North East Hunt Monitors are busy exposing the South Durham and Zetland Hunts

North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have released a damning new video, showing the Zetland and North Durham Hunts clearly chasing and trying to dig out foxes during their 18 January meet.

Monitors from NEHM and Teeside Against Blood Sports (TABS) followed the hunts using drones, handheld cameras and vehicle dashcams. Protect the Wild are proud to say that we provided North East Hunt Monitors with camera equipment last year, we're glad to see it being put to such good use.

John from NEHM told Protect the Wild:

"We filmed this footage on January 18^th 2025, at the joint meet between South Durham and Zetland, the meet was at East Roughlea Farm near Ferryhill. We witnessed numerous foxes chased at this meet, two of which can be seen escaping in the footage."

Drone footage clearly shows a fox being chased

Footage from what monitors call their "eyes in the sky" clearly shows shows a pack of hounds chasing a fox across open fields, in apparent breach of the 2004 Hunting Act. Monitors say that the hounds could clearly we be heard in cry from the ground, indicating that they had picked up a scent.

The hunt proceeds to cause havoc on the A689, as a fox is seen crossing. Later on, hounds are filmed apparently trying to dig out a fox who has gone to ground. Zetland hunter Jack Harris and his whipper-in (a person employed by the hunt to bring straying dogs back to the pack) do nothing as this apparent violation of wildlife protection legislation takes place.

NEHM told Protect the Wild:

"[We] filmed the Zetland huntsman and whipper in watch, as their hounds try to dig out, what we believe to be a fox, that had entered a badger sett. We also believe that if we had not had the drone above, watching and recording, the huntsman would have called in his terrier men to dig out the fox."

The hunts' action, As well as being an apparent violation of the Hunting Act, clearly damaged a badger sett too. Setts, as well as badgers themselves, are protected by the 1992 Protection of Badgers Act.

The video's narrator warns:

"Yes Jack you were being watched. We hope you are aware that our footage resulted in four members of the South Durham Hunt being charged last season for hunting a wild mammal with dogs. Do you want to be next?"

NEHM is referring to South Durham huntmaster Robert Wilkinson, hunter Richard Smith and whippers-in Robbie Stevenson and Mark Baldwin, who were charged last October with hunting a wild mammal with dogs at their meet in February 2024, in breach of the Hunting Act.

And this is by no means the first time that the monitors have witnessed South Durham Hunt engaged in what seem like flagrant breaches of the Hunting Act. In October 2023, NEHM recorded drone footage of the the hunt at work. The video was, in Protect the Wild's Charlie Moore's words, a "unequivocally damning record" of "trespassing and illegally hunting foxes".

Hounds searching thick vegetation, a clear sign that this isn't trail hunting

NEHM's drones filmed the hunts sending the hounds down a steep incline piece through thick vegetation on a piece of fenced off land, clearly signifying that this isn't trail-hunting. It would be impossible to have laid the trail through the dense fenced-off thicket prior to the hunt. The video evidence clearly indicates that the hounds were pursuing a fox who was trying to escape.

No care for injured horses

The footage shows the hunts treating their horses with contempt, continuing to ride even after a horse is injured on barbed wire. Later on, monitors film another wounded horse, with the huntsmen showing an apparent lack of concern for the injuries.

This sort of disregard for horses is common in the hunting world. In August 2024, the Hunt Saboteurs Association reported that police were investigating, after drone footage from East Yorkshire Coast Hunt Sabs showed a man - reportedly hunter Damian Readman of the Derwent Hunt - apparently kicking and punching a horse at a hunt kennels. In 2021, Cottesmore Hunt rider Sarah Moulds was also filmed punching and kicking a horse.

Trespass, homophobia and more reports of illegal hunting

This isn't the first time during this hunting season that the South Durham and Zetland hunts have been seen abusing local wildlife. Already, there have been reports from NEHM and TABS of South Durham's hounds rioting onto a deer (rioting means chasing the wrong animal). The monitors have also been subjected to two attacks by members of the hunt, including one instance of homophobia. Finally, there have been three reported instances of the hunt trespassing, including onto a nature reserve.

And the Zetland hunt have been busy too. So far this season, reports have come in of Zetland hunters chasing a fox into a private garden, and two instances of the hunt disturbing farmed animals, including one incident where a sheep got caught up in fencing while trying to escape the hounds.

Image: Teesside Against Bloodsports

A smokescreen for bloodsports

South Durham and Zetland hunts have been promoting hunting too. Last September, the hunts participated in an event aimed at providing a smokescreen for fox hunting, and portraying it as legal trail hunting. John from NEHM told Protect the Wild:

"Both the South Durham Hunt and the Zetland Hunt participated in the recent smokescreen presented by the British Hound Sports Association in September last year.

Hunts up and down the country tried to convince the public that trail hunting was a legal activity but anyone involved with either side of the argument, know this to be a lie."

Lets face it, the British Hound Sports Association aren't fooling anyone. Even the government is aware that trail-hunting is a ruse, designed to let hunts get away with chasing and killing foxes. In a statement last month, a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) spokesperson commented that trail-hunting “is being exploited as a smokescreen to cruelly kill foxes and hares”. DEFRA reaffirmed the government's commitment to a ban on trail hunting. It can't come a moment too soon.

Help NEHM keep on protecting wildlife

As we said, last year, Protect the Wild provided the folks at North East Hunt Monitors with two high-end camcorders to help them in their work. We hope that these have been handy in documenting South Durham Hunt and Zetland Hunt's flouting of the law. If you're part of a wildlife protection group and would like to apply for practical help, you can check out our Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund here.

You can donate to North East Hunt Monitors petrol fund via PayPal or Ko-Fi.

• Visit their website at northeasthuntmonitors.co.uk

• See NEHM's Facebook page at NEhuntmonitors, and check out TABS at TABSantibs

• Follow them on X/Twitter at hunteast

• You can buy an NEHM T-shirts and hoodies, to help support the group, here. Or send them a tip-off about what the hunt is up to here.