POLICE have revealed how they investigated reports of a man's alleged involvement in illegal fox hunting after they were criticised by animal activists.

Animal lovers responded in horror after a man last month posted a picture onto a 'Working Terriers' Facebook page with the caption: "One to put to ground for young terrier pup, see how it does".

The post was screengrabbed and published on Twitter by one anti-fox hunting activist who said they had reported it to police and the RSPCA in Barrow, as the man's Facebook profile stated he lived in Barrow.

Hundreds of people retweeted the post, which called for anyone in Barrow to assist in identifying the man. Many expressed their disgust, believing the man intended to allow a dog to attack the fox.

Capturing a fox in a cage or snare is not illegal. However, once caught they must be destroyed humanely and if the fox escapes and a dog is used to chase and kill the animal, that could be construed as illegal hunting.

Police in Cumbria told the Evening Mail they had been informed about the Facebook post and had identified the man who had published it.

No evidence of any offence was found, and police said the man "expressed regret" about his Facebook post.

An online petition has now been launched criticising police for their response.

Since it was set up two weeks ago, the petition has been signed by more than 1,400 people, and in the wording, Patricia Betty from Essex addresses her criticisms to Cumbria's Police and Crime Commission Peter McCall. She says that "we the petitioners are not satisfied that Cumbria police did all they could to investigate".

The petition states: "Many people reported this man to the Cumbria police and several people described the police as uninterested and less than helpful, and on one occasion rude. A statement from Cumbria police several days later said that the matter had been dealt with, and there was no evidence of any crime."

The law states that it is an offence to keep or release some wild animals, including foxes and grey squirrels and they must be killed humanely if they are caught alive.

Hunting with dogs was banned in 2005. However, the government is currently taking steps to repeal the act.

The petitioner adds that she has "the greatest respect for our police who do a difficult job with limited resources" but believes the way the complaints were investigated appear to show that "police do not appear to rate animal cruelty as worthy of proper investigation".

The petition calls for "reassurance from Cumbria police that ALL matters concerning animal cruelty will be dealt with swiftly and thoroughly in the future".

It also states that the individual identified by the Facebook post should be re-interviewed.

In a response to the petition, Cumbria Police said it takes any reports of illegal hunting or animal cruelty seriously and released more details of their investigation.

A spokesman said: "We received a number of reports of animal cruelty on January 5 concerning a social media post that showed a picture of a fox in a trap and a comment which implied illegal fox hunting activity.

"Officers, working closely with the constabulary's wildlife crime officer, traced the Facebook post to a man from West Cumbria.

"Police attended his home address as part of their enquiries and searched the property. No evidence of any offences was discovered and no fox or cage trap were located. The man was spoken to about how irresponsible issuing such posts on social media can be.

"The man explained that the picture he posted was an old photo and the fox was caught in a cage trap legally and was killed humanely in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

"The constabulary would like to reassure members of the public that any incidents relating to illegal hunting or animal cruelty are taken seriously and will be investigated in a professional manner."