A PROTEST outside Somerset Council’s annual meeting on Wednesday (May 20) was staged by Action Against Stag Hunting (AASH).

The group lobbied the meeting in Bridgwater to raise awareness among councillors of the continued practice of stag and deer hunting on the Quantock Hills and Exmoor.

West Somerset has the only three remaining packs of staghounds as the practice has disappeared from most of the rest of the country.

A spokesperson for AASH said: “Stag hunts involve packs of dogs chasing stags over long distances for several hours until the exhausted animal collapses and is shot dead by a hunter.

“While hunting wild mammals with dogs for sport is illegal under the Hunting Act, stag hunts continue by relying on exemptions within the law, often claiming ‘research and observation’ purposes.

“Campaigners argue that the reality is far removed from legitimate wildlife management.

“Stags are routinely pursued by dogs, horses, and quad bikes in what is clearly recreation rather than culling or research.”

In West Somerset, the National Trust banned deer hunting on its land following the findings of the Bateson Report of 1997, which concluded chasing deer was ‘inherently cruel’ with the animals suffering extreme damage.

The spokesperson said: “Almost without exception, councillors engaged positively with protesters and expressed shock at the cruelty involved.

“Many were concerned that these activities damaged the attraction of Exmoor and the Quantocks to visitors.

“A few councillors related tales of intimidation by the stag hunts and said that many local villages oppose stag hunting but are often reluctant to speak publicly because of fears of reprisals, including property damage.”

The spokesperson said Action Against Stag Hunting had been encouraged by the level of support shown by councillors willing to speak out against what they described as ‘a brutal and outdated blood sport’.