Yesterday, a Tacoma resident was surprised to see a group of fox hunters on the hunt in Spanaway. Here, four hunters dressed in traditional British attire while riding horses under a bridge. Although Tacoma does have foxes as part of its wildlife, these are generally very rare, and you’re probably more likely to come across a cougar.

Nonetheless, this pass time is very controversial for obvious reasons. Before jumping to conclusions though, it turns out that this may not be as bad as it first seems. This is because it was a local club participating in a ‘dry hunt’ which doesn’t involve killing foxes or using dogs to collect them.

News of the hunt first appeared on Reddit which was met with a mixture of confusion and humorous responses. Here, one user clarified that this was a local club simulating a fox hunt. In other words, no animals were harmed during this mock hunt. Still, this remains a pretty odd sight in the US.

Fox hunting is a traditional sport in the UK that involves people on horseback, with dogs, chasing a fox, and then killing it with the dogs that date back centuries. Fox hunting is often viewed as cruel and unnecessary, as foxes are not a threat to livestock or humans, and it disrupts the natural habitat of foxes and other wildlife. Not only this but it is often viewed as inhumane.