They hunt, we chase: Why American foxhunting survives America's
culture is a mix of borrowed traditions. Along with tea and
textiles, early ex-patriots imported foxhunting and transformed
it into a legitimate part of American history. Although it has
recently been banned as a sport in England, it's still legal in
America. Why was Britain so eager to outlaw foxhunting? The
answer may be that Great Britain's form of foxhunting has a
purpose very different from the American version. As Laura
Howden points out in the May 31, 2002 issue of National
Geographic, "One of the main arguments behind the pro-hunt
movement in England is that foxhunters perform a social service
by culling foxes." English foxhunting opponents call it a cruel
habit that survives simply for the pleasure of killing animals.
A report from The Mammal Society to The Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals acknowledged that farmers and
countrymen considered foxes destructive animals that needed to
be limited. In fact, the red fox po