Violent terrierman convicted after police find dead otter in his freezer
A notorious hunter received a pitiful sentence on 2 September after he was found guilty under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Police raided Darren Fisher’s house on 26 February and found a dead otter in his freezer, as well as dead foxes in his garage. According to the BBC, the man is now a gamekeeper. […]
GUILTY! Another hunt supporter convicted of assault after twice punching saboteur
Marc Birney, a supporter of the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt, has been convicted of assault by beating after he attacked a North London Hunt Saboteur. The sabs reported: “Hunt supporter Birney, who was banned from driving after being convicted of drug driving in August 2023, launched the cowardly attack on our member as we disrupted […]
Reports
Reports Reports Protect the Wild’s extensive research project into the observations and findings of hunt saboteur and monitor groups during the 2022 -23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 hunting seasons. Our three annual reports utilise a combination of data from anti-hunting groups, public reports, and activist observations to evaluate the prevalence and impact of hunting on wildlife, […]
Hunts persecute 600 wild animals in a single season, 20 years after the ‘sport’ was outlawed
Protect the Wild has released a damning new report detailing the high levels of wildlife persecution that took place during the 2023/24 hunting season. A Case for a Proper Ban on Hunting shows that nearly 600 wild animals were chased or killed over the course of season, some two decades on from the hunting of […]
Hunting: A Case for a Proper Ban on Hunting (2024)
Report: A Case for a Proper Ban on Hunting Protect the Wild’s second annual analysis of hunting and why we argue for a total ban on hunting with hounds An extensive research project into the observations and findings of hunt saboteur and monitor groups during the 2023/2024 hunting season. Executive Summary: Our report, titled A […]
SHOCKING: Renowned Rewilding Knepp Estate hosts notorious hunt
The Knepp Wildland Estate describes itself as “a leading light in the conservation movement”, as “trailblazing”, and “rewilding pioneers”. Run by estate owner Charlie Burrell and his wife Isabella Tree, Knepp’s 3,500-acre rewilding project is impressive, with many declining species like Turtle Dove, White Admiral, and Nightingale all now thriving. A sighting in Cornwall this […]
DENIED: Council rejects Boxing Day parade for Dunston Harriers
Wymondham Town Council in Norfolk has rejected a request from the Dunston Harriers to hold a Boxing Day parade in the town centre this year. Councillors cited various reasons for the decision, including public opposition, damage to the town’s image, and health and safety concerns. The overwhelming feeling amongst those present – councillors and members […]
CHARLES CARTER: Police issue notorious hunter second Community Resolution Order
Wiltshire Police has issued Charles Carter, huntsman for the Royal Artillery Hunt (RAH), with a Community Resolution Order (CRO). The CRO is his second in 18 months, and was given to him after he assaulted a female hunt saboteur. The incident took place in February 2024. Salisbury Plain Hunt Saboteurs gave a detailed account of […]
Guest blog: Trail Liars, Recklessness and Observation and Flushing for Fun.
A few days ago, appalling footage of the Devon & Somerset Staghounds killing a stag emerged. The hunt had spent four hours on their ‘sport’ before the stag, exhausted and desperate, waded into a river to escape. Encircled and trapped, too weak to run any further, he was finally shot and his suffering over. (See […]
Trail Hunting Survey 2024
Survey on Trail Hunting: 2024 Just 18% of the public think hunts are NOT using trail hunting as a smokescreen for ‘traditional hunting’… The poll conducted independently by Survation in August 2024 and commissioned on behalf of Protect the Wild found that even after twenty years of fierce lobbying by hunts to convince the public […]
SURVEY: Just 18% of public believe trail hunting is NOT a smokescreen
A new survey taken earlier this month has revealed that only 18% of the public believes that trail hunting is NOT a smokescreen to get around the ban on hunting wild animals with dogs. The majority of the public also believes there must be stronger legislation to protect wildlife. The poll, carried out by Survation […]
A stag swims for his life before being brutally killed by hunters
The Labour government needs to urgently act and ban hunting after more footage has revealed a hunt killing a stag. The deer was chased for more than four hours before desperately swimming for his life. He was then brutally killed. North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs were joined by Mendip Hunt Sabs as they tried to prevent […]
New evidence strengthens claims hunts bypassing Scotland’s recent anti-hunting laws
Scotland’s Hunting with Dogs Act came into effect in October 2023. The new legislation replaced the previous Protection of Wild Mammals Act 2002 and was intended to close loopholes in that law which hunts had exploited since its inception. However, there is mounting evidence that Scottish hunts have found loopholes to exploit in the new […]
Hunt terrierman guilty of assault after spraying monitor in face with citronella
On 19 August, a terrierman from the Tynedale Hunt was convicted of assault with battery after he sprayed a hunt monitor in the face with citronella. Northumberland Hunt Watch was monitoring the hunt on 5 February 2024 when the attack happened. The group explained the incident: “Judy and another volunteer were monitoring Tynedale Hunt. Judy […]
Chris Packham needs your help to get trail hunting banned
Chris Packham is calling on the public to raise a voice for nature by urging the Labour government to ban trail hunting. This is a type of hunting that is meant to serve as an alternative to chasing and killing wild animals. But as the wildlife TV presenter and conservationist points out, there is ample evidence […]
Albrighton & Woodland Hunt issued with Community Protection Warning
Another hunt has been issued a Community Protection Warning (CPW). Staffordshire Hunt Saboteurs have announced that the Albrighton & Woodland Hunt is the latest pack to have been given the slap on the wrist by police. The sabs announced: “This comes as a result of their antisocial behaviour including, trespass, lack of hound control, killing […]
Blackmore & Sparkford Vale ‘rent-a-thug’ issued with Criminal Behaviour Order
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team has issued a Blackmore and Sparkford Vale supporter with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO). Shane Cooper pleaded guilty to assault and theft following an incident on 26 September 2023. He attacked hunt saboteurs and stole their equipment. The CBO replaced the more commonly-known ASBO back in 2014. You can read […]
GUILTY AGAIN! Criminal hunter Ollie Finnegan convicted once more
Fox hunter Ollie Finnegan is setting records for hunting convictions. He stood trial yet again this week, having been granted a retrial after being convicted of illegal hunting in 2023. Much to Finnegan’s dismay, he was found guilty yet again! Protect the Wild previously reported on how Finnegan was found guilty of illegal hunting three […]
GUILTY! Weston and Banwell Hunt terriermen convicted of assault
The 2024/25 hunting season is just about getting underway, with hunts terrorising fox cubs around the country right now. But there’s good news: yet more hunters have been found guilty in court. Somerset Sabs wrote of the court case: “The shovel-wielding Weston and Banwell terriermen. Ian Dinham and Brian (Anthony) Pearce finally had their day […]
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.
RSPCA’s shocking figures reveal extent of weapon attacks on animals
Hunting, shooting, culling, baiting, lamping, coursing: the UK’s wild animals are targeted by humans using many different cruel methods. And now the RSPCA has revealed that a variety of lethal weapons are being used to kill animals at alarming rates. Between 2020 and 2023, the charity stated that it received 896 reports relating to animals […]
GUILTY: Ex-South Dorset huntsman convicted of racially/religiously aggravated harassment
On 24 July yet another hunter was convicted in court. Ex-South Dorset huntsman Josh Tierney was found guilty after harassing a hunt saboteur. Weymouth Animal Rights wrote: “Josh Tierney was found guilty of causing racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress following a homophobic and xenophobic incident against one of our sabs.” The South Dorset […]
Hunting industry claims to be minority ethnic group and protection under Equality Act
Hunters came together recently for a conference in Wiltshire to discuss how to save hunting. Their plan of action? To claim that hunters are a minority ethnic group, and as such need to be protected under the Equality Act 2010. The event was organised by lobby group Hunting Kind, which aims to influence politicians and […]
GREAT NEWS! Guernsey bans lamping, snares and glue traps
In very welcome news, Guernsey has agreed to ban snares and glue traps as well as the disgusting bloodsport of lamping. On 18 July, the States of Guernsey, which is a self-governing dependency of the UK, voted through seven animal welfare proposals. The news comes as over the water the Labour government is under pressure […]
GUILTY: Wynnstay Hunt security guard convicted of racial abuse
A security guard working for the notorious Wynnstay Hunt pleaded guilty in court on 15 July. He was charged after racially abusing a hunt saboteur, which is a hate crime. Anthony Williams was one of the Wynnstay’s hired thugs on 6 January 2024. Cheshire Hunt Saboteurs reported that Williams acted like the Incredible Hulk. He […]
The BHSA’s fudged figures expose it as just another smokescreen
Oliver Hughes, managing director of the British Hound Sports Authority (BHSA), claimed there are about 12,000 days of trail hunting a year and that most take place “without incident”. However, data gathered by activists and analysed by Protect the Wild undermines this statement. The results point to an open secret about the BHSA. In an […]
Good news! Another hunt folds just days after Labour takes power
Fantastic news is coming in before the 2024/25 hunting ‘season’ even starts: the Monmouthshire and Valley Beagles (M&VB), which used to hunt hares, has disbanded. The M&VB itself was formed from the amalgamation of two separate beagle packs in 2015, the Merthyr Tydfil-based Valley Beagles and the Monmouthshire Beagles. The hunt chased and killed Brown […]
Adorable videos of badgers YOU helped save
Last year, Protect the Wild readers helped an East Sussex community to save badgers whose home was at threat from property developers. We’ve revisited the residents to see how the badgers are doing. And it’s great news: they are thriving! For four and a half years, the community was trying to buy a plot – […]
Hunting industry cries crocodile tears for its hounds
Doomsday for hunting with dogs could well be approaching. If Labour gets into power, it has pledged to strengthen the hunting ban, closing loopholes that were deliberately included in Tony Blair’s Hunting Act 2004. So it’s no surprise that the hunting industry is trying to pull at the public’s heartstrings when it cries crocodile tears […]
New Defence Secretary must ban hunting on MOD land
John Healey is Labour’s new Secretary of State for Defence. Healey is anti-hunting, so Protect the Wild has high hopes that he will take urgent action to ban hunting on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land. Join us in our campaign to make this happen. Most major landowners, such as the National Trust, have already banned […]
Taking on the bird shooting industry: our plans
At Protect the Wild we say we want three things: to end hunting, end bird shooting, and end the badger cull. Over the last year we have pretty much focussed on hunting with dogs: mainly fox hunting, but in a series of animations and Secret Monitor posts also stag and hind hunting, and hare coursing […]
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.
Equipment Fund #22: Suffolk Action for Wildlife
Suffolk Action For Wildlife (SAF) have been monitoring and exposing illegal hunting across Suffolk since 2021. Focussing their work on the Essex and Suffolk Hunt, they have always generously shared their news and images with us here at Protect the Wild (see for example ‘CONVICTED! Terrierman guilty after terrorising monitors on quad bike’ and ‘Essex […]
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 […]
Glue Traps and the Law
Glue Traps and the Law Glue traps, sometimes referred to as sticky boards or glue boards, are used to trap mice or rats. Non-drying glue is placed on a board and as animals walk across them they are trapped and unable to escape, their fur or limbs becoming increasingly stuck to the glue as they try […]
CONVICTED! Terrierman guilty after terrorising monitors on quad bike
Robert Cundy (pictured above), terrierman for the Essex and Suffolk Hunt, pleaded guilty on 14 June to breaking a Community Protection Notice (CPN). A CPN can be issued by a court as punishment for persistent antisocial behaviour. Suffolk Action for Wildlife (SAF) consistently monitors the hunt. Protect the Wild chatted to SAF’s Anna about the […]
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 […]
What is cubbing?
What is cubbing? Every year hundreds of fox cubs are targeted in a horrific activity known as ‘cubbing’. Despite what hunts say, hunting a live mammal does not come naturally to a hound. ‘Cubbing’ is how hunts train hounds to kill and give them a taste for blood. Cubbing usually takes place between August and […]
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 KILLING CONTINUES: Defra orders new badger cull licences
Earlier this year, Defra (the government department working on behalf of the hunting, shooting, farming and fishing industries) launched a ‘sham consultation’, allegedly seeking input for plans to continue killing badgers for the dairy industry. If the government were to go ahead with those plans, licences might be indefinitely issued to kill 100% of badgers […]
GOOD NEWS! Men from Blackmore and Sparkford Vale charged with illegal hunting
Four men from the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt (BSV) – the very same hunt we have been asking The Newt in Somerset to ban from meeting on their land – have been charged under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004, accused of hunting a wild mammal with dogs. The news comes just months […]
Minks and Otters at risk as hunting season starts
Summer is the season for mink hunting in England and Wales. Less well-known than fox hunting, the illegal bloodsport is often used as a guise for hunting Otters. There are nine minkhound packs left in the UK, and saboteurs are on the ground to stop them in their tracks. Mother mink give birth to their […]
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 […]
Another hunter sentenced for animal cruelty, but escapes prison
Greg Baker, former huntsman of the Llandeilo Farmers Hunt, has been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to animals. Five horses and one hound suffered from severe abuse under his care. The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) and South Wales Hunt Saboteurs stated that the RSPCA had raided Baker’s property, and found that the horses were: […]
SIGN THE PETITION: Drop The Newt from the Chelsea Flower Show
The world famous Chelsea Flower Show, organised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), is running between 21 and 25 May. Its headline sponsor is luxury hotel The Newt – a business that supports hunting. Protect the Wild is asking our readers to sign a petition, calling on the RHS to cut its association with the […]
The RHS Petition
Drop The Newt in Somerset from the Chelsea Flower Show 10368 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 10000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear RHS, I am writing to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the Chelsea Flower Show’s ongoing association with The Newt in Somerset as its […]
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 […]
No police action after hunting hounds were killed on busy road
Northamptonshire Police has stated that it will not prosecute members of the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt, even though three of its hounds were killed on the busy A43. The incident took place on 19 February between Broughton and Sywell. Northants Hunt Saboteurs wrote of the police’s decision: “We are extremely disappointed to see that Northants […]
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 […]