Silly question, I suppose, but is it remotely possible?
On the news on Radio 4 this evening there was a short piece on fox hunters using ‘falcons’ (their words – there was the occasional use of the words ‘eagle’, ‘golden eagles’, and ‘eagle owls’, but they kept referring to falcons) to get around the hunting with packs of dogs part of the Hunting Act 2004; I thought they might be referring to the sport of falconry (which might take in the use of eagles, I suppose) but frequently they spoke of falcons too.
Now I know and understand that birds of pray will take lambs, as will foxes, but as for them taking something as large as a fox…? Surely the instinct of a wild animal or bird of pray is not to take on more than you can chew (metaphorically, of course), unless it is groomed for that task by its trainer: surely this is just a rouse to enable hunting with hounds again under the auspices of them flushing the fox out for the bird to (ahem) take down:rolleyes:?
The BBC story from their website:
Eagles ‘used to beat hunting ban’
Hunts are buying birds of prey to try and side-step the ban on fox hunting with hounds, falconry experts warn.
About 20 hunts have bought golden eagles and eagle owls in the belief they are acting within the law.
Using dogs to flush wild mammals for a bird of prey to hunt is an exemption set out in the Hunting Act 2004.
The Hawk Board, which represents UK falconers, said some hunts were “behaving irresponsibly”, but a hunting body said bird welfare was a priority.
The Master of Fox Hounds Association, revealing the number of hunts which have bought the birds, said it believed it had interpreted the legislation correctly.
“We didn’t draft this flawed bill. Our lawyers are clear this is an exemption,” said its director Alistair Jackson.
“It enables hunts to use full packs of hounds.”
The government ban on fox hunting allows for falconry as a sport to remain protected.
The law does not restrict the number of dogs that can be used to flush wild mammals for a bird of prey to hunt.
But Jim Chick, chairman of the Hawk Board, said there were concerns about the practice.
“This is bringing the sport into disrepute,” he said.
“Many of the hunts are using people to handle the birds who have just been on a short course. You are not competent to handle a large bird of prey after a short course.
“Secondly, a fox is not a recognised quarry for a bird of prey. It is a large animal and cannot be easily subdued so there is a big ethical issue over whether they should be used.
“An eagle is possessive and once it has caught a fox it will not let go. If the hounds are then brought in they could attack the eagle and a hound could be blinded or killed.”
He added it was dangerous to have an eagle with a mounted hunt, as it could lead to a horse throwing a rider.
“A small number of hunts are behaving irresponsibly,” he said.
“We feel very let down. We supported them and walked the marches and raised funds for them and now this is a slap on the face.”
Act in ‘chaos’
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said there had been complaints about the use of birds.
A spokeswoman said: “In our view the falconry exemption does not allow the use of a token bird of prey to allow hunting with dogs to continue. But it is a matter for the courts to interpret the Act.”
Tim Bonner, spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, which campaigned against the hunting ban, said the move showed the “chaos” of the Hunting Act.
“The Act came into force less than a year ago but it has become increasingly clear that is impossible to interpret and to enforce,” he added.
A spokesman for the Council of Hunting Associations said: “The Hunting Act permits the use of hounds to flush a wild mammal to enable a bird of prey to hunt it and some people may wish to explore this possibility.
“However, the CHA strongly advises that this method should not be used unless hunts have discussed their plans with the Hawk Board and the Hunting Office.”
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/4255614.stm
Published: 2005/09/17 16:17:28 GMT
© BBC MMV
Flood
By: Rocketeer - 30th September 2005 at 01:17
This beauty is the top falcon on an airfield in North America. He is a Red Tailed Falcon at Shearwater that has the best kill ratio. He leaves the truck at 110mph and has a Choc Lab who protects him when he is on the ground with the kill.
By: DazDaMan - 29th September 2005 at 12:39
Falconry tends to encompass all kinds of birds of prey, no matter how big or small they are, but obviously they mean something like your eagle owl to do it with.
I had thought of a buzzard, but apparently they’re not too quick at catching something on the move. They’er also not too big (4-5ft wingspan) so don’t think they could bring down your average fox.
I remember having a buzzard on my arm when I was about eight – it was bloody heavy!!
By: F-18 Hamburger - 29th September 2005 at 10:54
people in Kazakhstan practice this as a traditional sport, all the way back to the days of the Huns
By: barrythemod - 29th September 2005 at 09:06
Just to finish up,go to www.discoverit.co.uk/falconry/europeow.htm
to see what this bird looks like.Amazing eyes 🙂
By: Corsair166b - 18th September 2005 at 18:58
I was gonna say, have to be a pretty big bird to take on a fox, and it sounds like this Eagle owl (?) is a fair size bird, I KNOW a Golden eagle could do the job…a fox ain’t that big of an animal, hell some COYOTES out this way ain’t that big, and a good sized predatory bird could take them on or at least hold its own against them….
Still be a bloody mess though, and only slightly better than being ripped to shreds by a pack of dogs….it’d just TAKE longer…
M
By: barrythemod - 18th September 2005 at 14:09
Info recieved from Barry Gibbs at The Sussex Falconry Centre.
“It is widley accepted that a European Eagle Owl will take a full grown fox——-they have an eight foot wing span and are,without a doubt,top of the food chain in most of Europe”
Personally,I can`t dissagree with this guy.Maybe a falcon could take a fox cub.Nothing bigger.
Maybe,a few Eagle Owl handlers could be persuaded in haveing a go at a few fox hounds.Seems “fair sport” to me 😀
By: barrythemod - 18th September 2005 at 09:39
Have e-mail`d a falconry center.Waiting for their reply.
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September 17, 2005 at 6:40 pm