Welcome to the sixth edition of Eye on the Wild, our new weekly roundup designed to keep you up to date with the latest stories concerning British wildlife.
If you have a story you think we should cover, email us at contact@protectthewild.org.uk
Great news! Scotland’s ban on glue traps has finally come into force
From 1 July it finally became a criminal offence to use, possess or sell glue traps in Scotland. Offenders will be fined up to £40,000 or spend up to 12 months in prison.
Glue traps, which are boards coated in a strong, non-drying adhesive, are absolutely barbaric. Animals that get stuck to them are left to fight for freedom, resulting in severe or fatal injuries, or death from dehydration, hunger or exposure.
The law was passed back in 2024 as part of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act. The ban initially couldn’t take full effect, though, because of a UK-wide rule: under the Internal Market Act 2020, anything legally sold in one part of the country must generally be allowed for sale everywhere else. To get around this, Scottish ministers pushed the UK government to carve out a specific exemption for glue traps from those rules. That exemption has now been granted.
England’s law, by contrast, falls significantly short of Scotland’s. The Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022, which came into force in July 2024, makes it illegal for members of the public to use a glue trap on a rodent, but says nothing about selling them. That means anyone can buy one, even though using it afterwards would technically be a criminal offence. The legislation also states that professional pest controllers can continue to use them under licence.
Our animation, drawing attention to the selling of glue traps, has hit more than 10 million views. And our petition, urging Amazon to stop selling glue traps, has thousands of signatures. Add your name too by clicking the button below.
Gulls have been shot dead in Ipswich after Natural England granted a licence to murder them
Natural England is rightfully facing backlash from animal rights campaigners, who say they’re “sick to the stomach” over the body’s decision to let a company cull gulls. Footage shot on 24 June at Sulzer, in Ransomes Europark in Ipswich, showed a man in hi-vis gear firing an air rifle-style gun at gulls and chicks on the roof. The footage prompted reports to Suffolk Police.
Natural England granted a licence to kill both lesser black-backed and herring gulls during nesting season, even though both species sit on the red list for conservation concern.
Protect the Wild’s Glen Black contacted Natural England, asking the body questions concerning the licence, including:
“What evidence was assessed to satisfy the statutory test under s.16 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 that “no other satisfactory solution” existed, including what non-lethal deterrents (netting, proofing, scaring, nest/egg removal) were evidenced as tried or considered impractical prior to approval.”
A Natural England spokesperson replied:
“All wild birds are protected by law, but government policy allows for lethal control as an absolute last resort in very limited circumstances – we take our role as the body responsible for licensing extremely seriously and will always look for alternatives first.
In this case, nests blocking gutters were allowing water onto electrical equipment, posing a real risk to people in the building. Having assessed all alternatives, and following rigorous evaluation of the population impact, a licence was granted on clear, lawful grounds.”
The Herring Gull population has dropped by 60% since 1986. Persecution is one reason for their decline.
It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that Natural England approved the cull of these gulls. This is, after all, the same body that has licensed the killing of a quarter of a million badgers since 2013.
Baby hedgehogs are being abandoned, but you can help
Last week, Dorset Hedgehog Rescue in Dorchester said hoglets were “coming in thick and fast”. The reason? Hot weather. And there’s more hot weather to come.
The rescue centre said that if mums can’t find water or a food source in hot weather, they can abandon their babies.
The rescue centre advises people to leave out a shallow bowl of water, as well as dry cat food, for the hedgehogs. In the next heatwave, this might save hoglets’ lives.
A milestone moment! The Nature’s Rights Bill has been debated in the House of Lords
The Nature’s Rights Bill has been authored by Nature’s Rights charity founder and lawyer, Mumta Ito. The Private Members’ Bill aims to change the status of nature, giving it legal rights, and was debated in the House of Lords on Friday 3 July.
The Bill has been brought before the Lords by Green peer Natalie Bennett, one reason being that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Bennett said:
“The Bill recognises Nature as a legal subject, reorders the hierarchy of rights, creates a duty of care towards Nature and embeds Nature’s rights into UK decision-making across all sectors.”
Private Members’ Bills barely ever become law. But it marks a turning point. It’s the beginning of a movement to make nature’s rights a reality.
Two members of the South Shropshire Hunt have been found not guilty in court
Covert footage showed terrierman William Hand blocking an active badger sett on 13 January 2024, as hunt member Toby Holley looked on. After blocking the sett, the two men visited a nearby artificial fox earth. Artificial earths are deliberately built by hunts to encourage foxes into an area.
Footage also caught huntsman Daniel Cherriman at the artificial earth, calling the hounds to the spot. Cherriman previously pleaded guilty to illegal hunting in 2022.
The hunt has since amalgamated with North Shropshire Hunt to become the Shropshire Hunt.
No trail hunt requires foxes to be flushed from earths, or badger setts to be blocked. This verdict shows, once again, that the law is failing wildlife. Labour must close ALL loopholes and ban hunting for good.