National animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports made a special delivery of more than 10,000 campaign postcards to Dartmoor National Park Authority today - in protest that hunts are still allowed on land owned by the national park authority.

The League’s foxie postie delivered mail sacks stuffed with postcards signed by the public, which allege that hunts are still hunting foxes, made illegal by the hunting act of 2004, under the cover of ‘trail hunting’.

John Petrie, senior campaigns manager at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “Most national park authorities in England no longer allow fox hunts onto their land, because what they claim to be doing – hunting a pre-laid trail instead of an animal – has become increasingly discredited and shown to be a sham.

“It’s time for change and for Dartmoor and Exmoor national park authorities to protect wildlife and preserve nature by banning fox and trail hunting on their land.”

The charity is targeting both Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks, along with the Peak District, as the last three national park authorities in England and Wales which still allow fox or ‘trail’ hunts on their land. Ten other national park authorities have policies which prevent fox hunts from using their land and, in recent years, fox hunting has been banned on 2.3 million acres of land run by other landowners including the National Trust.

The League poins out that trail hunting has been described by Chief Supt Matt Longman, the most senior police officer in England, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”.

Despite a fox hunting ban coming into force in 2005, the League has compiled reports showing hundreds of eyewitness sightings of suspected illegal fox hunting every year – some of which take place in national parks.

John Petrie added: “We need fox hunting laws to be strengthened by the next government so that fox hunts can no longer chase and kill animals, something sadly going on despite the fox hunting ban.

“In the meantime, national parks and landowners need to deny the hunts access to their land so that the cruel and senseless killing of foxes is ended once and for all.”

A spokesperson for Exmoor National Park said: “We do not allow fox hunting, which is an illegal activity.

“Whilst we work with local police, Exmoor National Park Authority is not responsible for enforcing the hunting ban on Exmoor.

“Anyone who suspects that hunting is taking place illegally, or is witness to unacceptable behaviour, should report it to the police.”