Another public landowner has just wised up to hunting’s criminal activities
North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) recently announced that hunts are no longer welcome on Levisham Estate. The move comes after hunt saboteurs caught terriermen digging out a badger sett on the property. East Yorkshire Coast Hunt Sabs said on 4 December that NYMNPA had decided to “not… allow hunting to resume on the […]
Police investigation launched into footage of hunting hounds killing a fox
Police confirmed they are investigating footage published online that appears to show hounds killing a fox. The incident occurred at Charleton Horethorne, Somerset, during a meet of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt. Police investigation On 26 November, hunt monitor group Wildlife Crime Action published a video showing hounds huddled together, ragging something on the […]
Send a letter to end hunting on Ministry of Defence Land
There’s #NoDefence for fox hunting. Many major landowners including the National Trust and Forestry England have stopped issuing ‘trail hunting’ licences, effectively banning hunting on their land. The Ministry of Defence though is holding out. It is still licencing so-called ‘trail hunts’ on huge areas of land including Salisbury Plain, the hunting ground of the […]
Hunt master fined after hunting fox on National Trust land
Hunt master fined £600 after failing to call dogs away while illegally fox hunting on National Trust land South Shropshire Hunt master Daniel Cherriman, aged 37, was filmed in November 2021 trespassing and illegally fox hunting on National Trust land in the Long Mynd area of Church Stretton when the hounds he was in charge […]
End fox hunting campaigns
Our work to end fox hunting A Proper Ban on Hunting A Proper Ban on Hunting Learn More Animations Animations Learn More Direct Action Direct Action Learn More Undercover Investigations Undercover Investigations Learn More Major Landowners Major Landowners Learn More
Hunting in Residential Areas Survey
Survey on Residential Hunting: 2021 76% agree hunting in residential areas should be illegal… A poll conducted by Survation on behalf of Protect the Wild revealed that 76% of those surveyed think ‘conducting hunting activities in residential areas should be illegal’. 12% of respondents said they believed hunting activities in residential areas should be legal […]
Trail Hunting Survey
Survey on Trail Hunting: 2021 61% agree – trail hunting should be permanently suspended… Protect the Wild is calling on major landowners to permanently ban so-called “trail hunts” from using their land following the outcome of a public survey. The poll conducted independently by Survation and commissioned on behalf of Protect the Wild revealed a […]
What is trail hunting?
What is Trail Hunting? In 2004 the passing of the Hunting Act made fox hunting illegal. Since then hunts have claimed to be following artificial scent trails rather than deliberately hunting wild mammals. This is nothing but a lie. Trail hunting is a smokescreen used as a means to continue to illegally hunt wild foxes. […]
What is clean boot hunting?
What is clean boot hunting? When the New Forest Hounds announced its transformation from a foxhound to a bloodhound pack, South Hampshire Hunt Saboteurs welcomed the news. It told Protect the Wild at the time that the change was “a huge win”. That’s because Bloodhound packs follow the scent of a human volunteer, not wildlife, […]
Is fox hunting a sport?
Is fox hunting a Sport? Lamping is a loose term that covers a number of different activities. However, they all take place at night and they all result in the murder of wildlife in the British countryside. In June 2022 it was announced that a new body would take over the responsibility of governing hunts […]
Is fox hunting illegal?
Is fox hunting illegal? Is fox hunting illegal? Yes. Since the 2004 Hunting Act was passed it has been illegal to intentionally hunt a wild mammal (notably foxes, hare and deer) with dogs. However, there are a number of exemptions to the ban which hunts often use to get around the legislation and avoid prosecution […]
What is drag hunting?
What is drag hunting? Drag Hunting is a form of ‘hunting’ that does not involve chasing a wild animal. In contrast trail hunting is an activity that traditional fox hunts have claimed to be carrying out since fox hunting was made illegal in 2004. Instead of chasing and killing a live mammal, ‘trail hunting’ is the […]
When does fox hunting season begin?
When does the fox hunting season begin? The main fox hunting season usually takes place between the end of October to early April whilst the ‘cubbing’ season (often referred to by hunters as Autumn Hunting) takes place between August and the end of October. This leaves a period of around 3-4 months where hunts are […]
How do I report illegal fox hunting?
How do I report illegal fox hunting? If you see something that you think is a crime you should call the police on 999 (if it still taking place) or 101 if it’s ended or historical. If you have information on a hunt or suspect that a wildlife crime is taking place in a particular […]
How do hunts get away with illegal fox hunting?
How do hunts get away with illegal fox hunting? People on all sides of the hunting industry recognise that the Hunting Act is a problematic and nearly unenforceable law. While hunts make such claims on the premise that in theory it stops them from killing animals, the reality is that the Hunting Act’s wording is […]
Video evidence shows fox hunting by Royal Artillery Hunt
Video evidence shows fox hunting by Royal Artillery Hunt This footage was captured by members of Salisbury Plain Monitors on 30 October 2021. It shows a fox running ahead of Charles Carter, huntsman of the Royal Artillery Hunt (RAH), as Carter blows his horn. The fox then turns into a covert of trees and, […]
What is mink hunting?
Mink Hunting: what is it and what happens on a mink hunt Mink hunting with hounds only began in an organised way after Otters became a protected species across England and Wales in 1978. Otter hunting has a centuries-long history in the UK but has always been a relatively minor pursuit when compared to deer, […]
No defence for hunting (MOD)
End Hunting on MOD land https://protectthewild.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PTW-MOD-Land_v14_twitter_facebook.mp4 #NO DEFENCE: END HUNTING ON MOD LAND There’s #NoDefence for fox hunting. Many major landowners including the National Trust and Forestry England have stopped issuing ‘trail hunting’ licences, effectively banning hunting on their land. The Ministry of Defence and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) – the estate expert for […]
Deer hunting
Deer Hunting Protect the Wild vehemently opposes hunting deer with dogs, an illegal activity that is inhumane and unjustified. Deer Hunting is a cruel (and now illegal) pastime dating back to the late nineteenth century where packs of staghounds hunted what was known as “carted deer”. These were Red Deer kept in captivity for the […]
Fox Hunting FAQs
Fox Hunting FAQs Is fox hunting illegal? Is fox hunting illegal? Learn More Why do people still hunt foxes? Why do people still hunt foxes? Learn More What is trail hunting? What is trail hunting? Learn More When does the fox hunting season begin? When does the fox hunting season begin? Learn More How do […]
Fox hunting
Fox Hunting Whether through the articles we write, pressuring major landowners to stop giving ‘trail hunt’ licences to hunts, giving equipment to frontline monitor groups, or exposing hunts through ground-breaking undercover investigations, we are finding as many ways as possible to shut down the hunts still illegally chasing and killing wild foxes. On this page […]
End Hunting
End Hunting Protect the Wild is working to end hunting. We’re fighting for a future where hunting no longer exists. Through campaigning, animations, and articles we are informing the public that hunting still takes place. Through our Support Network and Equipment Fund we are providing equipment to front-line groups. Through our free Protectors of the Wild resource we are […]
If foxhunting is banned why does it still take place?
If foxhunting is banned why does it still take place? Fox hunting in England and Wales was banned by Parliament when MPs passed the Hunting Act 2004. More precisely, all hunting of wild mammals with dogs was banned – including foxes. The Act came into force on the 18th of February 2005, so hunts were […]
Terrierwork, terriermen, and the grotesque world of fox hunting
Terrierwork, terriermen, and the grotesque world of fox hunting Schedule 1.2 of the Hunting Act (which bans hunting wild animals with hounds) permits the use of “dogs below ground to protect birds for shooting”. It’s sometimes known as the Gamekeeper Exemption. Its wording allows someone to put a terrier in, for example, a fox earth […]
Hare coursing and hare hunting – is there police bias?
Hare coursing and hare hunting – is there police bias? During a Westminster Hall debate on a pair of anti-hunting petitions promoted by Protect the Wild, the under-secretary for environment Rebecca Pow said that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act would bring in new legislation that would “genuinely help [police] as regards any hare […]
Hunting Office backlash continues…
Hunting Office backlash continues… …leading to an even more undemocratic rearranging of the deckchairs Fox hunting had always assumed it was built on solid foundations. Little wonder really. For hundreds of years the ‘nobility’ ran packs of hounds out of stately homes, killing foxes across land their families owned (or rented out to tenant farmers), […]
Glyndwyr university team will conduct independent review into fox hunting
Police across the UK are renowned for allowing illegal fox and stag hunting to take place. It’s common knowledge to hunt saboteurs that the police ignore the hunting that goes on under their noses, instead turning their attention towards the activists on the ground who are trying save foxes. There’s countless footage all over the […]
The brutal reality of stag hunting
The brutal reality of stag hunts and stag hunting Barbaric hunters on quad bikes and motorbikes, accompanied by hounds, chasing a stag to exhaustion. Hardly what you’d expect to see in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). But if you go for a walk on Somerset’s Quantock Hills, this is exactly what you might […]
Hunting Havoc Report reveals shocking level of hunt recklessness
Hunting Havoc Report reveals shocking level of hunt recklessness In the past decade there have been numerous reports of hunting hounds chasing terrified animals and, in some cases, killing domestic animals, livestock and pets. These so-called “accidents” are taking place across the country every year and the hunts repeatedly apologise for their actions and promise […]
Legal status of hunting across the UK
Social Media Manager
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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 […]
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 […]
Moorland Association says ‘Predators rising, Birds disappearing’…but they would, wouldn’t they
The ‘Inglorious 12th’, the start of the grouse shooting season, is just days away. It’s absolutely no coincidence at all, then, that the Moorland Association (MA), the lobby group for grouse shooting estate owners, has published an article which essentially claims that everything they do (in terms of ‘predator control’) is good, and everything the […]
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 […]
Ban children from hunts and shoots
Ban Children from Participating in Hunts and Shoots 0 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 10000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter To: The UK Government and relevant ministers We, the undersigned, call on the UK Government to prohibit the involvement of children under the age of 18 in hunting […]
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 […]
End terrier work petition
End Terrier Work – Close the Loophole That Lets Hunts Keep Killing 0 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 10000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear Secretary of State, I am writing to urge you to take swift and decisive action to uphold the integrity of the Hunting Act […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Leaflet Drop Privacy Policy
Leaflet Drop Privacy Policy This policy explains how Protect the Wild handles the personal data you provide when signing up to take part in the Leaflet Drop campaign. 1. Who We Are Protect the Wild is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation working to defend wildlife and end hunting. As part of our campaigns, […]
We want to hear from rural people and here is why…
Protect the Wild is calling on rural voices to speak out and tell their stories. In 2004, the Hunting Act was passed with one clear aim: to end the cruel and chaotic practice of hunting wild mammals with dogs. But two decades on, that promise remains broken. Our new report, Rural People VS Hunting, will […]
RSPB: Number of Hen Harriers killed or missing reaches new high
A new RSPB report – titled unambiguously Hen Harriers in the firing line – shows record numbers of Hen Harriers being illegally killed or going missing in suspicious circumstances over the past five years, and that the majority of the 102 incidents occurred on or near grouse moors. Hen Harriers are a rare, protected bird […]
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 […]
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, […]
Born to Die: alleged leaked accounts reveal fate of unwanted foxhound puppies
Weymouth Animal Rights has recently revealed deeply disturbing information about the fate of newborn foxhound puppies bred by hunts—details so brutal that it’s no surprise they remain hidden from public view. While much attention focuses on the tragic shooting of adult hounds, what remains largely unknown and unspoken is the reported mass killing of day-old […]
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 […]