Hunt monitor

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In the United Kingdom, hunt monitors watch organized hunts and collect information to help make sure the Hunting Act 2004 is followed. They are mainly private individuals, but some animal-welfare groups also take part. Their goal is to gather evidence of illegal hunting so prosecutions can happen.

The Hunting Act became law in England and Wales in February 2005. It bans hunting wild mammals with dogs, including foxes, deer, hares, and mink. The ban followed a long campaign by many people over many years. Before the ban, monitors began using portable video cameras to record hunting activity. The footage was shown in the media and to Members of Parliament and helped pass the act.

Since the ban, enforcement has sometimes been uneven, but many hunts and individual hunters have been convicted of illegal hunting. Notable cases include the Fernie Hunt (2011), Crawley and Horsham Hunt (2012), and Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt (2012). In 2012, the Heythrop Hunt Limited was prosecuted as a corporate body.

Hunt monitors have faced threats, assaults, and harassment, as well as intimidation. In February 2013, Parliament discussed policing violence at hunts due to such incidents.

Some monitors work for charities, but most are private individuals who are unpaid and self-funded. Some receive donations through online platforms like GoFundMe and Facebook.