Foxes worse off
The week's news at a glance.
London
A nationwide ban on using dogs to hunt foxes has resulted in more, not less, suffering, Britain’s Animal Welfare journal reported this week. The traditional English hunt, in which dogs chase a fox while horseback riders follow, was outlawed last year. Activists argued that being torn to pieces by a pack of hounds was needlessly cruel to foxes. Instead, the foxes are now being shot. But new research shows that up to half of the animals shot with guns are only wounded, not killed outright, and they die a slow and painful death. “Shooting does not reduce suffering,” said Lembit Opik, a member of Parliament. “After all, with dogs it’s all or nothing.” Legislators opposed to the ban said they would present the new findings to Parliament.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use