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, […]
Weak response from Forestry England on QSH’s blatant hunting

On Tuesday 22 April Quantock Staghounds (QSH) killed a young stag in the Quantock Hills. The Hunting Act 2004 clearly prohibits the hunting of mammals with dogs, although stag hunters misuse several loopholes in the law to evade this. The chase crossed both National Trust and Forestry England land. Sabs’ reports pointed out that the […]
Labour’s new planning bill “will lead to permanent biodiversity loss”

Labour’s new Planning and Infrastructure (PI) Bill will have devastating and long-lasting impacts on British wildlife. Protect the Wild explains why. The announcement of the PI Bill has been a wake-up call for many of Britain’s environmental defenders. The legislation, if passed, will allow developers to destroy natural habitats as long as they pay a […]
Government bovineTB strategy must protect badgers from persecution

In 2013, Sky News exposed an illegal badger gassing ring involving 14 farms in southwest England. With the badger cull just getting underway that year, the farmers involved were convinced that killing the wild animals would help to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cows and had taken matters into their own hands. […]
England’s most flagrant hunt excises all mention of foxes from its founding doc

The Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt (BSV) is arguably the poster child for fox hunting diehards in Britain. In a curious sign of the times as the trail hunting ban looms, it has removed all mentions of foxes from one of its founding documents. The BSV is a notorious hunt, accounting for almost 13% of […]
YOUGOV: survey shows Brits’ mixed views on hunting wildlife

A recent YouGov poll attempted to gauge the British public’s views on hunting. The findings will be a blow to hunters who want to be recognised as a protected minority group in the UK so they can enjoy their pastime in peace. The poll results suggest that if the hunters’ demand were decided by a […]