GREAT NEWS! Yet another hunt is going…
The Pendle Forest and Craven Harriers, a hare hunt covering Lancashire and North Yorkshire and based at kennels at Coniston Hall near Skipton, are disbanding. They join a long list of hunts folding as landowners and the public turn more and more against them. The Hunt made the announcement on 12 March, saying that the […]
Footage of stag hunt reveals blatant lawbreaking by Devon and Somerset Staghounds
The team at Wildlife Guardian recently posted brief but evocative footage of part of a stag hunt that took place on the 7th of March near the three-hundred-acre League Against Cruel Sports’ Baronsdown Sanctuary on Exmoor. While the video isn’t as dramatic as some that have hit the internet this past ‘hunting season’, it encapsulates […]
Ex-gamekeeper guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to magpies
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) is reporting that former gamekeeper (turned labourer, apparently) Alexander Hamilton was sentenced to a five-year ban from owning and keeping animals and was given 100 hours of community service at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 5 March. 64-year-old Hamilton pled guilty to trapping […]
Industrial scale of pheasant shooting revealed
The industrial scale of rearing pheasants for the shooting industry has been uncovered by Who Owns England’s Guy Shrubsole in a series of FOI requests on the poultry registry made to APHA (the Animal and Plant Health Agency). Every year the shooting industry releases around 40 million Common Pheasants and 10 million Red-legged Partridges for […]
Hunt violence at sickening levels, new report shows
Protect the Wild recently published “Hunting: A Case for Change“, a 50-page report that offers a thorough examination of hunting practices during the 2022/23 season. The report focuses predominantly on fox, hare, and deer hunting in England and Wales. Author Glen Black utilised a combination of online data from anti-hunting groups, public reports, and activist […]
GOOD NEWS: Another pub disassociates itself from a hunt
The Fox Inn in Stourton has cancelled the Albrighton and Woodland Hunt’s end-of-season supper, which was due to take place on 21 March. It is the latest of a number of pubs that have disassociated themselves from fox hunting. After news of the pub hosting the event circulated on social media, a number of people […]
Cottesmore Hunt’s masked thugs arrested
After weeks of violently harassing hunt saboteurs, some of the Cottesmore Hunt’s hired gang of thugs have been arrested by Leicestershire Police. On Saturday 2 March, Northants Hunt Sabs wrote: “We are currently sabbing the criminal Cottesmore Hunt in Wymondham which has seen the police turn up in force to arrest their hired thugs!” Meanwhile, […]
OPINION: Philip Seccombe not fit for role as Police and Crime Commissioner
Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, is once more running as a candidate in the 2 May PCC election. In a two-part series, Protect the Wild takes a closer look at his extensive links to hunting – including to his friends in the Warwickshire Hunt – and argues that someone with such an obvious […]
Fox Killer Baits: Illegal, reckless, and probably a scam.
Protect the Wild was recently sent a link to a product allegedly on sale in the UK – Fox Killer Baits – that is illegal to use here, is supported by reckless and negligent advice – and to top it all it seems to be being sold on what may well be a scam site anyway!
Roaming to Ukraine: Part Two – back out to Ukraine again
Back in early 2022, Protect the Wild was contacted by a member of the Roaming Sabs who asked if we could help provide a grant towards a vehicle – a vehicle which was going to be driven from Manchester right across Europe into a war zone to help animals! While we typically fund monitor groups […]
“Hunting: A Case for Change”: Likely thousands of hares hunted every year
Protect the Wild recently published “Hunting: A Case for Change“, a 50-page report that offers a thorough examination of hunting practices during the 2022/23 season. The report focusses predominantly on fox, hare, and deer hunting in England and Wales. Author Glen Black utilised a combination of online data from anti-hunting groups, public reports, and activist […]
Llanberis man guilty of interfering with badger sett
35-year-old John Riley, from Llanberis, has pleaded guilty to interfering with a badger sett, and has been fined a pitiful £242 at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court. He must also pay prosecution costs of £400. Riley had previously pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea ahead of trial. He was charged with sett interference “by causing a […]
Equipment Fund #19: North East Hunt Monitors
As an organisation we do prefer to look forward rather than look back, but it has been a good month for the Equipment Fund – and ‘Equipment Fund 2.0’! How so? Because we recently saw paid subscriptions on our Substack soar over the 600 mark! That’s great news because every single penny we raise from […]
Hunting: A Case for Change. Thousands of foxes still being chased or killed
Protect the Wild recently published “Hunting: A Case for Change“, a 50-page report that offers a thorough examination of hunting practices during the 2022/23 season, focusing predominantly on fox, hare, and deer hunting in England and Wales. Author Glen Black utilised a combination of online data from anti-hunting groups, public reports, and activist observations to […]
We’re launching the Protecting the Wild Support Network
We have some news to announce – and we’re pretty excited about it: the launch of the Protecting the Wild Support Network (aka – to save our typing fingers – ‘the support network’). What (we’re hoping you’ll be asking) is the ‘support network’? Well, thank you for your interest. The Support Network is our way […]
Labour vows to ban hunting with dogs
Labour has vowed that it will properly ban hunting with dogs if it gets into power. Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed stated: “People have seen the images of packs of hounds getting into private back gardens, killing cats, ripping flocks apart. There’s not a majority in any part of the country that wants to see […]
Hunting hounds killed on A43 in ‘shocking incident’
Northants Hunt Saboteurs have received a number of reports that hounds from the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt have been killed when the hunt lost control of them. The incident took placed on 19 February on the A43 between Broughton and Sywell, Northamptonshire. The sabs posted photos on Facebook, sent to them by motorists, which show […]
Government set to announce ALL badgers can be culled in specific areas
The government is likely to make an announcement that it is to cull 100% of badgers in specific areas of England from 2026. Back in early 2023, we wrote about Defra’s plan, but it was yet to be officially announced. Now the Independent has stated that the news is likely to become official within the […]
National Trust: failure to enforce ban emboldening hunts
The National Trust (NT) banned so-called trail hunting back in October 2021, after a hard-fought battle by members and campaigners who took a motion to the Trust’s AGM in Harrogate. But more than three years later hunts continue to trespass on its estates. Protect the Wild takes a look at the charity’s inaction as wildlife […]
Fantastic news! Another hunt bites the dust
Beds and Bucks Hunt Sabs have confirmed that the Oakley Hunt will be folding at the end of this hunting season. The sabs have had the news confirmed by a number of sources. The Oakley has hunted foxes in four counties – Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, and Buckinghamshire. Like other hunts across the UK, it has […]
Derwent Hunt filmed trespassing on nature reserve
Video evidence clearly showing the Derwent Hunt blatantly taking a pack of hounds onto a much-loved local nature reserve has been shared with Protect the Wild. On Saturday 27 January this year, North Yorkshire’s Derwent Hunt was filmed riding with hounds into Chafer Wood, a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) Nature Reserve which is described as […]
Suspension of disgraced hunt just token gesture
On 26 January, we reported that the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt had been suspended by hunting’s governing body. But it’s now been revealed that the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) has only banned the hunt for a total of three weeks. The BSV is now continuing to hunt until the end of February. […]
Man jailed after setting dogs on fox in garage
30-year-old Dane Crawford has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for animal cruelty. He trapped a fox in his garage and set his pet dogs on the poor animal. His girlfriend, 23-year-old Shelby Wallis, was also sentenced under the Animal Welfare Act. The pair, who live together in Lancaster, previously pleaded guilty to four […]
Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund #18: Teesside Anti Blood Sports
It was only a few weeks ago that we wrote about reaching a major milestone: 500 paid subscribers here on Substack. It’s quite something to be able to report now that the figure has jumped to just over 600! That’s incredibly motivating for us, because every single penny we raise from paid subs goes straight […]
Stage 2 of Scotland’s Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill brings snare ban closer
Holyrood’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee met on 7 February to discuss amendments to Scotland’s Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill. The Bill is at stage 2, and the committee voted on an amendment, put forward by MSP Gillian Martin, which will make snare use illegal. Seven MSPs voted for the amendment, with two voting against […]
Royal Agricultural College: killing hares and ambushing wildlife protectors
Hunt saboteurs have stated that they have been ambushed and chased by thugs associated with the Royal Agricultural College (RAC) Beagles. The pack belongs to the Royal Agricultural University, where students are trained – through hunting hares – to become prominent names in the fox hunting industry after they graduate. On 3 February, three members […]
Permissive path closed because of Quorn Hunt trespass
Woodside Farm in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, has closed a permissive footpath after the Quorn Hunt, along with the Cottesmore Hunt, trespassed on the farm’s land. A permissive path is a path over private land, voluntarily opened to the public by a land owner, who can withdraw access at any time (for more information see our […]
The Secret Monitor: East Yorkshire’s Holderness Hunt
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 but a police force seemingly happy to ‘look the other way’. But there is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In this post […]
What is ‘rating’ hunting hounds and why do it?
Hunting – and hunt sabbing – is packed with jargon and arcane terminology that can be very confusing at first glance. Written reports often feature terms like ‘casting’, ‘cap fees’, and ‘marking’. They will say that the hounds were ‘speaking’ or were perhaps ‘rioting’. All have very specific meanings. Another term that is often found […]
MP demands answers about policing of Warwickshire Hunt
MP Matt Western has written to both the Home Secretary and the Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police. The politician has said he is “making clear my express concerns about the lack of transparency” around the policing of the Warwickshire Hunt. Back in May 2022, Warwickshire Police’s Rural Crime Team gave the hunt a warning notice […]
122 Hen Harriers confirmed ‘missing’ or illegally killed in UK since 2018
Using data from the RSPB and Natural England, the UK’s leading website on the illegal persecution of birds of prey, Raptor Persecution UK (RPUK), published the details yesterday of each of 122 Hen Harriers confirmed ‘missing’ or illegally killed in the UK since 2018. Hen Harriers are the most persecuted bird of prey in Britain […]
‘Stop and search’ of monitor at Boxing Day parade raises serious questions
At the Abergavenny Boxing Day Parade of the Monmouth Hunt, Gwent Police made a formal ‘stop and search’ of a monitor. Helen was standing quietly on the side of a busy high street that at the time was almost empty but would soon be filled with people. The police claimed to be acting on ‘information […]
Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund #17: Cotswold Hunt Sabs
As we wrote recently we reached a major milestone earlier this month: 500 paid subscribers here on Substack. Just a few weeks later that post is already very out of date! That figure is now actually nearing 600, which is fantastic news for wildlife up and down the UK because Protect the Wild takes absolutely […]
BREAKING NEWS! Notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt suspended
North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs’ drone footage has captured the moment the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt’s hounds ripped up a fox. And now the notorious hunt has finally been suspended by hunting’s so-called ‘governing body’. Channel 4 News broadcast the footage to the nation on the evening of 25 January. The harrowing video, captured […]
Doug Maw vs the Duke of Norfolk’s ‘predator control’
On 24 January, a judge at Lewes Crown Court in West Sussex found anti-snare campaigner, animal rescuer, and hunt sab Doug Maw not guilty on all nine charges brought against him by Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the 18th Duke of Norfolk. The charges had included trap damage (ie criminal damage) and snare theft on the Duke’s huge […]
It’s official – more hunts merge!
The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) – hunting’s self-titled ‘governing body’ – has officially confirmed that the Southdown and Eridge Hunt is merging with the East Sussex and Romney Marsh Hunt. This welcome news shows that hunts are really struggling to stay afloat. The news came on 17 January, when the BHSA announced that it […]
Dorset men jailed for mutilating wild animals
Two men have been imprisoned for torturing animals in Dorset. Kristen Cooper, 24, and Todd Cooper, 29, both from Hampshire, were sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on 19 January. Dorset Police investigated the two men, with assistance from their Hampshire colleagues. Police searched Kristen Cooper’s home in October 2022, seized his phone, and found incriminating […]
Jeremy Clarkson sponsors fox hunting fundraiser
Fox-hater Jeremy Clarkson is sponsoring a horse racing event that is raising funds for the criminal Heythrop Hunt. This Sunday 21 January the Cocklebarrow Races will take place in Gloucestershire. It is the Heythrop’s only point-to-point event of the year, and is a big money-maker. Not only will hunting fanatics be racing horses, they will […]
HARROWING: Cottesmore Hunt masked thugs attack vehicle with hammer
The notorious Cottesmore Hunt has struck again, using yet more violence to try to scare off Northants Hunt Saboteurs. The sabs’ account of the attack, which took place on 13 January 2024, is harrowing. This new incident involved “ten plus” masked thugs attacking the sabs’ vehicle and trying to gain access to the sabs themselves. […]
Two Essex and Suffolk Hunt men arrested for killing fox
Two hunters have been arrested and charged under the Hunting Act. Essex and Suffolk Hunt’s whipper-in, Jamie Price, along with huntsman Jack Henty, have been accused of illegal hunting on two separate occasions. Protect the Wild spoke to Suffolk Action for Wildlife (SAF), a group which consistently monitors the hunt. SAF said: “There were two […]
Derbyshire man convicted of stealing Peregrine eggs
A man has been jailed after abseiling down a quarry cliff face to steal Peregrine eggs. Christopher Wheeldon was caught on hidden cameras set up by the RSPB as he abseiled down the limestone quarry (belonging to construction company Tarmac Group) in April 2023. Derbyshire Police were alerted and Wheeldon was identified and arrested. Search […]
Post-Brexit government fails to protect nesting birds, rivers and hedgerows
As 2023 came to an end, rules that protected rivers and hedgerows expired. Now major charities are calling on the government to give basic protection to nature on farms. Until 31 December 2023, farmers were obliged to follow regulations, known as cross compliance, if they wanted to receive rural payments from the government. The cross […]
Equipment Fund #15: Bodycams to protect sabs in Derbyshire
As we wrote recently – in a post that more than 30000 people have now read – we reached a major milestone earlier this month: 500 paid subscribers here on Substack. And as we explained in that same post, every single penny we’re raising through those 500 paid subscriptions is going straight into our Protecting […]
Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt men arrested after attacks on sabs
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team has arrested two men associated with the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt. The arrests come after a number of attacks on hunt saboteurs. The police stated: “After a detailed investigation into reports of assault and thefts at the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hunt; we can now confirm that we […]
Wales has banned snares but animals are still dying in them
Wales became the first UK country to make snares illegal. But a woman from Cardiff has found a dead fox caught in one of the death traps on a Merthyr Tydfil common. Nation Cymru reported the discovery. Caroline Nightingale, who found the fox’s body on Gelligaer Common, said: “I’m a big animal lover and was […]
Tell Chesterfield FC not to host the Barlow Hunt
Chesterfield Football Club is due to host the notorious Barlow Hunt’s annual ball, a fundraiser for a hunt that has a string of violent incidents to its name and which has been caught numerous times hunting foxes and breaking the law. The SMH Group Stadium’s facilities will be hired out to the hunt on 27 […]
What did it take to convict huntsman Chris Woodward?
Last month Protect the Wild reported that the Wynnstay Hunt’s serial criminal former-huntsman Chris Woodward had been convicted of hunting a wild animal with dogs in Lower Wych, Wrexham, on 14 January 2023. Evidence for the conviction had come from Cheshire Borderland Monitors volunteers who had filmed Woodward galloping down a road after his hounds […]
Red squirrel suffers slow and painful death in unmonitored trap
Scotland’s Daily Record has published a photo of a trapped red squirrel, who had likely suffered a slow death from starvation and dehydration. The horrific image shows just how barbaric and torturous even supposedly ‘humane’ animal traps are if they are not regularly checked by the operator. Dog walker Paula McLachlan discovered the body of […]
Tiverton Staghounds dogs savage and kill pregnant alpaca
A pregnant alpaca named Ruby was attacked and killed by dogs from the Tiverton Staghounds on New Year’s Day. Her guardians, Lucy Aylett and Nick Stringer, said that the hunt had not informed them that they would be hunting that day, and that the hounds were clearly out of control. Lucy told DevonLive: “She was […]
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. […]
Another Red Kite poisoned with bendiocarb
Police in Norfolk are appealing for information after tests revealed a Red Kite discovered dead in North Creake had died from suspected insecticide poisoning. Officers from Norfolk Police’s Operation Randall team have been investigating the death of the protected bird of prey, which was found by a member of the public in a field in […]
Two hunting hounds killed on busy road
2023 came to a close with more animals suffering needless deaths when two hunting hounds were killed on the A30 in Devon. On 30 December, hunt saboteurs reported that the dogs, suspected to belong to the Mid Devon Hunt, had been killed after being hit by cars. One was still alive and in critical condition […]
