Fox Hunt Sabotaged

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30339, 15 January 1964, Page 3

Fox Hunt Sabotaged

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

TORQUAY, Jan. 11. Hounds of the South Devon Hunt were foxed i today by a newly-formed anti-blood sports group known as the Hunt Sabo- ■ teurs, which went into action for the first time. The hounds were sidetracked by fresh meat dumped along the trail, led by a false scent into a cul-de-sac, and bewildered by a series of false hunting-horn calls. Some of the 20 saboteurs who took part in the operation claimed that hunt followers became so incensed that they charged them on horseback. Mr John Prestidge, the 21-year-old chairman of the group, said: “There were scuffles all along the first part of the hunt route. I somehow got a punch in the rriouth, and others got punches too.” The hounds were led up the cul-de-sac by one saboteur who was sitting up a tree with a silk stocking impregnated with the scent of a vixen. “The hounds started coming up the tree, but were whipped off by huntsmen,” he said. Huntsmen also had their hands full trying to stop the hounds eating meat dumped along the hunt, route. “For-

tunately the hounds managed to gobble up quite a bit before being whipped off by hunt officials,” Mr Prestidge said. Mr Prestidge and another saboteur were chased and arrested by the police after feeding the hounds with meat. He said later: “We got a pretty rough handling by all and sundry. After the police caught us. a sergeant told us we would be charged with

depositing litter in the roadway.” Another saboteur, 18-year-old Graham Cummings, was armed with a hunting horn. “For some time we had the unhappy hounds running from one side of the field to the other answering first our hunting calls and then those of the huntsmen. “In the end some of the hunt followers got so angry that they charged us on horseback and lashed out with whips,” he said. Saboteurs also blocked a road so that hunters and their horses could not get by to follow the hounds. One said: “It was a scene of absolute chaos, with horses wheeling all over the road, women shouting, and others cursing at us. “One red-faced hunting gentleman yanked me out of the car which was blocking the road. Then they pushed it in the hedge and let the horses through.”

Comeback by Callas.—The Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas, aged 40, has begun rehearsals for a return to the stage in six performances of “La Tosca” at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She is to receive £ 10,000.—London, January 13.