Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling, and other Forgotten Sports by Edward Brooke-Hitching

Author:Edward Brooke-Hitching [Brooke-Hitching, Edward]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Though cherished by some for the strength and skill it demanded, use of the otter grain was later viewed as unsporting by otter hunters, and was phased out in the 19th century. Despite mounting opposition from animal rights organisations, otter hunts in England were popular right up to 1978, when the mammal was finally listed as a protected species.

Interestingly, the ill feeling towards the otter wasn’t a total global antipathy: in ancient Persia the animal was held sacred by the Zoroastrian people, who classified the killing of the creature as a heinous crime. They would even bury with ceremony any dead otter they came across. There were eighteen punishments for the man found guilty of lutracide (murder of ‘the water-dog’), which included being forced to atone by killing 10,000 corpse-flies, 10,000 frogs, 10,000 snakes and 10,000 worms. Other reparations included carrying 10,000 loads of wood to the sacred fire, and relinquishing land and property – including any daughters – to ‘godly men’.

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