South Thames Hunt Sabs: sabbing the notorious Kent Hunt

Aggression, intimidation, lawbreaking: the last hunt in Kent is not going quietly

Towards the end of September this year we were approached by a ‘new’ sab group: South Thames Hunt Sabs. Operating in the South of England and beyond, the group is ‘newly-formed’ but is (they told us) made up of a “team of dedicated individuals who collectively share a mixed skillset and an abundance of experience spanning years in sabotaging fox and hare hunting, the badger cull, various forms of shooting as well as in investigative work”. They came together at the end of the 2023-2024 season with shared aims and ideas and an interest in the Kent Hunt - the last remaining fox hunt in the county (see our July 2023 post “With only one fox hunting pack left in Kent, the clock is ticking on hunting in the county”).

When South Thames HS contacted us they explained that they had spent the spring and summer months laying down the foundations of the group and fundraising for the upcoming season - but that had left them short of funds to buy equipment. Could we, they asked, help with a video camera, a dashcam, and a GoPro - all pieces of kit that would help keep them safer in the field.

Absolutely we could. Protecting wildlife is what drives us, but protecting the people doing that protecting is a top priority as well. Once we knew exactly what the group needed, we ordered it, and it was sent on.

The group thanked us in an Instagram post but has been kind enough to send us a longer write-up which we are posting below…

We would like to send our thanks and gratitude to Protect the Wild for supporting us with their equipment fund for our group. With this, we were able to obtain a handheld video camera, body camera and dash-camera; all desperately needed as we are a newly formed group and will help us in both gathering evidence of illegal activity as well as a deterrent when faced with aggression.

As well as taking action to protect wildlife, our group was formed at the end of the 2023-2024 season through a mutual interest in intersectionality and wholeheartedly believe that many struggles involving human, animal and earth liberation are connected. Collectively, we have a myriad of experiences ranging from fox and hare hunt sabotage to action against the badger cull and game shooting. Due to our proximity to each other and where we are based, we concluded that our efforts could be focused on assisting the efforts to disrupt and shut down the Kent Hounds along with our friends Kent Hunt Saboteurs. However, we will continue to take action against other hunts locally and further away, including mass hits and away-days for such events as the glorious twelfth.

So far this season, we have taken part in successfully disrupting the Downland Beagles, Surrey Union, and Kent Hounds, all on multiple occasions. In addition to this, some of our team also dedicated themselves to a lengthy time in the badger cull.

As a new group, one of the main challenges has been getting ourselves off the ground. Throughout the summer and autumn we concentrated on fundraising for the upcoming season and have been successful but this does go quickly. Protect the Wild has not only helped with getting hold of vital equipment, but has subsequently put ourselves in a position where we can now focus on raising money for a group vehicle.

Thank you again to Protect the Wild and all their supporters who have made this happen!

We’ve said it before and we will undoubtedly say it again: protecting wildlife is difficult, takes huge personal sacrifice, and can be dangerous. Having the right personal safety kit is vital for keeping sabs and monitors safe. Just check out the image of two terriermen approaching a sab on their Instagram page to see what we mean…

It’s inspiring to be able to help a new group like this and we appreciate the kind words above. Note that South Thames Hunt Sabs have made a point of thanking the supporters who ‘have made this happen’. They are absolutely right - none of this happens without the support of people who (like the sabs and like us) passionately want to protect wild animals from hunts, so thank you all from us too.

That’s why we set up our Equipment Fund in the first place - so all of us could come together and show just how much we value groups like the South Thames Hunt Sabs and the numerous other groups we’ve been privileged to support.

• Images South Thames Hunt Sabs. If you’d like to learn more about the South Thames Hunt Sabs, please follow them on Instagram