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Loading...Students Can Earn A Vocational Degree In Hunting
Students enrolled in the vocational Animal Care program in England can earn a new government-approved specialized diploma in hunting, even though the sport was officially banned in 2004.
Animal activists have protested the controversial course that will have teens studying the skills of hunting as part of a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) program supported by the national fox hunting authority.
The course was developed by the Masters of the Foxhounds Association which “represents 176 packs of foxhounds that hunt in England and Wales and a further 10 in Scotland.”
The NVQ program will be taught by Haddon Training, whose tag line is, “A leading training provider specializing in work-based learning within the Equine, Animal Care and Saddlery Industries.”
Students will live at a hunting facility while they will learn about hunting with hounds, beagles and harriers. The course will also provide training on hunting safety, first aid, how to run a hunting kennel and keeping packs of hounds.
The goal is to find employment for students as “hunt workers” when they graduate.
Hunting foxes and deer with more than two hounds was made illegal through the Hunting Act of 2004, but loopholes in the law have kept the sport alive and thriving.
Steve Taylor, a spokesman for the League of Cruel Sports said, “It would be interesting to know if there’s a section on how to ‘accidentally hunt’, which is how many hunts are getting around the law and still killing foxes cruelly.”
Lesley Seed with the Masters of the Foxhounds Association said the program will give Britain the “huntsmen” of the future. She is disappointed with the quality of current kennel workers who routinely misrepresent their skills. She’s got her fingers crossed the new program will remedy the problem.
“This qualification is solid proof you have done it, you’ve worked towards it, and it will help with the job – though it’s not vital,” said Seed.
Tim Easy who works for Haddon Training said the NVQ program was a “fantastic development.”
“It will help to formalise the training needed to work with animals in a hunting context. But not only that, it will provide transferable skills for people wanting to work with animals in any other walk of life, whether it’s on a farm or at a zoo,” he said.
“Hunting has a future if it keeps abreast of 21st-century education and welfare standards.”
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Photo from discoverymike via flickr
Read more: animal cruelty, animal rights, animal welfare, degree in hunting, fox hunting, hunting dogs, vocational education
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Animal CARE program?? Hunting is a class vocation for "upper class" medieval throwbacks with more money than brains. Too bad the monarchy does not cull their own, and allow hunting of all those diseased inbreds messing up the gene pool.
Gosh this is absolutely unbelievable. This is 2012 - please let's catch up! Wake up people!! Hunting is not a sport - it is murder. Using dogs is also just insane!!!! You barbaric uncivilized hunters - which you have such bad karma!!!
This is crazy!!! :(
So one killer King is not enough, now England will joint the Spain King in hunting, making it official??? Wow, another reason why I disagree with monarquic countries, the court is so selfcentered and arrogant, they believe as part of the nobiliary they have the "right" to kill, soooooo sad.
How about a vocational degree in "Hunting the Hunters"?
The idyll rich don't contribute to society anyway.
The quango organisation entitled: “A leading training provider specializing in work-based learning within the Equine, Animal Care and Saddlery Industries” is just a cover-up title in an effort to justify the continuance of huntiing animals with dogs and their bloodthirsty followers.
How do they presume to take it upon themselves to impose upon our society their idea of what the people of this country want - by trying to justify these courses to "train the hunters of the future" ????? I DO NOT WANT TO PAY MY TAXES TO EDUCATE SOMEONE ON A VOCATIONAL DEGREE IN HUNTING!! This Is Absolutely Outrageous and has GOT TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM NOW!!!
Ask for the opening of other ANIMAL CARE PROGRAM that teaches skills that could help in the farm,zoos,vets , teaching etc...Directed to protect live! If they have a "destructive" program,why not one for the construction of a better world? Go for it! It will be better than theirs! Let's see arguments to say no. - Would they say no to students wanting to be prepared to deal with other animals and not only foxes and saving lives, controling population,managing emergencies,helping vets, shelters,scientists ,with capacity to teach those skills to children,other students,communities etc...rather than killing? In terms of preparation, would be more qualified to say the least. GO FOR IT!
David Cameron is supports hunting and that is how he got into power, because he promised the pro hunt lobby that he'd do all he could to overturn the ban. He is biding his time but the idea of this NVQ being taught shows where the Tory governments sympathy lies.
How crass !
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