Hunt continues under Claude's eagle eye

By [lvennells] exclusive louise vennells

A FALCONER has criticised a Westcountry hunt for using an eagle owl to get around the ban on fox hunting.

George Hedges, of Devon's Eagles, warned that the South Devon Hunt's practice of hunting with a bird of prey and a pack of hounds could put the bird's life at risk.

But the hunt have hit back, saying there is "no way" they would put the owl in danger. And they have been supported by another falconer, who has praised their professional approach to keeping the bird.

Under the Hunting Act, using a pack of hounds in tandem with a bird of prey is one of a number of exemptions from the ban. Around 80 hunts across the UK now use larger species, often alongside other exemptions, such as "trail hunting", using a specially laid artificial scent.

Mr Hedges, whose business is based at the Dartmoor Zoological Park, near Sparkwell, said he agreed with the Hawk Board's stance against the practice, on the grounds of fears over the bird's welfare. He said: "If you are using a pack of dogs, they will kill the owl because it's on their prey. They won't know any different. I'm totally opposed to using them as a loophole in the law."

But Ian Pearse, hunt master at the South Devon Hunt, based near Ashburton, said there had been no incidents of birds being injured by hounds, despite almost four years of using them to hunt throughout the country.

He said: "My eagle is happy and perfectly safe, and we would be very upset and disappointed if he was injured or killed. We wouldn't put him in that position."

The eagle owl is affectionately named Claude, after Claude Whitely, joint hunt master of the South Devon for 42 seasons, and part of the family that founded Paignton Zoo.

Mr Pearse bought him from Dartmoor Hawking, which also provided a one-day course and extra training sessions on how to keep and fly the bird.

Mr Pearse said: "We have four members of staff here, and all of them have qualifications in animal husbandry ranging from degrees to NVQs. We look after an awful lot of animals, and we keep them to a very high standard. We are more than capable of looking after a bird of prey."

He said there was no danger of Claude being killed by the hounds, because they are often a long way away from the fox the bird has in his sights. Hounds mostly hunt by scent rather than sight – but if they are chasing prey they can see, the method is known as coursing.

Mr Pearse said: "If the hounds were coursing a fox, you certainly wouldn't fly the bird of prey because he would be in jeopardy. I only fly Claude because we make sure they are far enough away to hunt by scent, and we can call them off if we need to."

He added: "The South Devon Hunt has been in existence for 120 years. We are determined that the hunt is going to continue."

But Nick Kester, spokesman for the Hawk Board, said the organisation was "vehemently opposed" to the use of birds of prey for fox hunting: "We disapprove entirely. Birds of prey and hunting with hounds are not compatible."

However, Martin Whitely, of Dartmoor Hawking, praised the hunt for putting up a member of staff for the Lantra award – the highest assessment for keeping birds of prey. He said: "I'm neutral on the issue of using owls to hunt foxes, but I do think it's fine as long as they keep the bird sensibly, and I have every faith that the professional team from the South Devon Hunt will do just that. I have no problem at all with the way the eagle owl is being kept."