- guardian.co.uk, Friday February 18 2005 11.30 GMT
· In England, hunting with Agassaei hounds was popular before the Romans arrived. The The Romans brought their own Castorian and Fulpine breeds.
· The earliest known foxhunt with hounds was in 1534, when farmers in Norfolk, England, began chasing down foxes with their dogs as a means of pest control.
· Half of the 318 registered hound packs in England and Wales were founded before 1869.
· Foxhunts caught 13,987 foxes last season.
· The total attendance at all hunting meets last year was 1.28 million people.
· The total expenditure on foxhunting last year was £243.1m.
· There is still one active hound pack that hunts foxes in India - a legacy of the Raj.
· Russia is keen to attract overseas hunters to enjoy its vast tracts of open land, and foxhunting is on the rise in the US, where there are more than 150 recognised hunts.
· Hunts typically employ "whippers-in", who direct hounds in the course of a hunt. Whippers-in inspired the parliamentary system of whips, who enforce party discipline and ensure the attendance of other members at important votes.
