Fox and dog tear one another in artificial burrow. Who needs it?
Photo: www.royal-canin.ru
Artificial burrows have windows. A wild fox is put inside. A dachshund or a terrier come next. You can watch the dog fighting with the fox. The animals can be separated with the help of a stick. The fox gets taken by its hind legs and is brought back to the burrow. Then everything is repeated. The owner of the blood-stained dogs strokes them.
We have no idea how spectacular it may be. But think what the fox feels. Belarus Open U-shaped Artificial Burrow tournament will be held in the open-air cage “Yarshouka” in Valozhyn District on April 30 and May 1. “Earth dogs” like dachshunds and terriers are set on a fox. A live fox. It was “an exciting sight”, the organizers said last year.
Such tournaments are forbidden in the neighboring states. The championship is a great opportunity to take earth dogs out of apartments, journalist and hunter Alyaksandr Acharetny thinks:
"The dog and the wild animal have equal opportunities. Blood can be shed because this is a fight. But if you do not organize if, the dog will lose its skills and normal hunting dogs will turn into ordinary pets."
Belarus is a country where real hunting dogs can be brought up, Acharetny told Euroradio. “Zoo schizos” and ‘brainless greens’ who do not know what is going on are preventing such tournaments in other countries, he believes.
Such competitions are a torture, director of the centre of ethical treatment of animals Lyudmila Lahinouskaya said:
"It is a violation of the Law On Cruelty to Animals. The demonstration of cruelty to animals to, say, minors results in criminal responsibility. It is absolutely immoral as well as hunting for fun. People used to hunt to survive and there is no need to make animals suffer nowadays.”
The Belarusian Association of Hunters and Fishers sees no problem in it either. The dogs were especially raised to hunt foxes and the foxes are doing damage to Belarusian agriculture…
"Stress… Chickens are also stressed when they are about to be killed. But you like eating them. There are hunting traditions and culture. A fox and a dog are both dogs. It is natural. These competitions teach dogs to hunt,” a dog expert from the association assured.
The event is open for everyone, the dog experts said. However, viewers cannot enter the open-air cage because of the safety regulations. Special stewards watch the animals and can stop fights, they can also open the burrow to prevent the animals from dying. A veterinarian is ready to render medical assistance. Animals die rarely and dogs usually get most of the injuries, the Euroradio’s interlocutors noted. The best dogs are awarded with medals.
