Fox hunting and snaring raise significant welfare concerns, with evidence of prolonged suffering from both traditional hunting methods and trap-based approaches.
Foxes caught in snares experience distress, injury from struggling against restraint, and prolonged suffering before death or discovery. Non-target species including badgers, cats, and rabbits are also caught in snares intended for foxes. Traditional fox hunting with dogs, when it occurred, involved the animal being pursued to exhaustion before being killed by the pack — a process involving significant fear and suffering. Foxes dying from mange experience weeks of progressive deterioration including intense itching, hair loss, and secondary infection.