Labour’s Planning Bill: pro-growth changes disastrous for wildlife
In April, dozens of environmental experts signed an open letter opposing the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB). But on 13 October, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced several further “pro-growth” changes to the bill. According to a Gov.UK press-release, new powers “for the Secretary of State could stop councils rejecting planning […]
Devon and Somerset Staghounds on another killing spree.
On 13 September Devon and Somerset Staghounds (DSSH) once again showed just how ugly the face of stag hunting really is. The hunt separated a young stag from his companions, pursuing him until he was exhausted before killing him with a rifle. Members of North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs (NDHS) were on the scene. They commented […]
Dartmoor: one of England’s most hunted and shot-over pieces of real estate.
As the cubbing and hunting ‘season’ starts again in earnest, we are also getting ever closer to the beginning of another few months of gunning down pheasants and partridges. Protect the Wild is looking at key regions of the UK that attract both tourists who want to enjoy the wildlife and landscape and hunters and […]
Durrell Trust refuses to engage with members – again
Members of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) have been pressuring the organisation to end its support for pay-to-shoot deer stalking on the Dalnacardoch Estate in the Cairngorms, which the Trust manages. DWCT’s leadership has just “unambiguously refused” to discuss a motion from Trust members calling for the issue to be debated at Durrell’s upcoming […]
Durrell Trust performs yet another U-Turn on deer stalking
For many months, Protect the Wild has been following the grassroots campaign to stop the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) from allowing pay-to-shoot deer stalking at the estate it manages in the Cairngorms. After initially doubling down on its support for trophy hunting, the Trust subsequently bowed to pressure from its supporters and pledged to […]
Late July Fox Hunting News Update: Reports of early Cubbing and more
In this packed late July fox hunting news update, reports are coming in that some hunts have started cubbing and levereting (hunting fox cubs and baby hares) early. Meanwhile, wildlife defenders are busy organising against them, through direct action in the fields and via targeted campaigning too. Our stories this time include: – Action Against […]
SUCCESS: Solar farm promises action to release trapped deer
A solar farm appears to have finally taken action to release several deer that have been trapped at its premises since April 10. The company running the farm only reacted after intense pressure from local people, which led to mainstream media coverage over the plight of the deer. Last week the BBC published these images […]
What’s behind Durrell Trust’s U-turn on deer stalking?
In March 2025 Protect the Wild called-out the Durrell Wildlife and Conservation Trust’s (DWCT) policy of allowing pay-to-shoot deer stalking on the estate it leases in the Cairngorms. After pressure from us, grassroots campaigners and local media the trust has performed a U-turn, announcing that they will end deer-stalking on the Dalnacardoch estate in Perthshire, […]
Lame response from Quantock Hills authority to concerns about stag hunting
The team that manages the Quantock Hills recently revealed in responses to emails what it does to ensure staghound packs stay within the law when they are hunting in the famed National Landscape. Protect the Wild has seen this explanation, which was underwhelming to say the least and which has been variously described by supporters […]
Durrell Trust: doubling down on support for deer stalking
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT) was in the mainstream media last year, when Trust supporters and an ex-director spoke out against DWCT’s support for deer stalking in Scotland. We thought we’d see if media attention had changed the Trust’s position. The answer is a resounding no! DWCT is a well-known Jersey-based conservation charity, founded […]
Welcome to Willow Worlds, a ‘wildlife enabling force of nature’
It is too often the case in Great Britain that ‘wildlife management’ ultimately means ‘wildlife persecution’. Deer have not escaped this trend, with culling long being a go-to management technique utilised in the country. As an organisation dedicated to the safeguarding of wildlife, Protect the Wild is always eager to spotlight initiatives which demonstrate that […]
North East Hunt Monitors are busy exposing the South Durham and Zetland Hunts
North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have released a damning new video, showing the Zetland and South Durham Hunts clearly chasing and trying to dig out foxes during their 18 January meet. Monitors from NEHM and Teeside Anti-Blood Sports (TABS) followed the hunts using drones, handheld cameras and vehicle dashcams. Protect the Wild are proud to […]
Guest blog: Trail Liars, Recklessness and Observation and Flushing for Fun.
A few days ago, appalling footage of the Devon & Somerset Staghounds killing a stag emerged. The hunt had spent four hours on their ‘sport’ before the stag, exhausted and desperate, waded into a river to escape. Encircled and trapped, too weak to run any further, he was finally shot and his suffering over. (See […]
Sadist incriminates himself filming his dog killing deer
Yet another man has been prosecuted after encouraging his dog to torture and kill a wild animal, filming the whole sick event, and posting it on social media. 28-year-old Sampson Richards, from Penryn, Cornwall, pleaded guilty on 21 March to attempting to take, kill or injure a deer without lawful authority – an offence under […]
How hunts are using trail hunting as a smokescreen
We all know that hunts across the country deliberately chase animals. You may also know that hunts say that they are trail hunting – that is, following scent trails laid in advance of a hunt – when they are doing no such thing. But 2023 saw a new trend: some hunts actually started laying trails. […]
The Secret Monitor: Partners in crime – who’s enabling the cruelty of stag hunting?
Damaging stories from inside hunting, shooting, and the badger cull have been circulating for years. Everything from breaking the law to assaults or harassment of monitors and the public and a police force seemingly happy to ‘look the other way’. But there is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In the sixth […]
DEER HUNTING: Has the British Deer Society landed a death blow?
Quietly, and without any fanfare, the British Deer Society (BDS), a charity ‘dedicated to building a strong future for wild deer in the UK’, has (belatedly, it could be strongly argued) published a Position Statement on Hunting Deer with Hounds. In it the BDS states, “The BDS is unable to justify the deliberate pursuit of […]
The Secret Monitor: Stag hunting not cruel enough? There’s always hind hunting…
[PLEASE NOTE we have included a short video clip in this post. It shows a running deer and hounds but it is NOT graphic and the hind is not caught. It is used solely as an example of the Quantock Stag Hounds breaking the Hunting Act 2004 by using more than two dogs to chase […]
The Secret Monitor. Want to trespass with a firearm on public land? Join a stag hunt…
Damaging stories from inside hunting, shooting, and the badger cull have been circulating for years, and there are always new ones waiting to be told. There is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In the third post of an occasional series, the Secret Monitor is in the west of England. Stag hunting […]
The Secret Monitor: the depraved ‘supporters’ of the Quantock Stag Hounds
Damaging stories from inside hunting, shooting, and the badger cull have been circulating for years, and there are always new ones waiting to be told. There is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In the second post of an occasional series, the Secret Monitor is in the west of England. Stag hunting […]
Hunt saboteurs ‘seriously assaulted’ while monitoring a deer hunt
Hunt saboteurs in the southwest have said that hunt followers “seriously assaulted” two members during a deer hunt. The attack hospitalised one sab and smashed up a vehicle. The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) said on 22 August that two sabs were assaulted while following the Devon and Somerset Staghounds. One was a member of Devon […]
VICTORY: County Down Staghounds bites the dust
Hunt saboteurs in Northern Ireland are celebrating as news comes in that County Down Staghounds is disbanding. Hunt Saboteurs NI announced: “The criminal County Down Staghounds have decided to disband, their years of illegal carting, killing pets and causing horrific pain to wildlife is over. Good riddance you bunch of murdering scumbags.” Meanwhile, Action Against […]
Gruesome footage highlights the criminality of England’s stag hunters
Quantock Staghounds (QSH) is one of the UK’s most brutal hunts. It continually murders Somerset’s stags with impunity, despite being caught on film. Now, recent footage – caught by North Dorset Hunt Sabs – is a stark reminder of just how criminal this hunt really is. The sabs’ footage – which you can view here […]
The brutal reality of stag hunting
The brutal reality of stag hunts and stag hunting Barbaric hunters on quad bikes and motorbikes, accompanied by hounds, chasing a stag to exhaustion. Hardly what you’d expect to see in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). But if you go for a walk on Somerset’s Quantock Hills, this is exactly what you might […]