Protect the Wild: new chapter in the fight to end wildlife persecution
I set up Keep the Ban as nothing more than a Facebook page with 0 followers in 2015. I was sickened and angered by the possibility of fox hunting becoming legal again and the ban on hunting wild mammals being overturned.Fast-forward over seven years and Keep the Ban grew to be a community of over600,000 people. Along the way we achieved so much. Whether it be helping end ‘trail hunt’ licences given out by major landowners, seeing our petitions debated in Parliament, releasing ground-breaking undercover investigations on national television or producing powerful media content such as our ‘A Trail of Lies’ animation which has been viewed by ¾ of a million people.
But of course, I am under no illusion just how far we’ve got to go before issues of wildlife persecution are taken seriously in the UK. From fox hunting to the badger cull.From the bird shooting industry to the plight of the hedgehog. I recognise that so much more needs to be done to protect the wild if we are to truly call ourselves a nation of animal lovers.
That’s why we’re heading in a new direction. And it’s why renaming ourselves to Protect the Wild makes complete sense. Over the past year our work has naturally taken on so much more than anti-hunting campaigning. Indeed, our last three investigations have focused on the cruel shooting industry and the grotesque reality of the badger cull.
The truth is I want to do more to tackle all wildlife persecution head on. I think it is fair to say we’ve had a considerable impact on the movement to end hunting but so much more needs to be done to champion all British wildlife. This isn’t to say Protect the Wild will not continue to work tirelessly to end fox hunting but that we will be an organisation working to celebrate and protect all wild animals and birds.
This is the start of an incredibly exciting chapter. One in which I promise to do everything and anything I can to protect wildlife from those seeking to destroy it.
I am well aware that same old same old just isn’t cutting it and that’s why Protect the Wild will be tackling wildlife persecution head on. Saying and doing the things that others won’t.Our undercover investigations will be ramped up. Our journalists will ensure the stories that so often go untold by the mainstream media are brought to the forefront. That means daily analysis and reports on everything UK wildlife. We’ll also be releasing more animations and special media projects to amplify our campaigns and take them to new audiences. And our new website gives supporters so many ways to get involved, from petitions to letter-writing tools, to information on reporting wildlife crime to an archive of educational resources on birds and mammals.
We’re going to expose even more wildlife criminals. We’re going to campaign harder. We’re going to try new approaches to break out of the echo chamber and make wildlife persecution a mainstream issue.
We cannot rely on politicians and legislation to safeguard the natural environment and those who inhabit it. That’s why Protect the Wild will use every legal means necessary to bring about change. It’s why we will forever support activists and grassroots campaigning at a localised level. From hunt saboteurs and animal rescuers to demonstrators and researchers. From petition signers and leafleteers to blog writers and podcasters. We all have a part to play.
If you support what we stand for then please join us. Sign up to our newsletter. Follow us on our socials. Together we are building a movement to protect wildlife and we want you to be a part of it.
Rob Pownall, Founder & CEO of Protect the Wild
