How a Drone Is Helping Protect Wildlife from Hunts in the Moors
Two years ago we launched “The Protect the Wild Equipment Fund’, saying that it would provide equipment to individuals or groups who are working as ‘eyes in the field’ to tackle wildlife crime and protect wildlife. Our first purchase was radios for the excellent Cheshire Borderland Monitors, who wrote in a blog for us that […]
Red Squirrels threatened by renewable energy project
The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales (WTSWW) has launched a campaign against a planned renewable ‘energy park’ that threatens one of the few remaining Red Squirrel populations in Wales. The Red Squirrels of the Bryn Arau Duon forest are one of only three surviving colonies in the country. Once a common sight in […]
North York Moors National Park – NOT a safe place for wildlife
As we enter another shooting ‘season’, Protect the Wild is publishing a series of articles about the key regions of the UK that attract both tourists who want to enjoy the wildlife and landscape, and hunters and shooters who have an altogether less healthy relationship with the countryside around them. The cubbing season began in […]
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 […]
The Post Office Scandal of Wildlife: Badger Cull Exposed as a Catastrophic Mistake
The badger cull strategy, based on the results of the 1998 – 2005 Randomised Badger Control Trial (RBCT), put the wheels in motion for the widespread killing of badgers that has occurred over the last decade. Pushed by Defra and the NFU as the best way to control Bovine TB – a disease now widely […]
Mid September hunting news update: Norfolk terrierman convicted of animal cruelty and more
In this mid-September fox hunting news update we report on the conviction of a Norwich based terrierman for not providing medical care to a Patterdale terrier under his care. In addition: On 26 February hunt monitor Chantelle Leach was assaulted by a hunt supporter. We reported at the time that Essex Police treated her case […]
Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction project dumped
“Following a thorough review, it has become clear that Natural England is no longer in a position to provide the long-term funding and resource needed to continue delivering the Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction project, despite the progress to date. The difficult decision has therefore been made to conclude this project.” With this pitiable ‘poverty-pleading’ disclaimer […]
Media outrage over catapults but no condemnation of bird shooting
A 21-year old man in Sevenoaks, Kent has been arrested after videos surfaced of him apparently killing birds with a catapult. This is just the latest in a spate of arrests in Kent and London for animal cruelty with catapults and other makeshift weapons. Police seized 21 catapults during the arrest. The man has since […]
Big Butterfly Count: ‘broadly average’ and ‘urgent measures needed’.
As the charity Butterfly Conservation(BC) puts it starkly on their website, “Following the results of the Big Butterfly Count 2024, Butterfly Conservation have declared a butterfly emergency, and we need your help more than ever before. By taking part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count – a UK wide survey, you can help assess the […]
Emma Reynolds MP: business lobbyist now in charge of nature
Keir Starmer has reshuffled his cabinet following the resignation of deputy leader Angela Rayner. For the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the shake-up has delivered a new secretary. What will this mean for wildlife? Rayner stepped down from her roles as deputy prime minister, deputy Labour leader, and housing secretary, on 5 September. […]
September hunting news: Cattistock caught red-handed and more
In this early September hunting news update the shameful practice of cubbing, the cruel killing of young foxes to train hunting dogs, is in full swing, a harrier pack leaves the BHS, and the Countryside Alliance offers a ‘reward’ for hunting. – The notorious Cattistock hunt brutally killed a fox on the grounds of Lady […]
Today is the day I walk 24 hours straight for British wildlife
So it’s the 1st of September, usually on the first of each month we run our £1 donation day where we ask supporters to donate a pound to keep us ticking over. But today is a little different. Right now I am stood opposite Parliament (photo taken just now!) about to take on a pretty […]
BASC raffling ducks and geese on National Nature Reserve
If anything sums up the disgraceful ‘normalisation’ of killing birds in England, it’s surely the ‘raffle’ that shooting lobbyists BASC (the British Association of Shooting and Conservation) are holding to “win two days’ guided wildfowling for you and a friend at Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve.” BASC notes in its sickening promotion that “Lindisfarne is renowned […]
Normalising wildlife crime at the UK’s Agricultural Shows
The UK’s summer Agricultural Shows are key dates in the calendar for pro-hunting advocates. Hunt groups use the events as a way to normalise their cruel blood sport, with hunt hounds appearing and parading alongside agricultural displays. Many shows, however, are now keeping hunt involvement very quiet for fear of reputational damage. On top of […]
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 […]
Police report alarming rise in hare coursing
Police are reporting that warm weather is contributing to a spike in hare coursing incidents. Hare coursing is a cruel and illegal bloodsport that involves the pursuit of hares with greyhounds as opposed to the harriers, beagles or bassets involved in hare hunting. It has been illegal since the passing of the Hunting Act in […]
Mid August fox hunting update – Cubbing foiled in Devon and more
In this mid-August fox hunting update, hunts around the UK have begun the Summer ‘cubbing season’. Cubbing is the disgraceful practice of hunting and killing young foxes and hares (leverets) to give their new hounds a taste for blood. Our stories this month include: – Sabs and monitors organise to stop cubbing. – Police forces […]
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 […]
Pipewell Foot Beagles huntsman, whipper-in and directors plead not guilty
The whipper-in and huntsman from a Northamptonshire based hare hunt have pleaded not guilty to offences under the Hunting Act 2004. The charges were brought after footage of the Pipewell Foot Beagles (PFB) tearing up a hare went viral earlier this year. Huntsman Philip Anthony Saunders and whipper-in Rachael Victoria Lenton from the PFB both […]
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 […]
NatureScot licences slaughter of Gannet chicks
To widespread condemnation, NatureScot – Scotland’s nature agency that (supposedly) works “to improve our natural environment in Scotland and inspire everyone to care more about it” – has once again licensed the killing of young, pre-fledged Northern Gannets – known locally as ‘guga’ – on Sula Sgeir, a remote and uninhabited island north of the […]
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 […]
Hen Harrier chicks fledge “against the odds”
Five Hen Harrier chicks from two different nests have fledged “against the odds”, the RSPB has announced in a press-release. What makes this ‘good news’ report so notable is that the odds stacked up against the chicks were not poor weather, lack of prey items, or Avian Flu, but the deliberate killing of the adult […]
Suspended Labour MP consistent opponent of Planning & Infrastructure Bill
The Labour Party is currently steamrolling through its Planning and Infrastructure (PI) Bill (which will strip away many of the remaining environmental protections from the UK’s precious wild regions). The party recently suspended North East Hertfordshire MP Chris Hinchliff after he dared to oppose the government’s plans. Hinchliff has been a consistent critic of the […]
Introducing the Protect the Wild Podcast!
So…this is a bit of a different one for us here at Protect the Wild. For years now we have used Substack as a place to send out our articles, everything from long rants and opinion pieces to short-form news and campaign updates. We’re incredibly proud and fortunate to have built up such an incredible […]
Beagle packs amalgamate, as hunts struggle across the UK
There’s some rare good news for British wildlife. Two more hunts have been forced to amalgamate, according to the Hunt Saboteurs Association. That makes five mergers already this year. Combined with the closure of Scotland’s Dumfriesshire & Stewarty Hunt that means there will be at least six less hunts overall next season. Sabs have […]
Mid July fox hunting update – Fitzwilliam whipper-in pleads guilty and more
Jacob Whalley, whipper-in of the Fitzwilliam Hunt pleaded guilty to hunting a wild mammal with dogs on 4 July. His conviction is the latest in an increasingly long line of hunters deciding that the weight of evidence against them meant that they would be fighting a losing battle in court. Whalley has previously been convicted […]
Lead shot to be phased out by 2029
Emma Hardy, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has announced “significant new restrictions on lead ammunition”, aiming to “safeguard British wildlife and waterways” from its harmful effects (a disingenuous statement we discuss below). The measures will prohibit shots with over 1% lead and bullets exceeding 3% lead content, and ammunition […]
Hunts are still menacing minks and otters across England and Wales
Mink hunting season is underway and sabs and monitors have been busy ensuring that the UK’s remaining mink hunts are unable to reach their prey. Minks are hunted from March all the way through to September, coinciding with their breeding season. Hunts often leave young mink – known as kits – motherless and sure to […]
Badger dies overnight in snare on shooting estate
In May, Protect the Wild was contacted by a member of the South Yorkshire Badger Group (SYBG), a small group dedicated to the welfare, conservation, study, monitoring and public awareness of badgers. SYBG contacted us after being sent an email by a member of the public who had come across a badger caught in a […]
July fox hunting update: The hypocrisy of pro-hunt puppy shows
As the British countryside breathes a sigh of relief at a short Summer respite from fox hunting (and commercial bird shooting), many hunts are using this time to promote themselves and fundraise for next season. One regular fixture in the pro-hunt calendar are the annual puppy shows and hound shows, where hunting dogs are shown […]
Ban Grouse Shooting Debate June 2025
At almost exactly 16:30 on Monday 30 June, the first of a raft of Conservative politicians reading from their BASC briefing sheets, stood up to start a ‘debate’ about banning grouse shooting. The government had already responded to Wild Justice’s petition, saying to the 104,342 of us that had signed it that it “considers that […]
Police make rare decision to charge beagle pack with illegal hunting
Northamptonshire Police have brought charges against the Pipewell Foot Beagles after a member of the public caught the hunt chasing and killing a hare. Footage of the incident, which occurred on 25 January 2025, circulated widely on social media, subsequently bringing landowner Boughton Estate into disrepute as well. Amongst Northamptonshire Police’s charges is the rare […]
Animal Sentience Committee raises concerns over Labour’s pay-to-trash plans
The British parliament’s new Animal Sentience Committee (ASC) has raised concerns that Labour’s proposed Planning and Infrastructure (PI) Bill will affect animal welfare. Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is obliged to reply to the committee’s findings within three months. The ASC was set up as a result of […]
Scotland: Green MSP calls for end to tax breaks for shooting estates
In a well-aimed TikTok video published just last week, Ross Greer, the Greens MSP for Western Scotland, has called for an end to tax breaks for wealthy shooting estate owners, saying it’s time “they sold their estates to local communities who could use them for the good of people and the planet.” The video points […]
Animal Aid report: Killing Our Countryside
“I don’t believe that you can profess to love nature, the environment or our wildlife and support the shooting of huge numbers of non-native pheasants & partridges, known to some as ‘Gamebirds’.” That’s Chris Packham’s opening paragraph for a Foreword to Animal Aid’s latest report into the shooting industry. Titled Killing Our Countryside, it looks […]
Mid June fox hunting update: Warwickshire police double-down on campaign of secrecy and more
Warwickshire Police are continuing their campaign of secrecy over their close relationship with the Warwickshire Hunt. They recently refused to disclose correspondence and minutes of meetings between themselves and the Hunt. In other news, Somerset huntsman Guy Landau pleaded guilty to a breach of the Hunting Act at East Huntspill in Somerset in October 2024. Landau’s […]
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, […]
Moscar Moor: a blight on the Peak District
Almost two years ago Protect the Wild joined a group of activists for a walk on Moscar Moor, a knackered grouse moor within a few miles (as the smoke drifts) of Sheffield (see Reclaim Our Moors Walk 2023). In early June, with another group of activists and united under the growing ‘Reclaim Our Moors’ banner, […]
Hunted in plain sight: Footage isn’t enough under a broken law
The Hunt, the Footage, and the Failure of the Law On 28 December 2024, in Sutton Green near Wrexham, the Wynnstay Hunt was being observed by the dedicated Cheshire Hunt Monitors when a chillingly familiar scene unfolded. Whilst in a woodland, the hounds suddenly broke into “cry” — that unmistakable, frenzied howling triggered when they […]
Five reasons the Planning and Infrastructure bill will be disastrous for British wildlife
Labour’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill aims to allow companies to pay to trash the British countryside. It will do away with existing checks and balances in the planning system and establish a legal framework allowing developers to destroy irreplaceable natural ecosystems. Corporations will pay into a planned Nature Restoration Fund in order to ‘offset’ the […]
Badger Cull has emptied an ancient woodland of its Badgers
A “quiet tragedy” has unfolded in a beautiful ancient woodland in Northamptonshire. Everdon Stubbs has lost its badgers, with previously thriving setts now standing silent, according to the Northamptonshire Badger Group. The badger cull is to blame. Due to surrounding landowners’ participation in the murderous policy, the group says badgers have “vanished” locally, including from […]
Bloodbusiness.info – 1000+ listings!
Despite both the ‘hunting season’ and the ‘blasting birds out of the air season’ being over for the first half of 2025, we have continued to keep building our bloodbusiness.info database. Designed to give us all information about where and which public-facing businesses are connected to hunting with dogs and/or shooting birds or mammals, bloodbusiness […]
Supreme Court rejects Dartmoor shooter’s appeal and backs wild campers
The UK Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by bird shooters Alexander and Diana Darwall and upheld the right to wild camp on Dartmoor. The victory comes after a years long fight for the right to roam. Hedge fund manager Alexander Darwall first embarked on a legal battle against Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) in […]
Another Hen Harrier vanishes on grouse moor in Yorkshire Dales National Park
There has barely been time to digest the appalling news of the ‘disappearance’ of two breeding male Hen Harriers from Cumbria’s RSPB’s Geltsdale Reserve, but there’s already news of another suspicious disappearance of a Hen Harrier to get our heads around. This time it’s a young female called ‘Sita’. She was satellite-tagged in Lancashire’s Forest […]
Two Hen Harriers ‘missing’ from RSPB’s Geltsdale Reserve
The RSPB has reported this week that two male Hen Harriers have suddenly ‘disappeared’ from their nest sites at Geltsdale in Northern England. The birds vanished within a few days of each other. Another Geltsdale male Hen Harrier was found shot dead on neighbouring land in spring 2023. A Red-listed species in the UK due […]
Hen Harrier Action Launches Wildlife Crime Detection Dog Fundraising Appeal
n 2024, Protect the Wild was proud to co-sponsor an ‘Action for Wildlife Day’ organised by the charity Hen Harrier Action (HHA). HHA celebrates and protects the wildlife of our uplands, including (as its name suggests) the UK’s most persecuted bird of prey, the Hen Harrier. Why the most persecuted? That would be because of […]
We Did It — 100,000 Voices for Badgers!
Thanks to you, our government petition to end the badger cull has now surpassed 100,000 signatures — the threshold needed to trigger a debate in Parliament. This is a massive moment in our fight to protect one of Britain’s most iconic wild animals. And it’s only happened because you signed, shared, and stood up for […]
Is the Badger Cull Working? Ask AI!
Over the last year Protect the Wild has been proud to work with Tom Langton, a highly-respected ecologist who has been a leading figure in the fight against the government’s slaughter of over a quarter of a million badgers to protect the dairy industry. Tom is a major contributor to the Badger Crowd website and […]
RSPCA draws attention to attacks on wildlife with catapults, but is media outrage selective?
There has been a significant increase in the number of reported attacks on wildlife with catapults, says the RSPCA. A petition to ban the sale of catapults and ammunition and the carrying of catapults in public places has gathered over 22.5k signatures. Protect the Wild condemns the wanton killing of wildlife with catapults and other […]
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 […]
Fox hunting news roundup: 02 May 2025
As May commences, there’s more bad news for hunting. Monitors and sabs are reporting suspicions that another hunt amalgamation may well be on the way. Meanwhile two men connected to the notorious Cottesmore Hunt have been convicted of violence against hunt saboteurs. One of them received a ban from attending hunt meets. The police and […]