Why hunts are joining forces
10 January 2002
As hunting country continues to shrink under increasing urbanisation more packs are being forced to amalgamate
Increasing urbanisation is likely to lead to amalgamations of several packs of hounds for the 2002-03 season, the MFHA’s Simon Clarke has warned.
The Cambridgeshire and Enfield Chace announced that they were joining forces before the start of the present season, and since then the Badsworth and Bramham Moor and the Garth and South Berks and the Vale of Aylesbury have decided to amalgamate. Five more packs are looking at similar measures.
Simon Clarke, co-ordinator of boundary reviews for the MFHA, said: “For most packs it is simply a reductionin country caused by the opening of a new motorway or housing development that leads them to consider amalgamation.”
He conceded that amalgamations are not always popular with landowners and supporters, but added: “This is an ongoing issue – there have been 45 amalgamations since the war – and in some cases it can work very well, making for more suitable kennels, better country and can help finances.”
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