Ministry of Defence Police issue warning to Royal Artillery Hunt after deer chase
Ministry of Defence Police issued an official warning to two members of Royal Artillery Hunt. It comes after monitors captured footage of hounds chasing deer across Salisbury Plain. However, the video also raises questions about why stronger action wasn’t taken. Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police issued an official warning to Charles Carter, huntsman for the […]
Resident says an Essex hunt killed a fox on Ministry of Defence land after hearing ‘unmistakeable’ screeching
A resident near Colchester has reported that a fox ‘screeched’ as hounds killed them. The incident occurred during a meet of the Essex and Suffolk Hunt. And the whole thing took place on Ministry of Defence land. Local paper the Daily Standard reported that a resident of Berechurch, near Colchester in Essex, heard “screeching” on […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ben Wallace hits out at top police officer in a desperate bid to save hunting
Fervent hunt supporter Ben Wallace, a former defence secretary in the Conservative government, has hit out at the policing of fox hunting. Now a hunting industry official, his bid to portray hunters as victims of ‘two-tiered’ policing reeks of desperation. Wallace, who is on the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) board, has used right-leaning The […]
GREAT NEWS! MOD not licencing hunts on its land for 2024/25 season
The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) has announced that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has granted no trail hunting licences for the 2024/25 season. This will be crushing news to a hunting industry that is on its last legs. For those of us who have campaigned for years – members of the public, hunt saboteurs and […]
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 […]
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 […]
Tory MP Ben Wallace joins British Hound Sports Association board
As the general election approaches, the Tories continue to remind us why they’re not fit for government. News that MP and ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has joined the British Hound Sports Association board is yet another indication that this party needs to be ousted. Of course, anti-hunting campaigners have always known that Wallace is pro-hunting. […]
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 […]
Ben Wallace and the Right’s doomed push for the ‘countryside’ vote
Ben Wallace, the belligerent and unloveable Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North, is all over the media today after yet another attack on sabs and monitors. Writing in the increasingly hysterical Daily Telegraph, Wallace, Secretary of Defence until he resigned in August to ‘invest in the parts of life’ he claims to have neglected […]
Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund #8: Salisbury Plain Monitors
The Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund was set up in Summer 2023 to help put ‘eyes in the field‘, empowering people to protect British wildlife. We set the fund up because we know that many monitors are largely unfunded volunteers. That usually means that to be able to keep an eye on the countryside monitors […]
Restore Trust and Countryside Alliance aim to take control of National Trust Board
Lobby groups ‘Restore Trust’ and the Countryside Alliance (CA) have seemingly joined forces to once again try to take over the Board of Trustees of the National Trust. Emails are being sent out listing five people the lobbyists would like members to vote for: Philip Gibbs, Andrew Gimson, Violet Manners, Philip Merricks, and Jonathon Sumption. […]
Here’s why Chitterne Parish Council needs to ban the Royal Artillery Hunt from parading this Boxing Day
Every year fox hunters across the country gear up for their biggest PR exercise of the hunting season: the Boxing Day or New Year’s Day parade. So Protect the Wild has teamed up with Action Against Foxhunting to campaign for councils to ban hunts from parading on their land at the end of December. One […]
Grant Shapps is anti-hunting. Will he do the right thing and ban fox hunting on MoD land?
On 31 August, Grant Shapps was appointed as the new defence secretary. Protect the Wild is urging Shapps to use his power to ban hunting on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land. A number of major landowners, such as the National Trust, have already banned hunting from taking place on their land. They have acknowledged that […]
MoD silent despite 23000 emails urging hunting ban
Fox hunting has suffered a number of major blows over the past few years. Major landowners such as the National Trust have banned hunting from taking place on their land. But one of the UK’s biggest landowners, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is still refusing to ban the disgusting blood sport. Protect the Wild wants […]
MoD respond to petition calling for end of hunting licences
Protect the Wild recently launched a campaign to ban so-called ‘trail hunting’ on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land, part of our wider determination to end hunting with dogs permanently and achieve a Proper Ban on Hunting. While most major landowners have seen through the ‘smokescreen’ of ‘trail hunting’, the MoD is still issuing licences that […]
End Stag Hunting: Dr Amir Khan lends voice to new animation
Protect the Wild has launched a new short animation slamming illegal stag hunting and featuring the voice of broadcaster, wildlife campaigner and full-time NHS GP Dr Amir Khan. In our animation Dr Khan explains how deer hunts can last up to six hours and are ‘exempt’ under the Hunting Act 2004 because hunts claim they […]
Why not strengthen the Hunting Act?
Why not strengthen the Hunting Act? A new Bill? Why not strengthen the Hunting Act instead? We need a proper ban on hunting, which is why we commissioned Advocates for Animals to help us campaign for a new law – The Hunting of Mammals Bill. But why not work to strengthen the existing legislation? Protect […]
Chris Packham narrates powerful animation against hunting on MoD land
Protect the Wild have launched a new short animation ‘End Hunting on MoD (Ministry of Defence) Land’ featuring the voice of beloved naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham. The 45 second film is backed up with a petition demanding that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) stops issuing ‘trail hunting’ licences to hunts wanting to take advantage […]
CAMPAIGN: End Hunting on MoD land
Yesterday Protect the Wild launched a new petition-based campaign and a new animation: End Hunting on MoD (Ministry of Defence) Land. Within two hours our social media posts had been viewed almost 50k times, and by midday this morning over 5000 people had already signed our petition to the MoD calling on them to stop […]
Vale of White Horse Hunt: fox hunting case dropped due to police and CPS errors
Swindon magistrates dismissed the case against Duncan and Verity Drewett due to a series of apparent errors by Wiltshire Police and Wessex Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Two people associated with the Vale of White Horse Hunt were due to have a trial at Swindon Magistrates’ court on 20 March. The case related to footage obtained […]
MOD Petition
End Hunting on MoD Land Stop issuing ‘trail hunting’ licences on MoD land 37486 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 50000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter For attention of Defence Infrastructure Organisation and John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence Following the leaked Hunting Office webinars which proved that […]
Drones and the Law
Using drones and the Law The laws on drone use are fairly straightforward – but importantly they are slightly different for drones weighing under 250g (the weight of drones operated by most monitor and sabs groups will be 249g) and larger, commercial drones which weigh above 250g. NOTE that from 01 January 2026 all new […]
GUILTY: Terrierman convicted under Protection of Badgers Act
On 27 January 2023, Devon County Hunt Saboteurs (DCHS) announced that sabs had secured yet another conviction. Spooners and West Dartmoor Hunt terrierman Mark Harris was found guilty under the Protection of Badgers Act after sabs caught terriermen digging out a badger sett. DCHS said: “Sabs’ actions on the day not only saved the fox’s […]
Ten reasons why 2022 was a remarkable and historic year
As we reach the end of 2022, it’s a good time to look back on how far the movement against hunting has come in just 12 months. This list looks at some of the most high profile moments from the past year and is ordered chronologically. Many more moments that are no less important have […]
The MoD just became even more secretive about hunting on its land
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has sent the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) a letter, terminating a memorandum of understanding between the animal rights organisation and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Writing for ITV News, Rupert Evelyn said: “The long-standing memorandum between the MOD and LACS is designed to inform the anti-hunting organisation where on the […]
Royal Artillery Hunt accused of more intimidation and lies after huntsman Charles Carter runs down saboteurs with his car
On 10 December, Moonraker Hunt Sabs shared footage of Charles Carter, huntsman for the Royal Artillery Hunt (RAH), running down two saboteurs with his car. The video was posted on Twitter shortly after the incident happened, and shows Carter deliberately turning his car around to drive into the sabs. One person can be seen laying […]
Podcast 01: Charles Carter runs down Moonraker Hunt Sabs
[buzzsprout episode=’11855413′ player=’true’] A conversation with two members of Wiltshire’s Moonraker Hunt Sabs recorded just a few hours after they uploaded footage to Twitter which shows Charles Carter, Huntsman of the Royal Artillery Hunt, driving his car at them and knocking one of them to the ground. What follows is unverified in that I […]
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, […]
News
NEWS Breaking news on our work and issues affecting wildlife. We update our site regularly so check back here or subscribe to our newsletter. You can also follow us on our socials to keep up to date. Latest newsFoxShootingRaptor PersecutionBadgerDeerInvestigateCampaign Latest news Cat found nearly ‘cut in two’ after a snare wrapped around his stomach […]
Hunter accused of six charges of animal cruelty
Sam Staniland, ex-huntsman for the Essex and Suffolk Hunt, was in court on Monday 18 December, accused of six charges under the Animal Welfare Act. The hunter pleaded not guilty to all six charges. He was accused of: Causing unnecessary suffering to a foxhound by failing to prevent the dog from fighting a fox on […]
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 […]
