SUPPORTERS of hunting with hounds are claiming scientific justification, now
that a new study has questioned whether hunting deer is unacceptably cruel.
Last year, Patrick Bateson of the University of Cambridge shocked Britain鈥檚
hunt supporters with his study, commissioned by the National Trust, suggesting
that hunted red deer suffered severe stress
(This Week, 19 April 1997, p 7).
Bateson analysed blood from deer slaughtered after being overcome by hounds
and concluded that a hunted deer鈥檚 muscles often run out of glycogen, their main
energy store. Even after short chases, he argued, the animals鈥� red blood cells
and muscles were breaking down, and deer that escaped after lengthy chases would
be in such bad shape that they might die. The trust, one of Britain鈥檚 biggest
landowners, responded by banning stag hunting on its land.
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But some of these conclusions are called into question by a study funded by
pro-hunting groups and led by Roger Harris of the Royal Veterinary College in
Hertfordshire and Douglas Wise of the University of Cambridge.
The researchers took samples from 36 deer killed by hunting. Their blood
analysis gave similar results to those found by Bateson, but Harris and Wise鈥檚
interpretation is different. Deer, says Harris, are 鈥渁thletically superior鈥� to
hounds, and will easily sprint away from a chasing pack, often stopping to
resume their normal activities until the hounds once again close in. Only when a
deer鈥檚 glycogen is exhausted will it fail to escape. Just when that happens
depends on the deer and the nature of the hunt. Bateson concluded that a hunted
deer may be running on empty for 90 minutes, but Harris argues that this period
will be just a few minutes.
The study breaks new ground in analysing samples of muscle from hunted deer.
According to Wise, Bateson鈥檚 finding that the blood of hunted deer contains
creatine kinase, a muscle enzyme, was the most worrying鈥攊f an escaped
stag鈥檚 muscles are severely damaged, it might indeed suffer a lingering
death.
However, in the deer studied by Harris and Wise鈥檚 team, only around 0.5 per
cent of muscle fibres were damaged鈥攍ess than the wear and tear suffered by
some human athletes. 鈥淭here was no evidence of extensive muscle damage,鈥� says
Harris.
Bateson accepts there is no clear evidence of the muscle damage he predicted.
鈥淚 have to be more open-minded,鈥� he says. But he adds that damage could
accumulate over time, so its true extent might emerge only if hunted deer were
released, and then sampled a day or two later.
In an attempt to thrash out a consensus, Bateson and the National Trust鈥檚
scientific advisers met last weekend with Harris, Wise and their team. Their
statement calls on hunts 鈥渢o find ways in which the suffering involved in
hunting may be reduced while maintaining hunting鈥�.
Next month, the National Trust鈥檚 governing council will reconsider its ban on
deer hunting. Bateson will brief the council on the results, but will not
discuss the advice he intends to give.