Britons protest anti-fox-hunting law

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LONDON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The number of Britons attending local hunts rose after a government official said the prime minister cannot repeal the Labor Party's foxhunting ban.

Those in favor of repealing the law sent a "direct message" to Prime Minister David Cameron, as the hunting turnout was one-fifth higher than usual and despite a heavy rainfall, said Tim Bonner, the campaign director for Countryside Alliance, a pro-hunting group based in London

Most people think hunting is a "sickening blood sport" and want to keep the ban in place, the League Against Cruel Sports in Surrey said.

Animal-rights advocates employed former police officers and professional investigators to scrutinize fox hunts across England Wednesday on Boxing Day.

Boxing Day is a popular foxhunting day, despite the sport having been banned in England since 2004.

The ban is "putting ordinary people in a very difficult situation. They are extremely proud of their hunts and want to show it," Bonner said.

"They want the Hunting Act repealed so they can to travel back to a time where hunting wild animals with dogs and ripping them apart was legal. Hunting is a sickening blood sport that belongs to the past," said a League Against Cruel Sports spokesman.