chasing foxes' 9