Hunts across the West Midlands have invented a new pursuit to keep them happy once a ban is introduced next year - virtual hunting. The new pastime will include the horses, the riders and even the hounds - only the fox will be absent. Instead, the proposals, raised at a Midland meeting of the Council of Hunting Associations, will include chasing other prey - rats and rabbits. Virtual hunting has been put forward as a way of retaining some of the traditions of hunting, enabling the hounds and horses to continue working and provide a liveli-hood for those within the £14.9 million a year industry. It is also hoped that with the legislation in its current form, it would be difficult to prove whether a hunt had killed a fox. Clare Rowson, regional director of the Countryside Alliance in the West Midlands, said: "It is obviously legal for them to meet, it is legal for them to go riding across the countryside with hounds. How do you prove they have killed a fox? Virtual hunting can take various forms. Obviously with the legislation it is perfectly legal to hunt rats and rabbits and there are a number of loopholes. There are different options we can look at, some people may go out and completely defy the ban and some may go out in a completely legal capacity." Ms Rowson said the Hunting Act was rife with loopholes, which would be exposed by hunts while a legal challenge launched by the Countryside Alliance continued to be battled out in the courts. At least 1,000 are employed directly by hunts nationwide and it is claimed up to 8,000 people could lose their jobs because of the hunting ban. According to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, innocent bystanders who witness an illegal hunt, farmers whose land is used against their will, or people - including those engaged in drag hunting - whose dogs chase and kill a fox against their wishes will not be guilty of a crime. Ms Rowson said virtual hunting will be a legal basis for hunts and clubs to continue after the ban is enforced from February and will ensure that the infrastructure of hunting survives. The Council of Hunting Associations is holding meetings to discuss the future of both the hounds and the horses. "They are looking at how they can hunt legally and whatever loopholes there are. They have got to weigh up all the options and what will work best for them," Ms Rowson added. "Everybody at the meeting wants to make sure, because of the legal challenges in place and the future General Election, they can keep going for as long as it takes and when the ban is repealed they can resume conventional hunting." Since a hunting ban was introduced in Scotland two years ago, only one member of a hunt has been charged with breaking the law. Ms Rowson said no hunts had disbanded in Scotland since the ban was introduced. | 
