TV vet backs hunting ban (From Stroud News and Journal)

TV vet backs hunting ban

TV VET Emma Milne was in Stroud on Monday, backing a campaign to ban hunting with hounds.

The Vets in Practice star, who lives in Gloucestershire, lent her support to the anti-hunt lobby which aims to keep up the pressure on the Government.

"I've been against hunting for ages," she said. "There aren't any arguments for it."

After graduating from vet school in Bristol Emma went to work in Dulverston, Exmoor's stag hunting capital.

What she saw strengthened her belief that hunting was cruel and could not be justified.

"The first week we were there we had a hound that had been gored by a stag which later died," she said.

"And we saw hunters galloping the horses up hard, tarmac roads," she said.

"I was invited to take part in a special Question Time debate on fox hunting a while ago but I didn't hear anything from the other team which would make me change my mind."

A mock fox proved a little too realistic for Emma's own dogs, however, which barked frantically and had to be held in check when it appeared from inside the roadshow's truck.

It was only when the campaigner in the fox suit took off his mask that the dogs calmed down.

"It just goes to show that drag hunting and artificial foxes can work," he said.

The anti-hunting roadshow is visiting 40 locations around the country and hopes to gather a million signatures to present to Tony Blair.

The pressure is on to persuade Labour not to shy away from its general support for a ban.

Stroud's MP David Drew said he thought a ban on hunting was long overdue and looked forward to a ban so the Government could get on with addressing some of the real problems of rural Britain.

It is backed by the RSPCA, International Fund for Animal Welfare and the League Against Cruel Sports.

"We've found a lot of people here are against hunting," said the roadshow's Gill Sanders. "Many people have had problems with the hunt on their land or have actually seen foxes being killed.

Though most people who stopped to chat backed the campaign there were one or two hunt supporters who challenged them.

"That was fine too," said Ms Sanders. "It's a democratic country and we were very happy to engage in a debate with people and answer their questions."