Hunt sabotage is the direct action that animal rights activists and animal liberation activists undertake to interfere with hunting activity.

Description

Hunt sabotage, as carried out by anti-hunting campaigners, or hunt saboteurs, involves the use of a variety of tactics to prevent the killing of animals. Since the opposition to killing is generally on moral or ethical grounds, hunt sabotage takes place against both lawful and unlawful hunting activity. Tactics vary depending on the type of hunt that is being targeted.

Conflicts between hunt saboteurs and hunt supporters

The actions of saboteurs often place them in direct confrontation with hunters and hunt supporters.

By country

In the United Kingdom the direct-action saboteurs are often members of the Hunt Saboteurs Association. Other groups such as the League Against Cruel Sports also carry out anti-hunting activities, generally through non-direct means, campaigning, publicity etc. Every year in Spain, organisations such as Equanimal or the platform Matar por matar, non are involved in the sabotage of the Copa Nacional de Caza del Zorro (Spanish: "National Fox Hunt Cup") following the hunters making noise with megaphones to scare foxes and preventing them from being killed. In Ireland the Hunt Saboteurs Ireland, founded in 2019, aims to sabotage fox hunting and other forms of wildlife persecution such as lamping. In Sweden, the Hunt Saboteurs Sweden take direct action against hunting in Sweden and Norway, especially wolf hunting.