Is bird shooting ethical?
Is bird shooting ethical? Of course not. It is simply unethical and immoral to raise and sell huge numbers of birds as live targets for consumers (the clients of shooting estates and shooting syndicates) to maim or kill. It is unethical to kill protected birds of prey and a countless number of foxes to ‘protect’ […]
Why are there bird shooting ‘seasons’
Why are there bird shooting ‘seasons’? The vast majority of birds that breed in or regularly visit the UK are rightly protected by law and can not be harmed or killed at any time of the year. For those unfortunate species that were long ago declared as ‘game’ or ‘quarry’ though (and there are no […]
Why will you never be neutral on bird shooting?
Why won’t Protect the Wild ever be neutral on bird shooting? If we don’t speak out against the shooting industry, then no matter how much we might try to convince ourselves otherwise: we are supporting the killing of millions and millions of birds for ‘fun’, supporting the trapping and snaring of countless foxes and other […]
Is bird shooting a ‘sport’?
Is bird shooting a ‘sport’? Whether bird shooting is a ‘sport’ or not depends on how you define ‘sport’: a contest between equals, perhaps(in which case definitely not), or an activity that involves physical activity and skill (in which case ‘barely’). Looking at the origin of the word ‘sport’ doesn’t really help either: ‘sport’ comes […]
Birds and the fishing industry
Birds and the fishing industry Compared with the billions of fish that are killed every year, the impact on birds of the commercial and recreational fishing industries might not seem to be important. The reality though is that huge numbers of birds die as ‘bycatch’ caught on hooks or in nets or discarded fishing gear; […]
Birds and the agriculture industry
Birds and the Agriculture Industry Unlike the shooting industry, intensive farming doesn’t specifically target birds but the enormous land use changes that have taken place since the 1950s have caused many bird populations to crash. The UK has lost an estimated 19 million breeding pairs since widespread monitoring began in the late 1960s, and many […]
Shooting Estates to publish a register of all mammals they trap and snare
Shooting Estates must keep a public register of all mammals they trap and snare. Go straight to sign Every day tens of thousands of traps and snares are laid by gamekeepers on shooting estates. Countless foxes and other animals are being killed every day to protect shooting’s profits – yet there is no legal requirement […]
Protect the Wild End Shooting
A few weeks ago Keep the Ban became Protect the Wild. Our change is far more than just a re-brand. While foxes and enforcing the ban on foxhunting will always remain a key focus, with Protect the Wild we are expanding what we do. Part of that will see us bringing our drive, our commitment […]
Bird Shooting FAQ
Bird Shooting FAQs Why does Protect the Wild call bird shooting an industry? Why does Protect the Wild call bird shooting an industry? Learn More Is bird shooting ethical? Is bird shooting ethical? Learn More Is bird shooting a ‘sport’? Is bird shooting a ‘sport’? Learn More Why will Protect the Wild never be ‘neutral’ […]
End Shooting
End Bird Shooting Protect the Wild wants to end bird shooting Bird shooting is: Catastrophic for animals – not just for the millions of birds killed by ‘sportsmen’ each year of course but also for the mammals that are snared and trapped in huge numbers on shooting estates. Terrible for us – because of the […]
Highlow Estate Shooting Investigation
Highlow Estate Shoot Investigation Who cares? Not the shooting industry. The shooting industry is all about selling birds to shooters to use as live targets on ‘days out’. It supports a cruel hobby that masquerades as a ‘sport’. Shooting profits by rearing flocks of near-tame birds to kill, promising its clients huge ‘bags’ (the disrespectful […]
RSPB’s review of lowland ‘gamebird’ shooting: “Bleak picture”
Has the RSPB finally run out of patience with the shooting industry? The country’s largest bird charity speaks out – but in an oddly low-key way. Tied for over a century to a Constitution enshrined in 1904 which insists it should be ‘neutral’ on shooting, the RSPB (by far the most important and most effective […]
Shocking footage released of pheasant shooting estate in Lancashire
Shocking footage of dead and dying birds filmed on shooting estate in Lancashire. In September 2022 investigators from the Hunt Investigation Team, in collaboration with Protect the Wild, captured undercover footage from pheasant pens at the Leighton Hall shooting estate in Carnforth, Lancashire. Seasoned investigators were shocked at what they found. Many young pheasants were […]
Woodock shooting: MPs say Defra didn’t respond to government petition
Woodock shooting: MPs say Defra didn’t respond to government petition. Back in early July, the campaigning group Wild Justice (set up by Dr Mark Avery, Dr Ruth Tingay, and Chris Packham) launched a petition asking Defra (the government department responsible for the environment) to look at shortening the so-called’ season’ in which shooters are allowed […]
Nothing glorious about the ‘Inglorious 12th’
The 12th of August (the ‘Inglorious 12th’) marks the start of a key ‘season’ for the shooting industry. Over the next 121 days that industry will aim to sell hundreds of thousands of Red Grouse to shooters to kill.
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 […]
Beaufort Hunt greenwashing reputation with charity donation
The Beaufort Hunt (BH) are boasting on Facebook that they have donated £2500 to domestic abuse charity Society Without Abuse (SWA – formerly Swindon Women’s Aid). In response Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs have pointed out that members of the Beaufort have been “perpetrating acts of violence” against animals, female wildlife defenders and others for years. Could […]
Revealed: Vets Fighting to Bring Back Hunting and Badger Gassing
A group of veterinarians have been banging the drum about badgers in recent years, blaming the wild animals for causing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cows to an even greater extent than the government typically does. Indeed, they have criticised the country’s bTB policy for not focusing on badgers enough. This policy has seen hundreds of […]
How Protect the Wild fought for wildlife in 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, Protect the Wild is reflecting on our work over the last year. We campaigned hard to secure the change that Britain’s brilliant but beleaguered wildlife so desperately needs. While achieving an end to the persecution of wild animals is most definitely a work in progress, we wanted to share […]
Listing the businesses that enable the Wynnstay Hunt
Based near Wrexham, the Wynnstay Hunt is one of the UK’s most lawbreaking hunts, regularly chasing and killing foxes. Many of its members and supporters have faced legal action, and the hunt is renowned for the violence of its staff and supporters towards monitors and sabs. Yet this notorious hunt is going out hunting several […]
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 […]
GREAT NEWS! Scotland’s snare ban comes in to effect
It’s a massive victory for wildlife as Scotland’s snare ban comes into force on 25 November. The new legislation follows one year after Wales’ snare ban, while England continues to lag far behind both countries when it comes to the welfare of wildlife. Scotland banned snares back in March of this year as part of […]
Snares, hunts, and shoots: Billionaire duke’s vast estate no haven for wildlife
The Green Britain Foundation recently obtained undercover footage of a fox trapped in a snare on the Duke of Westminster’s estate in Cheshire. As the Mirror reported, activists who discovered and filmed the snared fox, released it. But they said many other snares were set in one wood alone on the 11,000 acre Eaton Estate. […]
Grouse Moor Licencing: the legal mess we always thought it would be
To the surprise of no one, NatureScot (the executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country’s natural heritage) has caved in to the demands of the shooting industry – trashing the overhyped grouse moor licencing system just months after its implementation. Licencing was brought in (allegedly) to stop the raptor persecution […]
Undercover footage of raptor persecution ‘a game changer’
On 22 October Channel 4’s Alex Thomson introduced extraordinary video footage captured by the RSPB Investigations Team of three gamekeepers on a grouse moor in North Yorkshire, discussing (and then off-camera killing), a Hen Harrier. While that may not sound particularly ‘game changing’, what makes this footage especially important is that the audio quality is […]
Serious outbreak of Avian Flu found in pheasants
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has reported an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N5) in 20 pheasants released onto a Worcestershire shoot. The outbreak was recorded on APHA’s weekly updated database for week 39 – in other words between 23-29 September – in Wychavon. No precise location details are provided and […]
GUILTY: Ashley Game Farm convicted of multiple pesticide offences
The discovery of a poisoned Buzzard next to a poisoned bait by a member of the public led to the search of a Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge breeding farm in Chulmleigh, Devon conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police in March 2021. A number of pesticide offences were discovered including the presence of Carbofuran, the same […]
The Secret Monitor: Linhope Estate, Northumberland
Damaging stories from inside hunting and shooting have been circulating for years. Both industries present a public face that aims to convince politicians and the public alike that everything they do is lawful or ‘sustainable’. The truth is very different, and much of what takes place is out sight. Supporters, clients and even the police […]
Cautious optimism: What a new government could mean for wildlife
The Tories are out. Labour has won the election with a huge majority, taking almost 300 seats more than the Conservatives. What might this mean for wildlife? Protect the Wild outlines our hopes for the next government.
GRAPHIC IMAGES: Stink Pits – as disgusting as they sound
Anyone who comes across one of the shooting industry’s ‘hidden secrets’ will know immediately how stink pits got their name. Also known as middens, stink pits are ‘built’ by gamekeepers on shooting estates. They are pits or piles of dumped rotting mammal and bird carcasses which literally ‘stink’ and are used as bait to lure […]
Another badger dies after being caught in snare
Yet another badger has died after becoming trapped in a snare. This needless death is a reminder that whatever the result of the election on 4 July, the new government MUST make all snares illegal. The badger was found in a garden in Belper, Derbyshire, on 10 June, having struggled a short distance from where […]
Hunting lobbyists desperately claims “we will not give up” as hunting ban looms
The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA), the hunting industry’s cheerleader and supposed regulatory body, has cried “WE WILL NOT GIVE UP” in a last desperate bid to save hunting. Labour is set to win the next election, and has stated in its manifesto that if elected it will ban trail hunting. It is common knowledge […]
Will our vote make a difference for wildlife? Yes.
The General Election will take place on 4 July. Over the years, the Tories have effectively declared war on Britain’s wildlife. But are the other parties any better? Protect the Wild takes a look at their manifestos, and whether they pledge to defend animals. The latest polls give Labour a clear lead, with the Conservatives […]
The Secret Monitor: Endsleigh Shoot, Devon
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 while a police force seems happy to ‘look the other way’. But there is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In this post […]
Rishi Sunak: it’s time to go!
Ahead of a worsening economic outlook and with his personal popularity at a historic low, on May 22nd Rishi Sunak decided ‘enough was enough’ and called a General Election. It was certainly about time. Even without his self-sabotaging gaffes this week – including of course his spectacular lack of respect for the thousands who died […]
The General Election 2024
The General Election 2024 Vote for the wild General elections are crucial for wildlife, the environment, and the climate. And that ultimately means for us, too! How the government decides to support wildlife, its spending plans and its priorities, the legislation it passes or repeals, has a huge impact on everything we love and hold […]
Animal abuser King Charles becomes new patron of the RSPCA
The RSPCA is “immensely honoured” that King Charles has become its new patron. Protect the Wild argues that this man, who abuses animals, should never have such a role in an animal welfare charity. This article explores Charles’ bloodlust for killing mammals and birds, and details how his vast estates are shooting playgrounds. The RSPCA […]
Yorkshire Dales: new report proves it’s a raptor persecution hot spot
The Yorkshire Dales Bird of Prey ‘Partnership’ (YDBPP) recently published a ‘Bird of Prey Evidence Report’ which supposedly documents the status of raptors in the ‘national park’ and provides details of confirmed illegal persecution between 2022-2023. England’s ‘national parks’ are notorious persecution hotspots, so any truly independent analysis should slam the management of the grouse […]
Yet another raptor killed in Peak District National Park
Derbyshire Police are working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) after an adult female Peregrine Falcon was discovered shot in the Peak District at Hey Clough off the A628 Woodhead Pass, near Crowden, on Saturday, April 4. Like all birds of prey, peregrines are fully protected by law (see our page […]
VOTE May 2: Elections for Police and Crime Commissioners
Elections for England and Wales’ Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) take place on 2 May. Whoever gets in could have a major impact on wildlife. Whether we vote for our preferred candidate or vote tactically, it is essential that we all get out to vote. While the turnout for the PCC election is not as low […]
The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill
Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill was passed into law in March 2024. The Act was introduced primarily to address raptor persecution and ensure that the management of grouse moors and related activities “are undertaken in an environmentally sustainable and welfare conscious manner”. The Bill implements the recommendations […]
The Muirburn Bill – an achievement but nowhere near the end
Yesterday Holyrood passed the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, stating on their website that “Scotland’s wildlife will benefit from increased protection thanks to a new law passed by the Scottish Parliament.” The new law has been designed to implement the recommendations set out in the Werritty Review which was published in December 2019. Undoubtedly […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Snares
SNARES Snares have been used for thousands of years to trap animals. A fairly simple but inherently cruel design, snares are essentially a loop set along a trail or suspended from a branch or small tree which catches an animal by the neck or leg as they walk into it. As the animal continues to […]
Adopt a bird
ADOPT A BIRD TODAY Most of us love birds. The ones that visit our gardens, the ones that arrive in the summer, the ones we only see up a mountain or over a marsh. All of them. Yet somehow the shooting industry has managed to convince us that some birds – well, some birds just […]
Ten reasons why 2023 was a good year for wildlife
For those of us who love wildlife, it is easy to fall into despair when we read reports of foxes being killed and birds of prey being poisoned. Many of us will need a reminder that positive events happened in 2023! As the year comes to a close, we give ten reasons why this was […]
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 […]
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 […]
