Fox-hunting pens shut down

Six fox-hunting pens have been shut down in Virginia following a two-year investigation by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s office.

Nine people pleaded guilty to a range of charges, mostly misdemeanors but also a few felonies.

“Fox penning can become unlawful when operators put illegal foxes and coyotes into a fenced-in area and allow dogs to chase – and sometimes kill – the wild animals,” Herring’s office said. “The practice also has been known to deviate from training of hunting dogs to include gambling and competitions to see whose dog can catch the confined fox.”

Sarah Rankin at the Associated Press reported that the pens that lost licenses are among the first to be revoked since the passage of a 2014 law intended to phase out the controversial practice. The law grandfathered existing operations, though they will have to close by 2054.

The pens that lost their permits are in Buckingham, Lunenburg, Appomattox, Dinwiddie, King and Queen, and Brunswick.