Beaufort Hunt greenwashing reputation with abuse charity donation

Sabs says accepting it sends the wrong message to the survivors of abuse.

The Beaufort Hunt (BH) are boasting on Facebook that they have donated £2500 to domestic abuse charity Society Without Abuse (SWA - formerly Swindon Women's Aid). In response Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs have pointed out that members of the Beaufort have been "perpetrating acts of violence" against animals, female wildlife defenders and others for years. Could this seemingly benevolent donation be a cynical PR ploy?

Charitable donations are one way that those responsible for abuses of animal or human rights try to launder their reputations. It's a tactic widely used by individuals, states and corporations who want to manage their public image. Take the greenwashing campaigns by fossil fuel corporations and the shooting industry to give just two glaring examples. Far-right misogynist Republican billionaire politician Elon Musk is in on the game too.

It's no surprise that hunts also use this tried and tested PR tactic, in an attempt to repair their tattered public image.

"Driven at, ridden at, whipped" and "attacked"

Protect the Wild spoke to Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs (WHS), who weren't surprised either. They told us:

"We are appalled but unsurprised that perpetrators of violence try and launder themselves by throwing money at Domestic Abuse charities. For years the Beaufort Hunt have abused and assaulted female wildlife defenders - this year alone we have forced the police to act when we have been driven at, ridden at, whipped, attacked and experienced hate crimes at their hands.

There are serious assault investigations perpetrated by both their male and female members, staff and supporters, underway as we speak and we have successfully forced police to act in respect of hate crimes and one case of being driven at by a male hunt member."

A history of wildlife abuse

Let's take a look at the Beaufort's history of violence and wildlife crime. Hunt sabs have reported that the Hunt has been seen chasing foxes at least 25 times since last September. That's 25 clear breaches of the Hunting Act 2004, which criminalises the hunting of mammals with dogs. Luckily those foxes got away, but we have seen reports of the BH illegally killing three hares during the same period.

This video from Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch (CIHW) clearly shows one such incident from February 2025:

BH seemingly don't care about their hound pack either. This is the same hunt that, in October 2021, was exposed shooting a number of unwanted hounds before carrying them off for disposal in wheelbarrows.

Violent assaults and homophobia

In terms of attacks against wildlife protectors, it’s not just WHS who have complained of assaults. The BH have reportedly attacked members of Bristol Hunt Saboteurs (BHS) and Cotswold Hunt Saboteurs too, causing the police to be called on several occasions. BHS reported that members of the Beaufort levelled homophobic abuse at them as well.

Multiple sab groups have reported that the Beaufort have taken their hounds onto private land, causing havoc, and endangering dogs, horses and road users. Just take a look at this second video from CIHW:

There are multiple reports of the BH trespassing on private land too. Check out this video from WHS of the Beaufort's pack causing havoc, and trespassing in private gardens:

In fact, in December last year, the BH was issued a 'community resolution' by Wiltshire Police over repeatedly causing road havoc and had to attend awareness training. Protect the Wild's Eliza Egret wrote at the time that the police order was:

"quite a come down for a privileged hunt based out of the Badminton Estate and which both Charles and Camilla used to ride with."

"Charity-washing"

Protect the Wild contacted Society Without Abuse and asked if they wanted to comment. A spokesperson for SWA said:

“We accepted the donation in good faith and following guidelines set by the Charity Commission. However, our Board of Trustees are now reviewing our policies for the future. As a small charity with no public funding, we rely on donations from our local community and every penny we receive goes directly to supporting women, men and children affected by domestic abuse.”

However, Wiltshire Hunt Sabs are clear that Society Without Abuse shouldn't have accepted the donation from the Beaufort. they wrote:

"We understand that charities in need of funds are often put in these situations by unscrupulous hunts charity-washing their blood money, but a cursory google would have shown Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service (Society Without Abuse, formerly Swindon Women’s Aid) that they were accepting blood money by perpetrators of violence, not just towards women, but towards anyone who gets in the way of their criminal hunting, and of course then there is the most extreme violence towards animals."

Let's make no mistake, hunters are abusers who commit illegal acts of violence against wildlife, and those who protect it. Protect the Wild receives depressingly regular accounts of misogyny, homophobia, racism, patriarchy and other oppressive behaviours committed by hunts and their supporters.

We whole-heartedly agree with Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs when they say "We understand that charities in need of funds are often put in these situations by unscrupulous hunts charity-washing their blood money" but "accepting money from perpetrators of extreme violence really sends the wrong message to the survivors of abuse."

• Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs can only continue to be in the field defending foxes if it has public support. You can donate to the group here.

• Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch regularly monitor the Beaufort. You can support them through PayPal here, or by Ko-fi here.