Do you live in Cheshire or north Wales? You can save fox cubs from being murdered

Nine out of ten people have never heard of cubbing. Beginning later this summer, cubbing is an illegal practice, where hunts across the country train their young hounds by hunting and killing fox cubs.

Cubbing marks the beginning of the hunting season, and runs from August to October. While the young hounds are trained, hunting staff see which of the dogs are suitable for full hunting. Hounds who don't make the grade are often killed. Prior to hunting becoming illegal, cubbing was renamed as 'Autumn Hunting' to make it more palatable to the ear.

Cubbing in Cheshire

Cheshire Borderland Monitors are one of many saboteur and monitor groups across the country that work tirelessly to film and expose hunts as they illegally murder young foxes. The group recently published footage of a cub in the countryside, who was blissfully unaware that she will possibly be chased and torn apart come August. Cheshire Borderland Monitors said:

"Things may look peaceful now but this little one lives in Wynnstay hunting territory and in only a couple of months, along with its siblings, it will face a life of fear and will be at risk of a horrendous and painful death."

The Wynnstay is a prolific and brutal hunt in Cheshire, which openly chases foxes, and usually gets away with it. In November 2022, Chris Woodward, huntsman of the Wynnstay, was on trial for illegal hunting in two separate incidents. Protect The Wild reported:

"Just four days after the trial, Cheshire Borderland Monitors said the Wynnstay Hunt killed a fox in front of its members. And on 29 November, a week after the trial, North Wales Hunt Saboteurs reported that Woodward hunted a fox in front of police. And a month earlier, on 20 October during cubbing season, Cheshire Monitors said the hunt killed a fox near Ellesmere, Shropshire. The Wynnstay Hunt is also linked to two men convicted of digging out an active badger sett in August 2021."

The Wynnstay Hunt has also been caught multiple times illegally interfering with badger setts, where foxes often hide.

Meanwhile, monitors filming this hunt have been subjected to violence and harassment, including being charged at by Woodward on a horse, and being harassed a hunt monitor repeatedly performing Nazi salutes.

Cheshire Borderland Monitors needs you

Cheshire Borderland Monitors is calling on people local to the county and north Wales to help monitor the Wynnstay Hunt. The group explained:

"Cub Hunting is likely to start early this year because the field crops will likely be taken early due to the good growing weather we've had. This means that the training of the young inexperienced hounds on fox cubs could be upon us early next month. Unless we can stop them the Wynnstay Hunt hounds will kill many cubs.

They continued:

"Do you live in West Cheshire or north Wales - around Wrexham - because this is where we need people? If you live in those areas, please get in touch and we'll help you help foxes.

We do have a brilliant group of locals keeping guard over the fox cubs in Wynnstay areas and our monitors do everything they can to get in the way of the hunt's darkest secret. But you can never have enough people prepared to give up their time.

There are lots of roles available either physically out in the fields, driving or navigating. So if you think you have what it takes to make a difference to the lives of foxes in Cheshire and north Wales then please get in touch."

  If you'd like to volunteer with Cheshire Borderland Monitors, you can email the group at info@cheshiremonitors.org.uk

If you can't volunteer your time, but would like to donate, you can send money to Cheshire Borderland Monitors here.