Articles
BISHOP JOINS WAR ON OTTER HUNTS
By J. Mason Milligan
From the Sunday Telegraph dated August 29th 1976:
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt. Rev. Maurice Wood, has promised to
support angry residents in the Isle of Mull in their campaign against an
English businessman who hunts otters there.
The Englishman, Mr. Michael Farrow, a property developer, who has a
business address in Jameson Street, Kensington, and his wife, have taken
a pack of otter hounds to Mull every year for the past four years.
The Bishop, who is seeking to have otter hunting banned, heard of the
Mull situation when he attended a theatre in the island.
Plea to land owners
Before the show, Mrs. Marian Hesketh, wife of the director of Mull
Little Theatre, appealed to the audience to do nothing to assist the
English otter hunters. She asked landowners to refuse them permission to
use their land.
The Bishop was �deeply concerned� and promised he would speak on the
matter in the House of Lords as soon as possible. He is now in Italy and
not available for comment.
Mr. and Mrs. Farrow left Mull a few days ago. They are believed to be
still in Scotland on holiday.
Mrs. Elizabeth Shields, of Salen, one of the island�s leading
conservationists, said yesterday that hotels and restaurants had refused
to serve Mr. and Mrs. Farrow and their party of four friends. Landowners
she had contacted had refused permission to use their land.
Cruelty denied
She said the otter was a shy, courageous little beast that met a
�disgusting and cruel death� by the hounds. �There are few otters left
on the island. If hunting continues they will be lost to us for good.�
Capt. John Bell-Irving of Dumfriesshire, president of the Master of
Otter Hounds Association, the governing body on Otter-hunting in
Britain, said to me: �In my view, there is no cruelty in the sport. If
there were it would have been banned years ago.�
There are 14 organised packs of otter hounds in Britain. One is in
Scotland.
With thanks to Mike Huskisson.
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