THE Irish countryside has been changed irrevocably by human habitation, farming and other activities, with biodiversity being lost. Once-common species have become vulnerable. Loss of apex predators has left mesopredator populations like foxes to flourish, to the detriment of their prey species. Only wildlife management can mitigate the changes man has wrought and deal with these problems.

The defeated 2025 Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill proved that the majority of TDs in Ireland understand the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management, because as a wild animal the fox is hunted in the environment that it knows. It is used to hunting and being hunted. It is adapted to it by evolution. What might be a shocking experience for man or a domestic pet is part of normal daily life in the wild for a fox. Hunting with dogs is natural, since it does not use any alien technology, for which the fox has no natural defence or coping mechanism. The kill, if it occurs, is instantaneous and, above all, certain.

Hunting with dogs is humane, since it leaves no wounded survivors and performs a role in preserving fox welfare by culling the injured, debilitated and sick so their suffering is ended, in direct relation to their debility, the chase being the test, as it has been for millennia in the predator versus prey relationship.

Population management

Hunting uniquely reproduces the natural selection process by utilising the unique scenting abilities of trained dogs to find foxes in a selective way. No other method of population management performs this function of reducing the numbers of diseased individuals, while promoting the health and vigour of the species - thereby improving the welfare of the population as a whole.

The recreational element of fox hunting is irrelevant to animal welfare, except in that it largely pays for this humane method of wildlife management. It is immaterial to the fox whether opponents or proponents of hunting regard it as a sport.

Hunting should be judged on what is best for the welfare of the fox, not by anthropomorphism or moral preferences. There is nothing intrinsically or morally wrong in using a pack of dogs to hunt foxes.

On the contrary, hunting with dogs is entirely natural to foxes as they lack the complex brain and mental abilities to perceive the human concepts of fear and death. After their initial flight, foxes appear remarkably unconcerned and simply keep ahead of the dogs, whose pace is determined by the scenting conditions. Foxes that evade dogs rapidly return to normal activity.

A pack of dogs is essential for hunting, shown by a study comparing the use of only two for the purpose of flushing foxes from cover to shoot them, and it was found that fewer than half the number flushed out by a full pack was flushed out by two dogs, and the pursuit lasted almost five times as long.

Veterinary science

To assist with the defeat of the 2025 Animal Health and Welfare Bill; The Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management provided TDs with the latest research and veterinary science to form the basis for the argument in favour of natural and effective wildlife management of foxes by hunting with dogs.

The VAWM is a membership organisation for veterinary surgeons with an interest in humane wildlife management. Its members include practitioners, academics, and vets in industry. As with all veterinary surgeons, animal welfare is a priority and, for this reason, The VAWM strongly promotes and advocates for fox hunting with dogs.

The VAWM relies on its members to support the objectives of promoting wildlife management by methods which are advantageous for animal welfare, to protect biodiversity and vulnerable species, the health and welfare of livestock and pets, the livelihoods of farmers and other guardians of the physical environment and public health. Members of The VAWM also dissipate knowledge on fox hunting with dogs using the latest research and veterinary scientific evidence. New vet members are welcome to join The VAWM and contribute to raising awareness on the importance of effective and humane wildlife management.