Anger at the sale of deer sanctuaries

12 June 1998

Anger at the sale of deer sanctuaries

THE League Against Cruel Sports has been accused of betraying its supporters wishes by selling hundreds of acres of deer sanctuary in the West Country.

The sales are to pay £250,000 in debts incurred while campaigning for the unsuccessful private members Bill to ban hunting earlier this year.

John Bryant, the leagues former chief press officer, called on his former colleagues to stop the sales. He is the latest of three leaders of the league to fall out with its executive committee.

Mr Bryant is considering setting up a rival organisation to campaign against both hunting and shooting.

The league confirmed that four sanctuaries – amounting to 120 acres – had already been sold, with one still to be sold and one under offer. The league owns around 2,000 acres of sanctuaries. It bans staghounds from crossing its land and, on some of them, has built up large herds of deer.

• The Daily Telegraph 12/06/98 page 9