Campaign to protect wildlife comes to the South West as Vinny the Fox brings his election message to town!

A fox cub touring the South West calling for hunting to stay illegal may seem ill-advised, but a serious message lies behind a light-hearted campaign heading to Devon, Cornwall and Somerset this weekend.

The Votes for Vinny tour, backed by the League Against Cruel Sports, will involve a mobile billboard featuring the face of seven-week old fox cub Vinny. The billboard will carry the message that 84%(1) of people in England and Wales want fox hunting to remain illegal.

Vinny’s campaign has already toured Great Britain, and his VotesforVinny website has led to thousands of emails being sent to election candidates asking them to support the ban on hunting and support higher sentences for animal cruelty.

Chris Luffingham, Director of Campaigns for the League Against Cruel Sports said:

“There will be some who will question why we’re bringing an anti-fox hunting message to the South West. But we’re doing so because we know that the majority of people in every constituency in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset want fox hunting to remain banned. We need every candidate in this area to know that their constituents are against killing animals for sport.

“The Ipsos Mori polling showed that 82% of people in rural areas alone are opposed to fox hunting. These are the people who live among hunting, and understand what it truly is – a cruel sport, nothing more. 88% are against deer hunting, most of which happens in the South West. And 91% oppose hare hunting and hare coursing. All these things will be made legal again if the Hunting Act is scrapped.

“If that’s not enough, new polling released this week showed that 46% of the public said they were less likely to vote for a candidate who wanted hunting legalised, compared to just 7% who are more likely to vote for a pro-hunt candidate. The stats are adding up – candidates who want fox hunting legalised are not representing their constituents.”

Vinny the Fox Cub’s mobile billboard is travelling through Plymouth, St Ives, Truro, Torbay, Exeter, Bath and South Gloucestershire between the 2nd and 4th of June.

Supporters are encouraged to tweet @votesforvinny if they spot Vinny’s Van on the road. Anyone wishing to contact their candidates to let them know how they feel about hunting and animal cruelty can do so easily at www.votesforvinny.org.uk.

The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act. We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage sanctuaries to protect wildlife. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk.
Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).