Hunting dogs owned by a Catholic school may be sold off in a bid to
fight rising costs. The beagles at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire,
are the only pack run by a Catholic school. But the Abbot of Ampleforth,
Dom Patrick Barry, said he had "reluctantly" decided that funding the
dogs from school fees could no longer be justified.
This was because the number of boys who followed the hunt regularly
was "very limited indeed". Only about a dozen boys are thought to follow
the hunt regularly, while there are about 20 regular followers from
outside the college.
The abbey is prepared to hand the pack over to new owners in the
locality if a suitable proposal can be made. The pack of 40 hounds are
estimated to cost £15,000 a year to maintain.
Local supporter Ian Kibble, whose son went to Ampleforth, is
exploring alternative ways of keeping the hunt.
From The Universe dated December 26, 1993:
Reproduced with thanks
See Letters:
http://www.all-creatures.org/fol/let-1994universeletters.html#8.
