| The dramatic nature of fox hunting, the
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| | inevitable facet of hunting, as the
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| allegations of cruelty and its strong
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| | hounds themselves do not recognise
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| associations with tradition and social
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| | boundaries they are not allowed to cross,
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| class have long made it a source of great
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| | and may therefore follow their quarry
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| controversy within the United Kingdom.
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| | wherever it goes unless successfully
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| Opposing
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| | called off.
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| People may oppose fox hunting for a
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| | Available alternatives
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| number of reasons, opposing it through
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| | Anti hunting campaigners long urged hunts
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| legal means such as fox hunting
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| | to retain their tradition and equestrian
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| legislation or hunt monitoring or through
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| | sport by drag hunting, following an
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| illegal means such as the sabotage of the
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| | artificial scent. Hunt supporters
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| hunt.
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| | previously claimed that, in the event of
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| Animal cruelty
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| | a ban, hunts would not be able to convert
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| Some animal welfare activists have long
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| | and that hounds would have to be put
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| objected to hunting in general but fox
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| | down. In the UK, however, most hunts
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| hunting in particular as manifestly
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| | claim to be following a trail
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| unfair and unnecessarily cruel to quarry
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| | successfully since the Hunting Act came
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| animals, most especially the fox. They
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| | into effect.
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| argue that the fox is not always killed
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| | Supporting
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| instantly as hunters claim, but is
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| | The most vocal supporters of fox hunting
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| sometimes torn to pieces by hounds, and
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| | tend to be directly interested, but those
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| that even when death is swift the hunt
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| | who support fox hunting may do so for a
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| itself causes cruel distress. Fox hunting
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| | variety of reasons.
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| supporters point out that in the wild
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| | Economics
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| foxes and other animals are regularly
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| | The oldest economic defense of fox
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| killed by other animals and even in the
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| | hunting is that such hunting is necessary
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| cases that a fox is killed by the hounds,
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| | to control the population of foxes, lest
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| it is no more cruel than when a fox kills
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| | they prey upon domestic animals such as
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| livestock.
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| | livestock. Apart from man, foxes have no
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| Anti-hunting campaigners also criticise
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| | larger predators to control them.
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| hunts who commonly put down their hounds
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| | A more recent argument is that fox
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| after their working life has come to an
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| | hunting is a significant economic
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| end, which is usually only about half
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| | activity, providing legal recreation and
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| their lives (five or six years).Burns
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| | many jobs for those involved in the hunt
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| Inquiry report, para 6.79
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| | and supporting it. Supporters argue that
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| Necessity
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| | such jobs should not be lost without
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| Opponents of fox hunting claim that the
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| | sufficient cause.
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| activity is not necessary for fox
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| | Tradition and social life
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| control, arguing that the fox is not a
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| | Many supporters of British fox hunting
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| pest species and that hunting does not
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| | recognise it as a distinctive part of
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| and cannot make a real difference to fox
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| | British culture generally, the basis of
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| populations. They compare the number of
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| | many traditional crafts and a key part of
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| foxes killed in the hunt to the many more
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| | social life in rural areas, an activity
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| killed on the roads. They also argue that
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| | and spectacle enjoyed not only by the
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| any wildlife management goals of the hunt
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| | riders but also by others such as the
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| can be met by simpler and more humane
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| | "unmounted pack" which may follow along
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| methods such as "lamping" (dazzling a fox
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| | on foot or by bicycle.
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| with a bright light, then shooting it
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| | They point out that the social aspects of
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| through the head or neck, depending on
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| | hunting reflect the social make-up of the
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| what caliber rifle is used) with trained
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| | area it takes place in, that the Home
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| shooters, capture or sterilisation.
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| | Counties packs are very different from
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| They say that, were it the case that fox
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| | those in areas of North Wales and Cumbria
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| hunting predominantly kills weak foxes,
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| | where the hunts are very much the
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| then it would leave alive those most able
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| | activity of farmers and the working
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| to predate on livestock, thereby
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| | class. The Banwen Miners Hunt is
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| demonstrating that the hunting was
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| | sometimes used as an example, though its
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| counter to the principles of pest
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| | membership is by no means limited to
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| control.
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| | miners.
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| Australia where foxes are a major
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| | Conservation
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| ecological pest the Government's
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| | Foxhunts provide and maintain habitat for
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| Department of the Environment and
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| | foxes and other game, and, in the U.S.,
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| Heritage concluded that "hunting does not
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| | have been leaders in fostering
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| seem to have had a significant or lasting
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| | conservation legislation and putting land
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| impact on fox numbers".Instead, control
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| | into conservation easements. It is also
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| of foxes relies heavily on shooting
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| | argued that hunting with dogs has the
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| spotlighting, poisoning and fencing.
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| | advantage of weeding out weaker animals
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| Class issues
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| | because the strongest and healthiest
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| Punch magazine's "Mr. Briggs" cartoons
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| | foxes are those most likely to escape.
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| illustrated issues over fox hunting
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| | Therefore, unlike other methods of
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| during the 1850s.Oscar Wilde once
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| | controlling the fox population, it is
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| famously referred to "the English country
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| | argued that hunting with dogs does help
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| gentleman galloping after a fox" as "the
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| | keep the fox population healthy and, in
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| unspeakable in full pursuit of the
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| | this respect, that it resembles natural
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| uneatable". Even before the time of
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| | predation by wild animals.
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| Wilde, much of the criticism of
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| | Animal cruelty comparison
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| foxhunting has been couched in terms of
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| | It is argued that while hunting with dogs
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| social class. They argue that while more
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| | may be cruel, controlling fox numbers by
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| "working class" blood sports such as cock
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| | other means is even more cruel. Shooting
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| fighting and badger baiting were long ago
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| | foxes could cause hours or, in some
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| outlawed, fox hunting persists.
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| | instances, days of agony for those
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| John Leech had a series of "Mr. Briggs"
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| | animals that hide underground having not
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| cartoons in Punch during the 1850's,
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| | been killed instantly, while trapping and
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| which illustrated some of these class
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| | poisoning also cause considerable
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| issues[9]. More recently the British
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| | distress to the animals concerned and may
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| anarchist group Class War has argued
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| | affect other species. However, they say
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| explicitly for disruption of fox hunts on
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| | that, when a fox is hunted with dogs, it
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| class warfare grounds.
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| | is either killed fairly quickly (in a
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| Hunt supporters have often claimed that
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| | matter of seconds or minutes) or escapes
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| the associated legislation passed in the
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| | uninjured.
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| United Kingdom in 2004 banning hunting
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| | Hunt supporters further say that it is a
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| with dogs was motivated by a 'class war'.
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| | matter of humanity to kill a few foxes
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| Trespass
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| | rather than allow them to suffer
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| In its submission to the Burns Inquiry,
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| | malnourishment and mange.
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| the League Against Cruel Sports presented
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| | Pest control
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| evidence[10] of over 1,000 cases of
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| | Foxes are generally considered as vermin,
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| trespass by hunts. These included
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| | and they can cause farmers to lose
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| trespass on railway lines and into
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| | valuable livestock. A fox could kill a
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| private gardens. Indeed, accidental
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| | whole group of fifty or so chickens, yet
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| trespass could be considered an
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| | eat only one of them.
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