Deer suffering data questioned
19 April 2000
Deer suffering data questioned
A SCIENTIST who claimed hunting deer with hounds was cruel has been accused of misinterpreting the evidence.
The 1997 report by Professor Patrick Bateson of Kings College, Cambridge led to the National Trust and the Forestry Commission banning deer hunting on their land.
But at the hunting inquiry on Tuesday (18 April), Dr Tim Helliwell, a veterinary exercise psychologist from Liverpool University, disputed Prof Batesons findings, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Dr Helliwell said there was no evidence of the massive muscle damage in hunted deer reported by Prof Bateson.
He said muscle damage in hunted deer was comparable with that suffered by marathon runners.
- Scientists back hunt cruelty report, FWi, 02 February, 2000
- National Trust to keep hunt ban, FWi, 28 January, 2000
- The Daily Telegraph, 19/04/2000, page 4
See more