Hunting - what YOU can do about it

I am writing this article, because I (as a young women, who is not that fit) have spent years thinking that hunt sabotage was best left to the more capable.

I recently learnt the error of my ways, and am now heavily involved with organising this years Hunt Sabbing activities in Yorkshire (west, north and east - all covered by the West Yorkshire sab group)

I want to outline the various roles within a hunt sabotage group, explain how you can help save animals lives and point out the demographics of my existing group.

I am a member of the West Yorkshire Hunt Saboteurs.

Our group has an age range of between 20 and 62. (older members welcome, as are over 18's)

Our group is pretty much 50/50 men and women.

Most of our group work full time, and at the moment we have no one on "the dole" (although we would be more than happy to change that)

Our group consists of field sabs, drivers, navigators, fund-raisers and meet finders.

I want to talk briefly about each role,

Field Sabs - run round fields, sabotage the hunts using a variety of non-violent tactics.

Field sabs have to be reasonably fit, in order to keep up with the hunt.

Drivers - we need drivers to drive us around, drivers have to deal with the police more than other sabs, and have to give their name and address to the police when they are pulled over.

When we start this season our group will have 1 vehicle, that will contain all our sabs, but other groups across the country have people who drive around in cars (usually their own) and find the hunt in order to keep track of them.

Navigators - Hunt sabbing is fast paced and stressful, so each vehicle will have a navigator, who will map read and tell the driver where to go.

A good navigator will be able to keep track of where they are, listen to (often conflicting) reports of where the hunt are, and manage to get the van into the action and pick up field sabs when they need a lift, all on public access roads.

We run map reading training days every so often, contact us for details.

Fund raisers - a local sab will cost around £50 in fuel, this can be more when we travel to hunts further away or when the hunt give us the run around.

We NEED to make a lot of money to ensure we can keep sabotaging hunts and saving lives.

Sadly at the minute all but one of our active fund-raisers are field sabs, also involved in the organisation and finding meets.

What would be amazing, would be if groups of people or individual people, where to do fund-raising for us, and then give us the money.

You can send us money online via our paypal, on our website, so its easier than ever.

Meet finders - we need to know where the hunt will be, else we'd be driving round all day on a wild goose chase.

Finding meets can be hard, and depending on how you get them, a rather long winded process.

The best resource is local people who've been sent meet cards or know how to get one, If you have a meet card, please email us the details, we can promise to keep what you have told us in complete confidence.

It is important to remember that each of these roles are VITAL to the movement.

Without people to directly sabotage hunts we're nothing, without drivers we can't go anywhere, without a navigator we'd get lost, without fund-raisers we'd have no money for fuel, without a meet we'd have nowhere to go.

Too often most of these roles are filled by 1 person, or by 2 or 3 people.

It isn't unheard of for sabs to have to spend days they could be sabbing doing fund-raisers.

As an anarchist (not all sabs are, but I am) I believe that we must all take responsibility for ourselves, and not depend on someone else to do the legwork for us.

Fund-raising and meet finding can be done autonomously, with paypal and email, you wouldn't even have to meet a field sab unless you wanted to!

If every person who read this article did a whip round at work, sold some cakes or put hand in pocket, we'd have a bloody good start to the season!

I'm asking everyone who opposes hunting, everyone who knows the law isn't working and wants to do something about it, to help us.

Join us, raise money for us, whatever.

DONT just sit on your seat and surrender to apathy!

You CAN make a difference, you CAN save lives!

Direct Action is the most effective method of saving hunted animals, at this moment in time I consider it the only one.

I hope to see you all in the field, or at the end of season party!

Respect to all,

Sasha Lovor of West Yorkshire Hunt Sabs

http://westyorkshirehuntsabs.wordpress.com/

westyorkshuntsabs@yahoo.co.uk

#note on our current campaign

West Yorkshire Hunt Sabs have been fund raising for a Land rover.

We are getting to the point where we are looking for a vehicle, but could still end up short when it comes to insurance, fuel and tax, your donations really are making a difference, we've gone from being penny-less to looking for a vehicle in what is really a very short space of time.

Please don't give up on us, please keep those donations coming.

We also need OS maps (both pink and orange) for all the north and middle of the UK, old mobile phones and cameras/camcorders please get in touch if you can donate any of this stuff.

Thanks for all of your support!

Please feel free to post/repost/publish this article anywhere but pro-hunt websites and the horse and hound forum.

Contact email: westyorkshuntsabs@yahoo.co.uk