Comments on: Does Leeds Castle have the lovliest castle garden in England?

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:33:17 +0000

Well yes. But the rabbits for consumption tend to be specially breed from domestic stock rather than the industry existing as a way of controlling a ‘pest’.
[ http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/75882/Farming-meat-rabbits-in-NSW—Primefact-104-final.pdf ]

Wild rabbits however were consumed in Australia during the Great Depression.
[ http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/foodanddrink/ ]

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:09:31 +0000

Yes – it is time.
Could rabbit-eating be popular in Australia? It could be a good way of controlling a ‘pest’ and having a sustainable supply of protein.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:55:58 +0000

Whoops – the full title of the book is …the Russian Far East and Japan’.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:54:51 +0000

Perhaps it is a good time to reconsider hunting etiquette?

In ‘People and Forest: policy and local reality in Southeast Asia, the Russian …the authors say (p301):

“Hunting…is one of the traditional and most prestigious activities of the Udeghe people. Though the overkilling of animals, which sometimes happens, is often condemned as a typical cause of the destruction of the natural environment, hunting itself is beginning to be recognised as one of the styles of sustainable non-timber forest use in the indigenous’ people’s territories. In fact, indigenous hunters have demonstrated the sustainability of hunting for hundreds of years under various political and social conditions.”

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 06:34:25 +0000

Many people think the UK fox population is growing, particularly in urban areas but the stupid ban on hunting seems to have had little impact on this http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/questions_answers_foxes.html#increasing . The stupidity was that it infuriated many people and did nothing to stop them hunting foxes.
Hunting lions and tigers has been a proof of one’s suitability for kingship and mating since Paleolithic times. See http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14223.html
Now that sacred kingship is out of fashion I suppose we no longer need lions and tigers to hunt. But I would like to see a lot more deer parks in Europe. Richmond Park is a wonderful example in London and there are many others in the UK. In fact I would love to see the golfers at Leeds Castle joined by deer – the combination seems fine at Knole Park, also in Kent. http://www.knoleparkgolfclub.co.uk/index.lasso?pg=f5cb0789f3128f74&catid=0a74a336c940364c&mp=260fa8a7abc9c893 Deer could also be a sustainable protein source. Hunters could pay large sums to ‘shoot’ them with sticky mini-transmitters. If successful, the victims could be ‘humanely’ caught and sent to abattoirs. Now there’s a money-making idea for someone! People pay £150-£500/day for cruel deer stalking http://www.deerstalkingscotland.co.uk/stalkingcosts.html

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:49:36 +0000

Does the fox get to live another day? Is there a conservation imperative in reducing the number of foxes in the countryside?

It seems that tiger-hunting, following kingship traditions in India, became part of British-Indian male identity.
[ http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/23966257/Face-Him-Like-a-Briton-Tiger-Hunting-Imperialism-and-British-Masculinity-in-Colonial-India-18001875 ]

Perhaps the Victoria and Albert would further the debate about hunting in its various forms by designing an exhibtion around ‘Tipu’s Tiger’?

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:21:57 +0000

The difficult classifications are, well, difficult. But so long as people are not eating foxes I would definitely class fox-hunting as recreation. Ditto tigers.

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:12:10 +0000

I wonder where the distinction between recreation, sport, conservation and consumption lies? [Think whaling controversies.]

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:37:19 +0000

I like the photo! – and fox hunting is problematical: (1) one has to respect the ancient ‘art’ of the hunter (2) ‘killing for pleasure’ is not an activity one can support (3) but learning the skills of the hunter may be OK. But I certainly think the English have to allow ‘hunting for pleasure’ if they are going to allow ‘fishing for pleasure’ (ie coarse fishing). Legislating against the leisure activities of one social class must be wrong, even if it is the upper class.

By: christine

christine — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:45:57 +0000

A little on fox hunting….(the photograph is a gem!). I suppose some reassessment of hunter/gathering societies might also assist us to understand a philosophy of culture?
[ http://www.greenacres-stud.com/foxhunting.htm ]