In this paper I will discuss the issues surrounding foxhunting. I will mention the pros and the cons and then I will decide if fox hunting should be criminalized. I will begin with the pros.

             Just a little intro on foxhunting and what it is. In Britain mostly England foxhunting is a popular sport. Hunters set out on horse back following hounds witch are following the scent of foxes. When the hounds find the fox they rip it apart and the hunters watch this happen and then go off to find more foxes. The foxhunters generally wear coats of bright scarlet, called pinks. The members of the club support the hunt, and the Master of Fox Hounds (MFH) usually maintains it. .

             Some of the pro points of fox hunting are, the fox is a pest and its population needs to be controlled. Farmers are concerned and agree with this. Responsible fox management includes maintaining a healthy population at a level, which it can grow without threatening livestock or other wildlife. Fox hunting is the most natural method of management: by its nature it takes out the old sick and injured foxes. Fox hunting does not just help control fox numbers, landowners with an interest in fox hunting plant and maintain coverts, woodlands and copses for the benefit of all wildlife. If it wasn't for fox hunting they would over populate and they would eventually have to be caught and be shot or gassed. Foxes cause significant lamb, piglets, and poultry losses. Scientific estimates vary from 0.5% to 5.2%; even at 2% the cost to a typical farmer with 1500 lambs and piglets is worth over $2200. Without control the percentage would increase considerably. If there was a ban on fox hunting 15,000 people whose jobs directly depended on fox hunting would be out of work, some 14,000 foxhounds would have no future, as these working pack hounds would not make suitable pets. The species is not endangered .

             Now on to the cons of the subject, the official foxhunting season begins on November 1st and continues through April.