Grouse Shoots Sabbed in the Holme Valley

West & South Yorkshire Hunt Sabs joined forces yesterday to stop grouse shoots in the Holme Valley, near Holmfirth.

At the first shoot, over 25 sabs got between the beaters and the guns and then blocked the shooting butts resulting in most of the bloodsports enthusiasts cracking their guns and abbandoning the first drive. Obviously angry at their ’sport’ being stopped, members of the shoot assaulted one sab to try and get their video camera, rammed the sab van and the owner of the shoot decided it would be a good idea to put one of the front windows through on the vehicle. As per usual, the police couldn’t care less and were more interested in getting rid of the sabs with laws they didn’t even know themselves.

The next group of shooters, a bit further down the road, packed up straight away when they saw the sabs arriving; however poor communication meant that they couldn’t tell the beaters who carried on driving the grouse towards guns that weren’t there. Realising they had been made fools of, on of teh head beaters begun shouting at the police to enforce laws that didn’t exist, to which they just told him the truth.

The day’s sabbing was a great success, with countless lives being saved and two shoots stopped from killing.

Activists Demo Council Over Grouse Shoot Plans

On Friday, 15 activists held a visual and noisey demo outside Bradford Council’s Head Office, Jacob’s Well, because of their plans to allow grouse shooting to return to Ilkley Moor.

Banners were tied up and held and information given to all the members of staff and visitors going in through the site’s main enterance. Members of public wrre very supportive and many made comments about the council not caring about the people of their town, never mind the animals to be killed if bloodsports return to the moor. The constant noise from the megaphone and chanting made sure that nobody could be unaware of why we were there.

The demo then moved onto the town’s City Hal where campaigners went inside the office and put the West Yorkshire Sabs website on every computer screen. Outside the main enterance, activists climbed up the gates and tied a banner across, much to the annoyance of the security guards who begun shaking the gate whilst someone whas still up it!

Other campaigners dropped baqnners of a nearby flyover to inform everybody coming into Bradford about the council’s involvement in animal cruelty and bloodsports.

Overall the day was very successful with lots of support from the staff and public. Click Here to read the article about the demo in the Bradford T&A.

When is a bloodsport not a bloodsport? When it’s a grouse shoot!

The Bingley Moor Partnership and the Moorlands Association have been busy in the lead-up to the ‘Glorious 12th’, the official start of the grouse shooting season, trying to make it in the headlines and turn the tables on the general public opposition to bloodsports.

The articles have a general tone of pathetic attitudes; whinging and whining like little kids, complaining about the names the “anti’s” call their pastime and how it is a tradition so it must be right.

One article starts off:

Edward Bromet doesn’t like the phrase ‘bloodsport’.

“It is grouse shooting,” he said. “You don’t need to give it another name to make it sound worse. It has gone on since Victorian times and it will go on in the future.”

We suggest that before Edward Bromet goes commenting in papers he looks up the dictionary definition of ‘bloodsport’ and hopefully will realise that grouse shooting involves birds, and other animals, being killed, blood being shed and animal suffering, so falls into this criteria.

Furthermore; in the past children were sent up chimneys and down mines, fox hunting was legal, the slave trade was a legitimate line of business, bear bating happened, fur farming was rife…. the list goes on and on of disgusting and cruel traditions which are now banned and we aim to see the shooting of animals for entertainment consigned to the history books too.

Bromet has yet to comment on his involvement in Bradford Council’s ’secret’ dealings (see article below) – maybe this will come next?!

Bradford Council Exposed – Corruption and Favouritism over Grouse Shoot Plans

For Immediate Release Anti-shoot campaigners have accused Bradford Metropolitan Council of corruption and favouritism following the release of documents and internal communications regarding the controvercial move to allow grouse shooting to return to Ilkley Moor.

E-mails and letters between Danny Jackson, Countryside and Rights of Way Manager at B.M.C. and Edward Bromet, Head of the successful shooting tenders, Bingley Moor Partnership, show an “extremely close working relationship” going back to before adverts were placed for tenders for shooting rights in April 2008. The pair discuss their plans for the moor and the relevance of not advertising for other tenders, talk of initial payments, know colleagues on informal first-name terms and even wish each other a “Happy New Year” in what Bromet desribes as “many months of discussions.”

Further evidence reveals the Bingley Moor Partnership repairing the then council-owned grouse shooting butts free of charge in 2006, adding to the favouritism shown by Bradford Council when choosing the succesful company to host shoots on Ilkley Moor. The other organisation which applied was West Morton-based Upwood Hall, run by retired farmer Lewis Robertshaw, who have had a history of disagreements with the Countryside and Rights of Way office because of disputed access rights regarding public footpaths crossing their land.

A West Yorkshire Hunt Saboteurs spokesperson commented; “These documents reveal the true agenda behind Bradford Council’s plans for shooting on Ilkley Moor and the lack of independance when making important decisions. The relationship between the council and the Bingley Moor Partnership regarding the issue is nothing short of corrpuption and favouritism”.

ENDS

READ THE DOCUMENTS HERE (.PDF)
Please note that scans of the communications are attached and areas blacked out cannot be released due to the Data Protection Act 1998.

Bradford Voted Top City for Animal Abuse

The article on the link at the foot of this post is taken from the Bradford Telegraph & Argus and details how the city has been voted as one of the top places for animal abuse in the country.

But who is to blame?

Judging how the Bradford Metropolitan Council have reacted by advocating grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor and attempting to gain their own way through corruption, in-talking and their own undemocratic ways it is hardly surprising.
These are the people who are supposed to be setting an example; so how can a city be kind to animals when it’s own councilors and representatives encourage such acts of cruelty (in bloodsports) and try to justify that they are right?

In other words; what’s the difference between someone intentionally beating a dog to death and someone going out with friends and intentionally blasting grouse out of the sky?

Furthermore, those involved in high positions in the council such as Anne Hawksworth (Head of the Environmental Portfolio) are promoting the shooting of animals on Ilkley Moor; yet when someone goes out and shoots a cat with a crossbow, or a person with a gun, in the area we’re pretty sure the council would condemn these actions as barbaric. The fact still remains undesputed that the message given through grouse shooting is that it is ok to shoot living creatures (whether human or otherwise) with guns.

See the Article in the Bradford T&A Here >>> ‘City among the worst for animal cruelty’

Ilkley Moor Shoot Postponed – W.Y.H.S. Response

We have received information that the Grouse Shoot on Ilkley Moor has been postponed for two years due to actions by the Animal and Grouse Liberation Front in the area, which compromised of damage to property connected with the shooting industry.

The Moorlands Association spokesperson, Amanda Anderson, has said a lot of the equipment damaged by activists this month was not all related to the grouse shoot.

Instead, pens and traps owned by the association, which are used to kill other wildlife on Bingley and High Moor were also sabotaged by the ALF, resulting in much more damage.

She said that pens for breeding birds other than grouse were damaged, such as partridges, while traps were destroyed intended for the killing of weasels, stoats and mink.

West Yorkshire Hunt Sabs have no connection to these actions which break the law, but will neither condemn nor encourage any illegal action committed against bloodsports. We remain committed to fighting the Ilkley Moor grouse shoot plans through legal shoot sabotages and public campaigning. We remain focused on our initial aim of stopping shoots on Ilkley Moor and will continue the campaign until a full statement is received from either Bradford Metropolitan Council or the Bingley Moor Partnership confirming that no bloodsports will be occurring on the public moor in the future.

SAVE THE ILKLEY MOOR GROUSE!

Another Ilkley ALF Attack

Reported by Bite Back Magazine

received anonymously:

“Up on Denton Moor near Ilkley, we decided to get in on the recent action. A pheasant pen was found in woodland near the March Ghyll reservoir. The fences were brought down, a pulley system used to transport birds and other items up and down a steep slope was left broken. Feeders had their lids removed, and were subsequently lost. A large cage trap was cut in half and the inside was cut apart, bits of the trap were then removed from the area.

We found a good use for some superglue nearby, but don’t want to spoil the surprise.

ALF”

Grouse Pens Destroyed and Butts Toppled by ALF

Reported by Bite Back Magazine

anonymous report:

“Up around High Moor, Ilkley, activists located two small grouse pens which were put out of use. The contents of the pens were destroyed. A fen trap was found nearby and also destroyed. Along the moor a line of stone grouse butts were toppled, and wooden butts smashed. Into the High Moor woodland, and a large pheasant pen was found, the walls were brought down and two traps tampered with, water pipes were cut and other items left broken. Feeders were also attended to.

This action is dedicated to the Austrian prisoners.

Animal Liberation Front”

Grouse Pens, Equipment & Traps Smashed nr Ilkley Moor

Reported in Bite Back Magazine

Up in the White Crag plantation off Ilkley moor. A large grouse pen was identified and trashed, the water pipes and distributors were left split and smashed. The wire fencing from the entire enclosure was brought down. The electric fencing was cut and the system destroyed. Two set fen traps were discovered and placed permanently out of commission.

Two smaller pens were found nearby and the netting roof and wire surrounds were left in tatters. Feeders in the area were also tampered with.

Grouse Liberation Front

More Press Coverage of Grouse Campaign – Ilkley Gazette

Petition to ban grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor to be studied by council executive
By Amanda Greaves
From the Ilkley Gazette

A PETITION calling for a ban on grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor has been referred to Bradford’s most senior councillors.

Ilkley-based animal welfare group West Yorkshire Animals in Need presented its petition to a meeting of Bradford Council last week, and councillors voted to refer it to its executive.

Despite outcry from local and national animal groups – including hunt saboteurs – Bradford Council recently handed Bingley Moor Partnership a ten-year contract to hold commercial shoots on the landmark moor.

Although the contract has been signed by the partnership and the council, which owns and maintains the moor, protestors hope to halt shooting before it begins.

Ilkley resident and member of West Yorkshire Animals in Need, Oliver Townsend, questioned the council’s decision-making process over the issue.

In 1997, the then Labour-controlled council declined to grant a shooting lease, but the long-term aim of re-introducing grouse shooting has appeared in subsequent moorland management plans.

“No discussion or decision process has occurred and no referral to the full Bradford Council,” he told last week’s meeting.

However, a full debate on the issue by the council looks unlikely. The petition may simply be noted by the executive, as the contract has already been signed.

Part of the grouse shooting deal means that Bingley Moor Partnership will provide the services of a gamekeeper to help Bradford Council manage the fire-damaged moor.