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 […]
GOOD NEWS: RNLI rejects hunting money
The lifeboat charity RNLI has shown its integrity after it rejected money from a fox hunting fundraiser. Ireland’s Dungarvan Foxhounds’ annual Christmas charity event was due to raise funds for the Helvic and Dungarvan RNLI. The Foxhounds’ supporters club had also stated that the hunt’s New Year’s Eve meet would raise funds for the charity, […]
Yet another fox torn apart in residential garden
A resident in Powys, Wales, has filmed a fox being torn apart by hunting hounds in a neighbour’s garden. This is the third almost identical incident that we know of in 2023 alone. The torturous death took place on 22 November 2023. One month later the resident reported her account to Nation.Cymru. She said that […]
Kent Hounds’ terriermen who used superglue to treat dogs’ injuries banned from keeping animals
66-year-old Robert Mills and his son, 22-year-old Jack Mills, have pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Kent police, along with the RSPCA, raided their home in January 2023 and discovered dogs with horrific injuries. The men appeared in Folkestone Magistrates Court on 20 December. According to KentOnline, The men […]
GUILTY: Criminal hunter Chris Woodward convicted three times since July
A court has found the Wynnstay Hunt’s notorious ex-huntsman Chris Woodward guilty yet again. Woodward is a man racking up a long criminal record. Woodward denied the charge of hunting a wild animal with dogs in Lower Wych, Wrexham, on 14 January 2023. But it was the hard work of Cheshire (Borderland) Monitors volunteers that […]
Boxing Day hunting protests near you
It’s that time of year again: hunters are getting ready to block our town centres in their ridiculous attire. Their supporters will cheer at them, get drunk, and pick fights, the local police will stand by and watch, and the hunts will then head off fuelled by vanity and alcohol to terrorise foxes, hares and […]
Boxing Day Parade: Southdown and Eridge Hunt defies Lewes council
Sussex’s Southdown and Eridge Hunt is planning to hold its Boxing Day parade on the busy Lewes High Street, even though its request to close the road was denied by Lewes Council. The Council has instead granted permission for a wheelbarrow race event, which is raising funds for Lewes Foodbank. After the council rejected its […]
Inside Protect the Wild: why write news articles?
At Protect the Wild, we don’t just campaign to end the hunting and shooting industries. We also keep our supporters informed with news articles. For the past two years, we have covered news on a range of topics, including the criminal acts of fox hunters; how the shooting industry is responsible for lethally poisoning birds […]
Hunter accused of six charges of animal cruelty
Sam Staniland, ex-huntsman for the Essex and Suffolk Hunt, was in court on Monday 18 December, accused of six charges under the Animal Welfare Act. The hunter pleaded not guilty to all six charges. He was accused of: Causing unnecessary suffering to a foxhound by failing to prevent the dog from fighting a fox on […]
Oliver Thompson: hunter avoids prison after torturing foxes
Former huntsman Oliver Thompson has walked free from prison after baiting foxes. Thompson was given a suspended sentence of 20 weeks, meaning that if he isn’t caught breaking the law in the next two years, he will not go to jail. The RSPCA successfully prosecuted the hunter, who consequently was forced to leave his role […]
Sick gamekeeper filmed badger torture for social media
A Scottish gamekeeper set his dogs on foxes and badgers, filming the attacks to make money. Like other men before him, his desire to brag about his acts is what incriminated him. Ryan Martin, from Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire, was convicted on 5 December. He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to three dogs under his […]
CAUGHT ON FILM: One man’s words show the criminality of hunts
On 7 December, Hull Wildlife Protectors (HWP) posted a video on Instagram. And in just a few words, one man showed just how criminal fox hunters really are. The footage was taken on 21 November. HWP had been monitoring East Yorkshire’s Holderness Hunt when they filmed some of the hunt in conversation on camera. One […]
The criminal justice system is failing wildlife
A new report once more highlights how Britain’s criminal justice system is failing animals, allowing people to hurt or kill wildlife with impunity. The report, compiled by Wildlife and Countryside Link, and containing information from different animal welfare charities, makes for damning reading. It shows that convictions in 2022 dropped by more than 40%, despite […]
Life before death: Lewes Council chooses food bank over fox hunting
The Southdown and Eridge Hunt has failed to get permission from Lewes Council to close a road for its annual Boxing Day parade. The reason? An animal welfare campaigner is closing the road for the community. The hunt parades through Lewes town centre every year. It had applied for the road closure on Lewes High […]
GOOD NEWS: Hunting is dying a death as yet another pack folds
On 1 December, South Wales Hunt Saboteurs announced that the Caerphilly and District Hunt is folding. The news shows that hunting is on its knees, and an end to the brutal blood sport is in sight. The hunt’s closing meet will take place on 6 January 2024, and it announced that it will dissolve by […]
Chris Packham demands end to ‘appalling abuse of animals’ on I’m a Celeb
Chris Packham has once more called out the TV programme I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! for animal abuse. And he argues that as presenters of the show, Ant and Dec, have an ethical responsibility to stand up for nature. Packham says he has written a “raft of letters” to the show over […]
Damning WhatsApp messages show how Tory MPs looked after their gun-wielding friends
The Covid Inquiry has been telling of how Britain’s most influential looked after their friends during the pandemic. And now more revelations have uncovered how politicians lobbied hard to ensure that hunting and shooting were exempted from Covid restrictions. Protect the Wild recently reported on comments made by former deputy cabinet secretary Helena MacNamara. She […]
Hunt saboteurs hospitalised by violent Quantock Stag Hounds riders
On 27th November hunt saboteurs were attacked by riders of the Quantock Stag Hounds. They had to be taken to hospital to treat their injuries (see header image above). North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs are now requesting public donations to replace equipment damaged in the attack. The Quantock Stag Hounds are one of England’s most brutal […]
Hunter on quad bike mows down man, breaking his leg
Shocking footage shows the moment a man was mowed down by a South Shropshire Hunt (SSH) terrierman on a quad bike. The incident took place on the Real Milk Company’s private land on 25 November. The company tweeted a video of the incident, and said: “First you goad them…..then you evidence them. SSH trespassing yet […]
Devon: Right to Roam shows how pheasant shoots abuse environment
Landowners and gamekeepers like to boast that they are instrumental in conserving England’s wildlife; that they are the true custodians of the land. But shocking photos, taken by a local Right to Roam group, show the havoc wreaked on land by pheasant shoots. South Devon Right to Roam took a walk on the Duke of […]
Equipment Fund #11. Cheshire Independent Hunt Monitors – an ‘eye in the sky’ on Cheshire’s hunts
The Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund was set up in Summer 2023 to help put ‘eyes in the field‘ (and ‘eyes in the sky’!), supporting and empowering people to protect British wildlife. We use the fund to provide equipment like body cams, trail cams, night vision kit, and video cameras to monitors and activists working […]
WANTED: North Yorkshire Police searching for three members of Sinnington Hunt
North Yorkshire Police are appealing to the public for information about three members of the Sinnington Hunt. The men are accused of interfering with a badger sett which is illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act. The police asked: “Can you help with this wildlife crime investigation? We need to trace these three men following […]
Hunter arrested after attacking saboteur with a shovel
A terrierman for the Weston and Banwell with West Somerset Vale Hunt has been arrested by the police after a public appeal for his location. The search began after the man attacked a hunt saboteur with a shovel on 18 November. Avon and Somerset Police announced: “A man has been arrested as part of an […]
SHOCKING: Hunt rider filmed striking whip at cyclist
On Saturday 11 November, a Kent Hounds field rider struck his whip at a cyclist. His action shows the complete disdain hunts have for the public. Footage released on KentOnline shows the woman sitting on her bike in the road as the hunt moves past her. As the rider meets her, he aggressively strikes his […]
Equipment Fund: Ten out of ten for our wonderful supporters!
We launched our Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund in July this year, and – thanks to our supporters – we’ve already been able to fund TEN groups working on the front line. That’s ’empowering people to protect British wildlife’ in action and we couldn’t be more grateful. In just a few short months our supporters […]
Scotland: Shooting industry fails to bully politicians over snares
It’s welcome news that the Scottish government has announced that it will push ahead with a change in the law that would fully ban snares. As we previously reported, the shooting industry had been lobbying hard so that it could continue using the torture devices. Gamekeepers and landowners had been trying to influence legislation in […]
JAILED: Fox hunter given 18 months for almost killing saboteur
On 9 November, fox hunter Chris Mardles, 26, former whipper-in of the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Nottingham Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm after trampling a hunt saboteur with his horse. The attack occurred in September 2020. The saboteur suffered life-threatening injuries and […]
Northern Ireland urgently needs to change hunting law as another pet dies
On 5 November Coco the cat was murdered by hunting dogs in Northern Ireland. Her death is a stark reminder that the law in Northern Ireland needs changing urgently. Coco was 13 years old when she was killed last week. Her guardian Tracy told the Belfast Telegraph that her two children are understandably devastated by […]
The King’s Speech: biodiversity and climate clearly not a priority.
King Charles III addressed Parliament this morning setting out the government’s policy priorities for the year ahead. Well-trailed in advance, the speech was expected “to put criminal justice “at the heart” of its plans”. Speaking ahead of the speech Rishi Sunak said: “I want everyone across the country to have the pride and peace of […]
Covid-19 Inquiry: Government put more thought into hunting and shooting than supporting women
This week’s Covid Inquiry has highlighted the Tory government’s incompetence during the Covid pandemic. Former deputy cabinet secretary Helena MacNamara gave a witness statement arguing that Johnson and his “macho” and “toxic” team gave more thought to hunting and shooting interests than they did women’s issues. MacNamara’s 97-page statement, criticising the governing of the pandemic, […]
Call for new law to protect children from the brutalities of hunting
Celebrities have joined the animal rights charity PETA to call on the government to protect children from hunting. PETA has launched an online petition, urging the Sunak government to introduce new legislation. The charity says: “The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has published General Comment No 26 which recommends that children be […]
Depraved hunt master throws fox to hounds as child watches
Serial offender Stuart Radbourne has been sentenced for throwing a fox to hounds as a child watched. The dogs tore the live fox to shreds on Christmas Eve in 2020, and the incident was filmed and shared with others. Radbourne, who was hunt master for the Avon Vale, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to […]
Shooting industry fails to criminalise Chris Packham
Hampshire Police has said that it won’t press charges against Chris Packham. The wildlife presenter’s supposed crime? Sniffing a goshawk chick on the BBC’s The One Show. Packham appeared on the programme back in August with three ringed chicks in the New Forest. He sniffed one to detect their “characteristic scent or perfume”. An individual […]
Hunting hounds run rampage in Devon
The Dartmoor Hunt has run rampage, its hounds terrorising animals of Farm & Feral Animal Sanctuary in south Devon. This is, once again, a reminder that the Hunting Act needs replacing with stronger legislation which shuts down fox hunting for good. The sanctuary’s Missy Freeman-Davies reported that the hounds caused havoc as they tore through […]
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 […]
Ben Wallace and the Right’s doomed push for the ‘countryside’ vote
Ben Wallace, the belligerent and unloveable Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North, is all over the media today after yet another attack on sabs and monitors. Writing in the increasingly hysterical Daily Telegraph, Wallace, Secretary of Defence until he resigned in August to ‘invest in the parts of life’ he claims to have neglected […]
‘Remember, remember’ hedgehogs on November 5th
November 5th. We usually remember the bonfire, the fireworks, the Guy Fawkes effigy, the hot chocolate. Maybe even toffee apples. But while we’re (rather oddly) celebrating the failure of a plot to blow up Parliament more than four hundred years ago, what happens to the wildlife that would normally be sharing our gardens, our parks, […]
VICTORY: Plans for Northern Ireland badger cull quashed
Good news! Wild Justice and the Northern Ireland Badger Group (NIBG) have announced that they have won a judicial review, stopping the proposed badger cull in Northern Ireland. The press release from their solicitors, Leigh Day, states: “In a judgement handed down in Belfast this morning, Wednesday 25 October 2023, it was ruled that the […]
Moorland Association Director guilty of illegal burning of moorland
Ben Ramsden, ex-Director of the Moorland Association, has pleaded guilty to three charges of burning deep peat on his family’s Lofthouse Moor, which lies within the East Nidderdale Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Landowners burn peat to maintain the moor for grouse shooting. Raptor Persecution UK reported that Ramsden resigned from the Moorland […]
Recording hunts across Yorkshire and Humberside in 4K!
The Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund was set up in Summer 2023 to help put ‘eyes in the field‘, empowering people to protect British wildlife. We use it to provide equipment like body cams, trail cams, night vision kit, and video cameras to monitors and activists working on the front line. While we do approach […]
Smoke from burning grouse moors choke Sheffield
“This is the unspeakable face of driven grouse shooting saying ‘F**k the environment, public health, wildlife and you’. Underpinned by the criminal persecution of raptors and a cause of poor water quality and flooding this despicable industry needs to end. End of. “ The above is Chris Packham’s entirely understandable response on Twitter to the […]
Hunt sabs say huntsman sacked for ‘beating a hound almost to death’
Hunt saboteurs have announced that huntsman Guy Fitzearle has been sacked from the Kimblewick Hunt. East Herts Sabs wrote that he beat a hound “almost to death”. They said: “Well the truth is out. The hound wasn’t doing as it was told so he grabbed it by the tail, beat it around the head until […]
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 […]
Labour pledges to end badger cull
The government’s annual badger cull is nearing an end, at least for 2023. For almost two months, cull contractors have been out in force, luring England’s badgers into fields with peanuts and then shooting them dead. Meanwhile, Labour has announced that it will end the cull for good if elected. At the start of the […]
FOIs reveal Badger cull approved in National Nature Reserves
UK authorities have permitted badger control operations to take place in England’s nature havens, according to new revelations. Freedom of Information requests involving Natural England, the Forestry Commission, and Forestry England, show that badger control activities, including culling in some instances, have been permitted in various nationally important nature areas since at least 2016. A […]