Shout. Growling. Terror.
A huge commotion, at the end of which there are only losers. This is not the beginning of a new thriller, but the reality of fox hunting by "going to ground" - a form of fox hunting. At the hunter's command, a hunting dog climbs into the burrow and tries to defend the fox, which fights the dog to the death.
The dog drives it out of the burrow, and if it doesn't kill it, the hunter shoots it. If the fox has cubs, the hunter either shoots them or takes them into captivity, where they serve as live bait for training dogs for the rest of their lives. Hunting dogs may only be trained without contact, which means that the hunter locks the fox in an artificial burrow and releases one dog after another to demonstrate their abilities.
Foxes and their cubs suffer during "going to ground" practice, but it is often dangerous for the hunting dog itself. Due to its cruelty, more and more hunters are abandoning this method. Last year, the proportion of animals hunted in this way fell again, with only 3% of all foxes killed being hunted in burrows. There are growing efforts to end this outdated hunting practice and replace it with more effective methods.
The organization Svoboda zvířat (Animal Freedom) is trying to end "going to ground" practise through its initiative Nora patří lišce (The Den Belongs to the Fox). Since 2024, the initiative has collected over 114,000 signatures, and Czech citizens have sent politicians nearly 30,000 emails demanding that they decide to end this cruel practice.
In the summer of 2025, foxes achieved their first victory—for the first time, they were granted several months of protection from hunting, including cruel "going to ground".
To ensure that no other fox experiences the horrors of “going to ground,” the practice and its training must be ended completely.
Furthermore, although foxes are now protected from hunting from March to the end of June, fox cubs do not become independent until August.
Negotiations are currently underway with politicians about possible legislative changes and ending this drastic hunting of foxes and their young. However, running a campaign is an expensive undertaking, so we appreciate every donor who contributes and helps in the fight for foxes.
Help the foxes and donate with VAKOVAKO!
Give the foxes your vote and fight for a better future for them. Sign the initiative to end the cruel practice on www.norapatrilisce.cz.
