A WEST Somerset woman has spoken of her horror at witnessing a pack of hunting hounds rip apart a fox outside her home.

Wendy Bowen was home working in Lydeard St Lawrence when one of her dogs started barking.

When she went outside to investigate she saw several hounds running loose in her paddock, and then saw several hunt riders heading uphill past her house.

Ms Bowen said: “Within a few minutes I could hear the hollering and screaming from the hunt riders.

“This obviously signalling that the hounds had got on to a fox.

“The noises that the riders made was quite horrific.

“Next, I could hear the hunt dogs going into cry and I knew it was too late.”

Ms Bowen went to challenge the hunters and found hounds loose and running through her property trying to reach an adjoining field and catch up with the pack.

She said: “That is when I could see the pack of hounds in a large gathering.

“All of them were frantically tugging and tearing at the fox’s body.

Hounds were filmed at the scene of a fox kill outside a home in Lydeard St Lawrence.
Hounds were filmed at the scene of a fox kill outside a home in Lydeard St Lawrence. ( )

“It was an absolutely vile, sickening, and disturbing thing to witness, also being completely helpless to stop them.

“I saw four men on quads.

“When they realised that I was filming, they turned and covered their faces.

“Then, one of the men wearing a flat cap went and spoke to the terrier men on the quads, he then proceeded to try and intervene and step in to break up the kill.

“Which by now, as they knew, was far too late.”

Ms Bowen made a 999 call which resulted in police attending with officers given photographs and video footage for evidence.

Later, Ms Bowen discovered gruesome remains of the fox’s body where the pack of hounds had been seen.

A spokesperson for Somerset Hunt Saboteurs, which supported Ms Bowen, said: “Our heart goes out to Wendy who had to witness this gruesome sight from her own property.

An image from footage of hounds which were alleged to have killed a fox near Wendy Bowen's home in Lydeard St Lawrence.
An image from footage of hounds which were alleged to have killed a fox near Wendy Bowen's home in Lydeard St Lawrence. ( )

“Our sabs have witnessed foxes being killed and this incident demonstrates yet again that trail-hunting is a lie, acting as a smokescreen for illegal fox hunting.

“We call on the new Government to fulfil their promise to ban fox hunting as soon as possible.”

Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson Rowan Hughes said: “We have witnessed hounds being deliberately brought into private gardens on numerous occasions in the relentless pursuit of their quarry.

“This causes distress to people and their pets, as well as foxes and other wildlife.

“We were really sorry to hear about Wendy witnessing this brutal kill, but impressed that she acted so fast to gather evidence and call the police.

“It is an embarrassment that we still do not have an adequate Hunting Act and the hunt will probably get away with it yet again.”

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said: “Inquiries are ongoing and our rural crime team has been working with the officer investigating.

“If you were in the area and witnessed anything suspicious, please call us on 101 and quote reference 5225026293.”