Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund The Protecting the Wild Equipment Fund was set up in summer 2023 to help put 'eyes in the field', empowering people to stop hunting with hounds, tackle bird shooting, and halt the badger cull.We know that many groups or individuals who monitor or patrol are…| Protect the Wild
In April, dozens of environmental experts signed an open letter opposing the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB). But on 13 October, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced several further “pro-growth” changes to the bill. According to a Gov.UK press-release, new powers “for the Secretary of State could stop councils rejecting planning […]| Protect the Wild
A Yorkshire Dales charity is launching a new campaign to tackle the national park’s appalling reputation as a ‘blackspot for raptor persecution’. The Yorkshire Dales, a national park dominated by grouse shooting, is well-known for shocking levels of raptor persecution – the illegal killing of birds of prey. Data suggests that twenty-nine satellite-tagged Hen Harriers […]| Protect the Wild
Protect the Wild is sick of waiting for our incompetent government to protect the UK’s wildlife. We’re done with empty promises that were apparently only made to win votes. It’s time for real change, so we’re launching a new campaign focused on delivering tangible, concrete results. We will target a sector that has been largely […]| Protect the Wild
With the so-called 'season' for hunting hares in full swing, there's reason to cheer: two of the UK's hare hunting beagle packs have announced that they will be folding. In other news: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has dropped the case against a Cottesmore Hunt terrierman despite damning covert footage…| Protect the Wild
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?…| Protect the Wild
October 1st: “The UK is facing what campaigners describe as an epidemic of gun violence, with over 50 million victims involved annually. Individuals who step in to disrupt or expose the violence risk prosecution under legislation on aggravated trespass. This legal framework, campaigners argue, is designed less to protect public safety than to maintain the […]| Protect the Wild
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 […]| Protect the Wild
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 […]| Protect the Wild
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.…| Protect the Wild
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 […]| Protect the Wild
As both pro-shoot and pro-wildlife sides know, the pheasant shooting ‘season’ begins again in less than two weeks (see Protect the Wild’s Cruelty Timeline for details of ‘seasons’ for birds and mammals across the UK). Between October 1st and February 1st, around 50 million pheasants, ten million Red-legged Partridges, and around a million Mallards, almost […]| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
“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.”…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
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,…| Protect the Wild
Protect the Wild is not convinced Emma Reynolds has what it takes to ensure Nature's recovery| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
Deer and the Law There are six species of deer in the UK: native Red and Roe Deer; Fallow Deer (first brought to Britain during the Roman period but now considered to be naturalised), and invasive, non-native Sika, (Reeves') Muntjac and Water Deer. Deer populations are probably higher now than…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
Protect the Wild and the Daily Mail don't often agree on matters concerning wildlife, but their headline on Feb 7th "Outrage after students at Britain's top agricultural university strap dead fox to the roof of a car for charity rally" just about nails it. As the Mail explained, "Students at…| Protect the Wild
Back in December 2022, the Warwickshire Hunt was issued with a Community Protection Notice (CPN). But now the police have backtracked, having negotiated with the hunt to come to a "sensible working arrangement". It should come as little surprise that the hunting community has used this news as an opportunity…| Protect the Wild
Dogs and the Law We love dogs here at Protect the Wild, but through no fault of their own they are widely used by hunters, shooters, and wildlife criminals like badger baiters and hare coursers to fight, chase, retrieve, or kill wild animals. That means that we may well come…| Protect the Wild
The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 Burning of moorland in England is covered by the (voluntary) Heather and Grass Burning Code 2007 (Defra, 2007), the Heather and Grass Burning Regulations 2007 (Defra, 2007) and the Heather & Grass Burning Regulations (England) 2021 (Defra, 2021).Under the Heather &…| Protect the Wild
A company worth almost £20 million has pleaded guilty after it deliberately burnt swathes of moorland in the Peak District. Dunlin Ltd, which owns Midhope Moors, didn't have a licence to set fire to the land but was fined just a paltry £2,645. Dunlin's land agents, JM Osbourne Rural and…| Protect the Wild
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.…| Protect the Wild
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,…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
A Grove and Rufford Hunt hound was killed by a car on 29 November. This is just one of a long line of incidents of hounds running loose on roads and railways.| Protect the Wild
2023 came to a close with more animals suffering needless deaths when two hunting hounds were killed on the A30 in Devon. On 30 December, hunt saboteurs reported that the dogs, suspected to belong to the Mid Devon Hunt, had been killed after being hit by cars. One was still…| Protect the Wild
Northants Hunt Saboteurs have received a number of reports that hounds from the Pytchley with Woodland Hunt have been killed when the hunt lost control of them. The incident took placed on 19 February on the A43 between Broughton and Sywell, Northamptonshire. The sabs posted photos on Facebook, sent to…| Protect the Wild
On 28 May Duncan Cinnamond, huntsman of the Seavington Hunt plead guilty to illegal fox hunting, which is an offence under the Hunting Act 2004. Magistrates in Weymouth ordered him to pay a fine and court costs. Cinnamond's conviction comes after Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs submitted damning video footage of…| Protect the Wild
Could this be the Beginning of the End for out-of-control Hunts? Cheshire Hunt case could set national precedent. In March, Chester Magistrates’ Court confirmed that three senior members of the Cheshire Hunt will stand trial this November, accused of allowing their hounds to run dangerously out of control during a…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (which came in to force in April 2007) overhauled the legal protection of vertebrate animals. It applies to actions taken on the land and all inland waters and estuaries in England and Wales. The Act introduced the notion of species-specific…| Protect the Wild
Protectors of the Wild Have you ever wondered what UK law says about hunting, shooting, collecting bird eggs, or about foxes, badgers, and bats? About releasing Grey Squirrels in to the wild? About operating drones, using airguns, or driving quad bikes legally? What the Hunting Act 2004 or the CRoW…| Protect the Wild
North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have released a damning new video, showing the Zetland and South Durham Hunts clearly chasing and trying to dig out foxes during their 18 January meet. Monitors from NEHM and Teeside Anti-Blood Sports (TABS) followed the hunts using drones, handheld cameras and vehicle dashcams. Protect…| Protect the Wild
Labour MP Matt Western has sent a letter to Philip Seccombe, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Warwickshire, asking him about the questionable policing of the Warwickshire Hunt. A Conservative councillor on Stratford-on-Avon District Council between 2002 and 2017, Seccombe was first elected as the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner…| Protect the Wild
West Mercia Police has issued four hunts with Community Protection Warnings (CPWs). Protect the Wild takes a look at what this means, and whether it will protect wildlife where the Hunting Act has failed. On 9 December, Action Against Foxhunting (AAF) announced that the North Shropshire Hunt, South Shropshire Hunt,…| Protect the Wild
The penalty comes after the hunt caused dozens of incidents on roads across Warwickshire. And it opens up a new avenue for taking on hunts.| Protect the Wild
If those tasked with safeguarding this most precious of landscapes can't buckle down and get it done, what hope do we have elsewhere?| Protect the Wild
In 1984 a Royal Commission on environmental pollution recommended a ban on straw burning to come into force within five years. In June 1993 a new law, the Crop Residues (Burning) Regulations 1993, took effect in England and Wales. The law prohibited the burning of various crop residues - straw…| Protect the Wild
North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs' drone footage has captured the moment the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt's hounds ripped up a fox. And now the notorious hunt has finally been suspended by hunting's so-called 'governing body'. Channel 4 News broadcast the footage to the nation on the evening of 25…| Protect the Wild
Benjamin Halsall of the Warwickshire Hunt has been convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs in breach of the Hunting Act 2004. 'Whipper-in' Halsall, from Shipton-on-Stour, was found guilty by a District Judge at Coventry Magistrates' Court, after the court was shown footage of the Warwickshire Hunt's hounds ripping…| Protect the Wild
Assault and the Law Sabs, monitors, and other activists/campaigners often run the risk of 'assault', especially when out in the field. But what in law is assault?Essentially an 'offence against the person', the Sentencing Council says that assault covers a range of actions, from shoving and pushing to using threatening…| Protect the Wild
Charlie Mayo and Kieron Bashford of the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt plead guilty to willfully obstructing the highway on 3 March. Mayo is a rider for the BSV, the son of Anthony Mayo who is huntmaster. Bashford is a BSV supporter and occasional terrierman. The two BSV…| Protect the Wild
Essex & Suffolk Hunt (ESH) supporter Tom Greig was filmed smashing hunt monitor Chantelle Leach's phone and shoving her during the ESH's meet in Little Bentley on 26 February. However, Chantelle told Protect the Wild that Greig's assault continued after the film is cut. Police have been sent the video,…| Protect the Wild
Warwickshire Police have been trying to hide the details of an agreement they made with the Warwickshire Hunt for years. After a concerted campaign it's finally been disclosed. The protocol, which was in place during the 2023/4 hunting season, lists a number of arrangements that are shockingly hunt-friendly. One agreement,…| Protect the Wild
The trial of whipper-in Jamie Price, huntsman Jack Henty and Hamish Golding of the Essex and Suffolk hunt collapsed on Tuesday 11 March at Ipswich Magistrates Court, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer failed to disclose a document to the defence. Wildlife monitors were dismayed, as the three men…| Protect the Wild
On 26 February, West Cornwall Hunt Saboteurs (WCHS) captured a video that shows once again the blatant disregard hunts have for their hounds. This time Holly Nicholls of the Cury Hunt can be seen striking a dog, while Martyn Toman is caught on camera inappropriately scruffing another hound. Check out…| Protect the Wild
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…| Protect the Wild
Badgers and the Law Badgers are protected in law by the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 (passed to consolidate law previously contained in the Badgers Act 1973, the Badgers Act 1991 and the Badgers (Further Protection) Act 1991) and so are their setts (setts include entrances, tunnels, and underground chambers).…| Protect the Wild
Another day, another outrageous incident involving the notorious BSV hunt.| Protect the Wild
Protect the Wild sees no real appetite among the hunting community to evolve past bloodsports, so the law must evolve instead.| Protect the Wild
Laurence Candy's farm was certified to Biocyclic Vegan Standards in 2022. He's already taken a principled stance against animal farming. Now he's made clear that hunting is not welcome on his land either, and he has contacted the Portman Hunt to say so. Candy is the owner of Northwood Farm,…| Protect the Wild
Ex-Essex & Suffolk Huntsman Sam Staniland plead guilty to three animal cruelty charges under the Animal Welfare Act at Ipswich Magistrates Court on 26 February. He is due to be sentenced on 10 April at Norwich Crown Court. The judge said that "all sentencing options" would "be open". Staniland pleaded…| Protect the Wild
Willow Worlds is researching a non-lethal way to stop deer damage to young trees by changing the wild animals' behaviour| Protect the Wild
A search is underway for a missing rhea, who ran away on Saturday 1 February after a hunt group's hounds rode close to the perimeter of the field where the rhea was being kept in East Kirkham, Lincolnshire. Andrew Collington posted that the Hunt seriously spooked the rheas, sheep and…| Protect the Wild
Cumbria Constabulary has sent Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) to two Cumbria hunts, after receiving complaints from the public. We asked Cumbria Constabulary about the contents of the CPWs. They told us that: The Community Protection Warning informed the [hunt] groups that we have received numerous reports regarding issues relating to…| Protect the Wild
Warwickshire Police has released the controversial protocol it entered into with the Warwickshire Hunt. So, what have we found out?| Protect the Wild
2024 came to an end with the country's worst hunt causing untold suffering over a number of days. In this guest article, Dorset Hunt Monitors and North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs give an eyewitness report of the terrors they witnessed on the ground over this Christmas period. Even by the appalling…| Protect the Wild
It's that time of year again when we remind ourselves that 2024 was, in many ways, a good year for wildlife! The Tories were ousted, and the hunting industry is terrified that its days are numbered. Here's ten reasons why this year was a positive one. 1. The argument has…| Protect the Wild
The Trail Hunt Smokescreen Clearing away the 'trail hunt' smokescreen 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.So-called 'trail hunting' didn't exist before…| Protect the Wild
Sign the petition for a proper ban on cubbing and all hunting with hounds 206328 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 250000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear Secretary of State (Emma Reynolds MP) Despite the Hunting Act, wildlife persecution remains widespread in the…| Protect the Wild
Hunt Havoc Hunt Havoc - it's everywhere the hunts go... One reason we need to get rid of hunting altogether - not simply try to strengthen existing legislation and allow hunting to continue in a slightly altered form - is to stop what is known as 'hunt havoc'. Hunts have…| Protect the Wild
The Forgotten Victims of Hunting Hunting's impact on animals is usually focussed on the foxes, hares, deer, and other mammals that are still suffering from being illegally hunted. But there are other animals also caught up in hunting's exploitation of sentient beings: the dogs that hunts use.They are the forgotten…| Protect the Wild
A proper ban on hunting It has been almost two decades since the passing of the Hunting Act 2004, banning the hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales. But hunts continue to operate, creating havoc and breaking the law by chasing and killing wild mammals under the…| Protect the Wild
Hunting of Mammals Bill Overview We need a proper ban on hunting, which is why Protect the Wild commissioned Advocates for Animals to help us develop new legislation – The Hunting of Mammals Bill. Our new Bill is far more than just an update of the Hunting Act 2004.It is…| Protect the Wild
