Two foxhounds were killed after being hit by passing vehicles on the A30 near Okehampton on Saturday (December 30) and suffering serious injuries.

A member of the public found one of the injured dogs still alive and took the animal to a nearby vet, where it was discovered that the dog had sustained a broken spine due to the collision.

Unfortunately, the injuries were so severe that vets needed to put the animal to sleep.

Devon County Hunt Saboteurs, who were returning from sabotaging the Stevenstone Hunt, were alerted to the incident via a local Facebook group and later found a second hound already dead by the side of the road.

Saboteurs believe that the hounds belonged to the Mid Devon Hunt, based in Chagford, which was meeting in Belstone that day, but the Okehampton Times has been unable to verify this information independently.

Following news of the incident, the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) has spoken out.

A spokesperson for the HSA, said: “Treated as mere tools by hunt staff and deliberately put into exceedingly dangerous situations, road traffic accidents involving foxhounds are sadly not uncommon.”

The Mid Devon Hunt was approached for comment but did not respond.

The incidents comes only days after the annual Boxing Day meets across the country. The Countryside Alliance estimated that tens of thousands of supporters attended the Boxing Day meets in 2023.