46 of the 50 beagles kept in the kennels of the Wye College Hunt were stolen last Friday. The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the theft. In a statement, the Front said "As the government procrastinates on their pledge to ban hunting the ... Front is taking matters into its own hands."

William Denne, the Hunt secretary claimed that the theft had wiped out over 53 years of breeding at the kennels, which are for the exclusive use of the students of Imperial College at Wye. Many Wye students were said to be in a state of shock and anguish. However, Mr Denne said that "we are not going to give in."

Kent Police have expressed their confidence in finding the perpetrators as it is expected to be very difficult to hide a pack of hunt-trained dogs. They also have some intelligence relating to known activists in the area. In the mean time, Wye have received a lot of sympathy from other hunting packs. Despite the loss, Saturday's traditional hunt went ahead as usual with 25 hounds borrowed from other packs, which offered had offered to help. Over a hundred people (four times the usual number) met up for the hunt, determined that it should go ahead.

Imperial College at Wye was formed from the merger of Wye College with Imperial in August 2000.