PROTECT THE WILD SAY BREEDING OF BIRDS TO BE SHOT FOR FUN IS AN INDUSTRY

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more The shooting industry would hate you seeing this PROTECT THE WILD MAY 15 READ IN APP You are probably staring at that image above right now trying to work out what you are looking at. Most people will think it is a solar farm. It is not. This is the Heart of England ‘game’ farm. Rows of tiny cages. Hundreds and hundreds of them, stretching across acres of the Warwickshire countryside. And inside each one are birds caged for one reason: to produce more birds to be shot for “sport”. Cage after cage after cage, across an entire farm containing thousands of birds. A systematic, industrial breeding process carried out on living creatures who have no choice, no escape, and no existence beyond their function as reproductive units. The industry itself states that more than 30 million pheasants are shot each year. Many people wonder how a figure that high can be true. How can there be SO MANY pheasants? THIS is how. Millions of pheasants and partridges are factory-farmed like this every year in the UK in tiny cages like these. Become a Game Changer This is misery on an industrial scale. The shooting industry works hard to present itself as a small-scale rural tradition, woven into the fabric of the British countryside. The numbers tell a very different story — one that this investigation will be examining in detail over the coming weeks. More than 60 million pheasants and Red-legged Partridges, both non-native species, are released onto British shooting estates every single year. That figure has ballooned by nearly 600% over the past half-century, and in 2018 alone exceeded 61 million birds. This is not a handful of estates maintaining a countryside tradition. It is one of the largest annual releases of farmed animals into the British landscape ever undertaken, on a scale that dwarfs the wild populations of almost every native bird species in this country. And it begins with factory farming. In rows of cages. Video clip: Pheasants in raised cages, Heart of England. 2025 The overwhelming majority of shoots depend entirely on hand-reared, intensively farmed birds to function. Feeding that demand requires a network of around 300 ‘game’ farms across Britain, topped up by a substantial continental supply chain, with at least half of all birds beginning their lives on industrial farms overseas before enduring long-distance lorry journeys to reach UK estates. Become a Game Changer This is an operation with the infrastructure, supply chains and lobbying muscle of modern agribusiness. Yet it has successfully avoided the regulatory oversight applied to every other form of intensive animal farming in Britain. In the weeks ahead, we will look in more detail at the appalling cages in the images above: the infamous raised laying units — part of a system that could not be described in any better way than “factory farming.” And if you think these cages are bad, wait until we show you what we found at Heart of England. Its owners have taken the suffering one step further: colony cages. Cages piled three high, where birds literally defecate on the birds in the tier below. For now, though, take in the scale of all of this, recognise the suffering, and remember it. All screenshots from the undercover investigation at Heart of England Farms. End Bird Shooting Over the coming months our campaign will look at the shooting industry at every level. We will highlight the suppliers — the farms, hatcheries, importers and breeders producing tens of millions of birds under conditions that would provoke public outcry if applied to any other animal. We will expose the providers — the estates and syndicates that take those factory-farmed birds and sell the experience of killing them as leisure. And we will look at the clients — the paying guns who are fully aware of the wildlife crime, the trapping of native predators, and the mass suffering involved, and who have decided that none of it is reason enough to stay away. This industry survives because suppliers supply, providers provide, and clients pay. We intend to examine them all. We are working to END BIRD SHOOTING. This suffering has to stop. Please share this article. Share our socials. Follow us for updates. Join the movement. Become a Game Changer. We are at the beginning of something. Months of undercover work. Hundreds of hours of footage. Farms across the UK exposed. And we are only just getting started. But investigations alone do not end industries. People do. We are asking you to become a Game Changer. To stand with us as we take this fight forward, week by week, piece by piece, until the public, the media and the politicians can no longer look away. The first 500 people to sign up will receive a limited edition pin badge. This is the beginning. Be part of it. Become a Game Changer SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM PROTECT THE WILD - BIRD NETTING WHY OH WHY?

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more One click could save so many lives One click. One message. Eight chances to save lives. CHARLOTTE SMITH MAY 13 READ IN APP Birds are suffering. Birds are dying. And it could have been prevented. Right now, birds are trapped inside bird netting across the UK, unable to escape, slowly starving, left to die. This isn’t a side effect. It’s the result of a practice that is inhumane, indiscriminate, and ineffective. The Problem With Bird Netting Bird netting is sold as a deterrent to birds nesting in places people don’t want them. In reality it is a trap. Birds fly in and can’t get out. They die of exhaustion, starvation, or injury. Their bodies are left to rot, sometimes for weeks, in full public view. Pigeons are most commonly affected, but netting doesn’t discriminate. Any bird can become a victim. It doesn’t keep birds out. It locks them in. Click to remove netting! Deceased pigeon, who likely starved to death at Victoria Place, Woking, Surrey. 8 Locations. 8 Chances to Make a Difference. We’ve identified eight sites where harmful netting is actively trapping birds right now. We contacted every one of these businesses and asked them to remove it. They refused, or didn’t reply at all. Huws Gray, Pakefield, Lowestoft The Bush Hotel, Farnham, Surrey System Hydraulics Ltd, Cumbria Victoria Place, Woking, Surrey RD&E Hospital, Exeter Notre Dame School, Liverpool Kingdom Motors Ltd, London Haworth Arms, Hull So now we need you. Click to remove netting! Deceased pigeon, Haworth Arms, Hull. A New Tool: One Email, Eight Recipients We know petition fatigue is real. That’s why we built something different. Our new tool lets you send a single email that reaches all eight businesses at once, with multiple recipients BCC’d automatically. You don’t fill out eight forms. You don’t sign eight petitions. You act once, and all eight hear from you. One click. One message. Eight chances to save lives. Sign our petition today. Tell these businesses to take the netting down, contact Humane Wildlife Solutions, and choose compassion over convenience, before more lives are lost. These birds have no voice. You do. Please use it. Click to remove netting! Deceased pigeon at Kingdom Motors Ltd, London. What Else You Can Do 🔴 See a bird trapped in netting, alive? You must report it immediately to your local wildlife rescue, the RSCPA, the site owner, and the police. We are not able to physically remove netting ourselves, only the businesses can do that, but a rescue team may be able to intervene before it’s too late. ⚫ See a dead bird in netting? Report it to us at End Bird Netting. Every report builds the case for action and helps us identify new sites. 📢 Keep sharing this. These businesses are counting on no one noticing. Prove them wrong. Click to remove netting! This gull was finally rescued after spending 42 hours trapped in netting at Notre Dame School in Liverpool. The netting should never have been there in the first place and it’s time it was removed. Help fund this project and the fight for British wildlife! Pick up one of our lovely pigeon pin badges and help us protect these animals and change public perceptions! Pigeon Pin Badge SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

FROM WILD JUSTICE - A NEED TO KNOW READ FROM SHOOTING BIRDS TO OVERGRAZING ON DARTMOOR

Good morning, Today’s newsletter brings you a reminder about the consultation on bird shooting seasons, as well as other updates including a consultation on so-called trail hunting and a campaign to save Great Crested Newts. The shooting season of Woodcock – consultation closes soon: The Government recently launched a consultation on proposed changes to Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which governs which bird species can be shot, and when. The proposals cover species including Goldeneye, Pintail and Woodpigeon and are quite nuanced and technical, often with different changes proposed in different parts of the UK. This consultation was launched in part thanks to our campaigning and your support around limiting the shooting of Woodcock. Now we have the chance to see those changes actually happen, alongside several other positive changes for a range of bird species. The consultation closes this Sunday, 17th May. Many of you have already taken the time to respond — thank you. If you haven't yet done so, we'd really appreciate it if you could find a moment to respond before Sunday. We've reviewed Defra's proposals in detail and summarised our thoughts on each proposed change in our guidance notes, which we hope will help you formulate your own response. Click here to read our blog, where you'll find guidance on responding question by question. Wild Justice in the news: ‘What the Dartmoor ‘overgrazing ruling’ means for statutory bodies in England’. In March we heard the news that the High Court had ruled in our favour on our legal challenge about overgrazing on Dartmoor. In the case, we argued that ecologically valuable (and protected) areas of the National Park were being failed by the body responsible for looking after them. This week some analysis of the case has featured in the Environment Journal, that has published a detailed piece on the implications of the High Court ruling. The article quotes our CEO, Bob Elliot, who points out that upland areas like Dartmoor are among the most marginal farming land in the UK, covering vast areas while contributing relatively little food production. Our argument is that the public (who have subsidised this farming through their taxes) deserves an honest conversation about whether these landscapes could deliver a greater societal benefit if managed differently, particularly in terms of nature recovery and carbon storage. We are clear that this is not a call to end grazing, but a challenge to the assumption that farming must remain the primary use of our uplands. The article also highlights the wider significance of the ruling, noting that it sets a precedent for other statutory bodies managing similar landscapes across England, including on Exmoor, in the Lake District and in the New Forest. All can now expect greater scrutiny and pressure to demonstrate that their decisions are properly evidence-based. You can read the article by clicking here. A reminder about the consultation on so-called trail hunting: Last month we drew your attention to another consultation, this time looking at the implementation of a ban on so-called trail hunting - see here. Trail hunting is supposed to be a substitute for Fox hunting (which was banned under the Hunting Act 2004 by the previous Labour government) where, theoretically at least, hounds follow an artificial scent trail laid by humans. However, many groups have, over years, provided significant evidence that trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen to conceal ongoing Fox hunting, which has ultimately led to the Labour party’s commitment to ban it. Over 300 campaigners attended a rally outside Westminster last weekend, organised by the League Against Cruel Sports, calling for an end to the trail hunting lie. We were happy to join them and we applaud the efforts of the League, the Hunt Saboteurs and many others who have worked tirelessly to expose the illegality and appalling cruelty associated with this ‘sport’. The consultation on how best to implement a taril hunting ban is open until 18 June 2026, so there’s still plenty of time to participate. The League Against Cruel Sports has produced some very helpful consultation guidance, which we’d recommend using to guide your response. You can find it by clicking here. A petition about Great Crested Newts – and much more: We’d like to draw your attention to the Save Our Newts campaign and ask you to support their petition. A significant development is threatening London's largest breeding colony of Great Crested Newts, in Glebelands Local Nature Reserve in Barnet. The proposed development — one of the densest in the country — could push the GC Newts to local extinction. The application is currently being considered by the Mayor of London and a decision is due by 27 May. Whilst a local issue, this case has potential repercussions greater than one nature reserve. Under growing pressure to hit housing targets, we’ve seen legal protections for wildlife being steadily eroded. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 allows developers to pay a levy instead of carrying out genuine habitat mitigation (see our criticism of this "cash to trash" system here), effectively letting money substitute for meaningful environmental protection. What happens at Glebelands will act as a test case for how seriously those protections are taken. If this development proceeds, it sends a signal to developers and planning authorities across the country that wildlife protections can simply be brushed aside when they become inconvenient. Please sign the petition to stand up for Glebelands, for Great Crested Newts, and for the principle that our remaining wild spaces deserve genuine protection. You can add your name by clicking here. That’s it for now! Thank you, Wild Justice (CEO: Bob Elliot. Directors: Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay). This is the 268th Wild Justice newsletter. This email was sent to you because you subscribed to it through the Wild Justice website or through an e-action or a petition where you ticked a box. Thank you. We will only use your personal details to send you the Wild Justice newsletter. We will not give or sell your details to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time: there is an unsubscribe button at the foot of this email or you can reply to this email and ask us to remove you from the list (the former will happen immediately, the latter might take a few days). 124, City Road London Greater London EC1V 2NX UNITED KINGDOM Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options

THE TRUE EXTENT OF SPRING STAG HUNTING - THE SHAME OF THE WEST COUNTRY

View this email in your browser Hi, Supporter The True Extent of Spring Stag Hunting The Spring Stag hunting season finished at the of April, after two months of pain, suffering and terror being inflicted upon, not only young stags in the South West, but the herds that reside there. This season follows on from hind hunting which comes after Autumn Stag hunting. During March and April, the three stag hunt packs pick out and hound young Spring stags, pushing them beyond their limits, forcing them to endure horrifying ordeals, with the aim of finally killing them and carving up their bodies. Sab groups have been attending meets; saving lives and documenting the cruelty and the exploitation of loopholes within the Hunting Act 2004 which enables these hunts to continue to bring terror to the South West. Below are a few documented incidents but the extent of abuse spans much wider than this. Sabs have been working tirelessly to expose the barbarity of stag hunts in the South West. On the 16th of March the Quantock Staghounds pushed a young stag beyond exhaustion. Sabs witnessed the stag panting and foaming at the mouth, before he was forced to endure another two hours of suffering. Eventually the stag became trapped up a wire fence, blood around his nose and a large cut to his chest where he had no doubt crashed into a fence in a desperate attempt to escape. A Mendip Hunt Sab came face to the face with this beautiful stag before he was ushered away by hunt staff who shot him, whooping and laughing as they did so. This young stag was pushed beyond exhaustion. With blood around his nose and a cut across his chest he had been subjected to horrific levels of cruelty for ‘research and observation.’ Credit: Mendip Hunt Sabs. Another example of the sheer cruelty and barbarity that is stag hunting is when on the 31st of March, the Devon & Somerset Staghounds targeted a stag that had part of one of his legs missing. They forced him to endure being chased by hounds, riders and quad bikes, before killing him. During the chase the stag was witnessed slipping and almost falling down a steep embankment whilst hunt supporters screamed and shouted to try and dictate his direction of travel. Stag hunts hide behind exemptions such as “Rescue of a Wild Mammal” to be able to continue inflicting pain and terror. At the Devon and Somerset Staghounds meet on the 18th of April, the initial target stag thankfully managed to evade the hunt, but not before being subjected to hours of being chased, with the huntsman riding directly at the herd, which included calves, to try and split them up. Realising this was a failed mission they moved on to terrorise an injured stag at Barton Wood. This stag had been seen limping and so was then forced to run for an hour in steep terrain before being shot. This is a direct contradiction of the ‘rescue’ of an injured or sick deer exemption which is in the Hunting Act 2004. Devon & Somerset Staghounds on a mission to kill. Credit: Mendip Hunt Sabs. At the Quantock Staghounds closing meet on the 23rd of April, a young stag was forcibly contained in a small area and made to run with no chance to rest. Eventually, the brave stag decided to make a break for safety and despite riders and quad bikes positioning themselves illegally offroad to prevent him crossing the track, the stag broke through, heading in the direction of the League Against Cruel Sports’ New Ground Sanctuary. The exhausted stag continued to push on despite a gunman ready to take his life. North Dorset Hunt Sabs reported of “horrendous noise” coming from supporters in an attempt to scare the stag back, but thankfully he pushed on past them. The presence of a Wildlife Guardian investigator then forced the hunt to leave, with this young stag’s life saved. Riders at the Quantock Staghounds attempted to prevent this stag from reaching the safety of a sanctuary. Credit: North Dorset Hunt Sabs. Sadly, cruelty such as this is a regular occurrence at stag hunts as they continue to exploit loopholes within the Hunting Act 2004. An exemption which has been mentioned in this article is the “Rescue of a Wild Mammal.” One of the conditions of this exemption is that “reasonable steps are taken for the purpose of ensuring that as soon as possible after the wild mammal is found, appropriate action (if any) is taken to relieve its suffering.” However, as sabs witness time and time again and as is mentioned above, injured deer are forced to partake in the hunts sickening chase for hours before being shot. Similarly, another loophole which is exploited is that of “Research and Observation.” This is often cited by pro-hunters despite there never being any research published since the Hunting Act 2004 was introduced. There is absolutely no evidence to support this excuse. In a paper entitled The Bateson Report which was published in 1997, Professor Bateson stated that “deer, particularly red deer are not adapted for long, endurance chases.” The study also reported that “hunted deer experienced extreme psychological terror and physical exhaustion.” Despite these findings deer are continually subjected to terrifying ordeals at the hands of the three remaining stag hunt packs in the South West. This stag was killed on the 4th of April by the Devon & Somerset Staghounds. His body was thrown onto the back of a quad bike while supporters waited to see it carved up. Credit: North Dorset Hunt Sabs. The law must do better to protect our deer and ensure that they are not subjected to sadistic cruelty. Have your say and tell the government that this barbarity must stop. Read the HSA’s consultation guidelines Thank you to all the sabs who continue to expose the sickening cruelty of stag hunting, and additional thanks to North Dorset Hunt Sabs and Mendip Hunt Sabs for the images used in this article. Read Stag Hunting: The Shame of the West Country Join the Hunt Saboteurs Association! Support our vital work by becoming a member. Join The HSA Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Facebook icon Instagram icon Twitter icon Logo Copyright (C) 2026 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

FROM THE HUNT SABOTEURS - ABOUT THE BAN ON TRAIL HUNTING

View this email in your browser Hi, Supporter FIVE WEEKS TO GO – CHRIS PACKHAM URGES YOU TO COMPLETE THE TRAIL HUNTING CONSULTATION! Last Saturday, Hunt Sabs were out in force in Central London, joining hundreds of others to hear Chris Packham urge the government to get on with the ban on so-called trail hunting. Chris and friends urge you to complete the consultation! Describing the practice as “hideous and sociopathic” Chris said: “I’m now 65-years old, and I cannot believe that I’m standing here, and this is still going on. We elected a government with a massive majority and a manifesto pledge to stop fox hunting. But two years into that term of government, and nothing has happened.” Hunt sabs flags dominated the skyline. Before Chris, the crowd heard from several other speakers. First up were the Badger Trust who reminded the crowd that badgers are often the ‘forgotten victims’ of fox hunting – frequently being buried alive when hunt terriermen block their setts to deprive hunted foxes of a refuge. An impressive line-up of speakers. Next up a speaker outlined West Mids Hunt Sabs incredibly successful campaign against the Warwickshire Hunt – sabbing every meet and exposing corruption at the highest level of Warwickshire police. She was followed by long-time friend of the HSA, actor Peter Egan, who was moved to tears as he recounted the horrors inflicted on animals by trophy hunters and fox hunters. Hunt sabs make their feelings known at Parliament. Peter was followed by the great Megan McCubbin. Megan spoke about ‘Operation Smokescreen’ where her and Chris have bravely live streamed from several hunts. Megan spoke about the many stresses involved and praised the efforts of hunt sabs who attend hunts week-in, week out. Mendip Hunt Sabs banner says it all. All of the speakers were united in their message: the consultation is the best chance we will ever have to get rid of the smokescreen of trail hunting and make the Hunting Act fit for purpose. Thank you to the League Against Cruel Sports for organising the rally. Please make YOUR voice heard and fill in the consultation today! Read the HSA’s consultation guidelines Join the Hunt Saboteurs Association! Support our vital work by becoming a member. Join The HSA Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Facebook icon Instagram icon Twitter icon Logo Copyright (C) 2026 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CAN YOU HELP THEM TO TAKE GOVERNMENT TO COURT

View in browser Dear John, The effects of climate breakdown are worsening. Extreme weather events are become more frequent and more severe. Yet the government's plans to protect us have consistently fallen critically short. Without necessary measures in place to protect our lives and livelihoods, few of us will escape the consequences. And for some, the effects are already devastating. That's why with your help we're taking the government to court again over its inadequate plan to prepare and protect the UK. We’re determined to succeed. Our record of legal wins shows we have the expertise to win in court and change the future. We just need your help. I'LL DONATE TO MAKE HISTORY We're challenging the government alongside Kevin Jordan and Doug Paulley – two people already directly affected by climate breakdown. This case at the European Court of Human Rights is the first of its kind. And if we win it could be a real turning point both for the climate crisis and for human rights. Climate breakdown isn't going away. Eventually it will affect you and me, if it hasn't already. We must act now before it's too late. Please support our demand for better protection from climate catastrophe. Donate today and join us as we fight for a safer, greener, fairer world. I'LL DONATE TO MAKE HISTORY With passion and solidarity, Niall, Senior Lawyer, Friends of the Earth About us Supporter promise Privacy policy Contact us DONATE This email was sent to spanishjohnedwards@gmail.com Want to change how you receive these emails? Unsubscribe from this list We send communications to our supporters who have opted in to receive emails from us. Friends of the Earth Limited. Reg. No. 01012357. Incorporated in England and Wales. Registered office: Friends of the Earth The Printworks 139 Clapham Road London, SW9 0HP United Kingdom Copyright © Friends of the Earth Limited

PROTECT THE WILD - THEIR FIRST EDITION OF ‘EYE ON THE WILD’ - TROPHY HUNTING NOT BANNED

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Govt u-turns over ban on trophy hunting imports Eye on the Wild - #1 TOM ANDERSON MAY 12 READ IN APP Welcome to the first edition of Eye on the Wild, our new weekly roundup designed to keep you up to date with the latest stories concerning British wildlife. Each week, we’ll share important news, updates, and stories from across the UK, including issues, species, and campaigns that may not always make the headlines. We’ll also highlight ways you can help and take action for wildlife. If you have a story you think we should cover, email us at contact@protectthewild.org.uk Killing for kicks: the British trophy hunters that Labour won’t stop Via Ban Trophy Hunting/Screenshot. Sign the petition now In recent days the UK mainstream media has revealed the faces behind Britain’s trophy hunting industry - ordinary people from the UK who travel abroad to shoot some of the world’s rarest animals for fun, then bring the body parts home as macabre momentoes. The Mirror reported that Labour has shelved its manifesto promise after pressure from the Trump administration. The UK government has issued 28 import licenses in the last month, including for hippopotamuses, african elephants, brown and black bears as well as lions, giraffes and Nile crocodiles. Giraffes, it turns out, are Britain’s most hunted trophy animal. Gentle, vulnerable and defenceless animals shot so their bones and skins can gather dust in British living rooms. Many species of giraffe are classified as endangered. The Guardian recently published an opinion piece stating that a ban on trophy imports is long overdue, highlighting one Sussex man who casually described shooting a critically endangered black rhinoceros, as well as lions and elephants as “like mainlining on heroin.” That this behaviour is accepted in 2026 is a national embarrassment. Labour promised a ban on hunting trophy imports in its 2024 manifesto. It has now confirmed there is no date set for delivery. Nine out of ten British voters support the ban. The Commons voted unanimously for it. The only thing standing between giraffes and British hunters is political cowardice. Sign the petition now Sign Protect the Wild’s petition calling for the government to keep its manifesto commitment and ban trophy imports. Don’t be fooled by Reform UK’s greenwash A photographer lets Nigel Farage know what they think of him. The Reform Leader was on his way to a Boxing Day parade to promote foxhunting. Leicestershire’s far-right Reform UK-led council has voted to explore reintroducing wild beavers as a natural flood defence - a genuinely welcome move. Beavers are wonderful creatures and remarkable ecosystem engineers whose dams slow water flow, restore wetlands and boost biodiversity. But let’s be clear about what Reform UK actually stands for when it comes to wildlife. This is a party that has pledged to protect “country sports” - a cynical euphemism for hunting, shooting. Its leader, Nigel Farage is an open supporter of fox hunting who has dismissed Labour’s trail hunting consultation as “authoritarian”. Farage doesn’t believe fox hunting is cruel. That tells you everything you need to know. Reform UK is not a party of wildlife defenders. A party that would unleash hunts on foxes, hares and deer while cheering from the sidelines cannot credibly claim to care about nature. We won’t be fooled - and neither should you. What’s more, the party plans to scrap thousands of nature laws risks pushing Britain’s depleted countryside into irreversible decline. Reform UK has been looking to secure more votes by giving a nod to caring about the planet. In fact, Farage has been in discussions with ecologist and Conservative Environment Network co-founder Ben Goldsmith about advising the party on their environmental policies. Goldsmith’s proposed involvement could be the beginning of an attempt to greenwash Reform UK, but his advice has been rejected by others within the party. At Protect the Wild we stand with many other wildlife defenders in opposing Reform, we won’t fall for their greenwashing. Gloucestershire named worst county for illegal hunting The Beaufort Hunt, courtesy of Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs. Gloucestershire has been identified as the worst county in England and Wales for illegal fox hunting and hunt-related havoc, with 75 incidents recorded in the last hunting ‘season’, according to the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS). It’s no coincidence that the worst counties - Dorset, Somerset, Yorkshire and Cheshire - are largely the same areas where hunts have been most active, operating with impunity for decades. Three of the five are in the West Country, a region that is also home to England’s three remaining staghound packs and some of its most notorious fox hunts. More than half of LACS’ recorded incidents were in the West Country. Check out Protect the Wild’s data on the worst UK hunts according to numbers of animals chased or killed and numbers of members of the public attacked here. None of this will surprise anyone who has been following our coverage of Gloucestershire’s hunts. The county is home to some of the most lawless packs in the country. The Beaufort Hunt - whose kennels are in Badminton - is among the worst offenders. A 2021 undercover investigation, supported by Protect the Wild, caught the hunt on camera shooting four of its own hounds dead. More recently, the Beaufort was issued with a Community Resolution by Wiltshire Police after its hounds ran out of control in front of a police officer. As we’ve been saying for years, we need a comprehensive ban to protect UK wildlife. There is just five weeks left to fill out the government consultation on banning ‘trail hunting’, which closes on 18 June. Protect the Wild has published guidance for people submitting their answers. Make sure you have your say! Click here to donate to Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs. Good news! First beaver sighting reported in Hampshire Via Ella Sachot on Unsplash. Nature’s engineers are on the move. Beavers have been spotted at Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve in Hampshire for the first time, with footage captured by a local visitor showing two animals interacting in the water. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust confirmed the sighting, describing the reserve’s rich wetlands and waterways as ideal habitats. The sighting comes after Natural England released wild beavers at two new sites in South West England earlier this year, building on last year’s landmark licensed release in Dorset. Hunted to extinction in Britain centuries ago, beavers are a keystone species whose dam building conserves water, protects against drought, creates wetlands, slows floodwaters, improves water quality and boosts biodiversity across entire ecosystems. Their return is not just good news. It is essential. Wild landscapes need wild architects, and after centuries of absence, beavers are finally coming home. Wild and free: Deer on Liverpool’s Crosby Beach Screenshot from video posted by Joe Walsh/Liverpool Echo. Deer have been spotted frolicking on Crosby Beach. It is a joyful, unexpected sight, and a reminder that our wildlife is resourceful and knows no boundaries.. Yet not everyone is celebrating. Media coverage has increasingly framed Britain’s two million deer as a crisis, pointing to woodland damage, road collisions and calls for greater culling. The scapegoated deer, it seems, are becoming a problem to be solved. No one ever points out that the intersecting environmental crises we are facing are being caused by capitalist industrialisation, not by non-human animal species. At Protect the Wild we are more than aware that the first impulse of the authorities in non-human species ‘management’ is to reach for the rifle. But we should not be looking towards more culling. Britain’s deer population has grown precisely because we have systematically removed the predators that once kept it in balance. Wolves and lynx were hunted to extinction here centuries ago. Their absence is the real crisis. If management is genuinely necessary in some areas, the conversation must be centred on non-lethal options: contraception programmes have been shown to be viable, and the reintroduction of apex predators such as wolves or lynx would restore the natural regulation our ecosystems are crying out for. Academics have also promoted the reintroduction of wolves as a way to counteract climate change because it would enable the regeneration of woodland and thus the storage of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The deer on Crosby Beach are not a problem. They are a glimpse of a wilder Britain, and we should be fighting to protect it. Read more about the debate around the reintroduction of apex predators. Become a monthly supporter of Protect the Wild We’re working around the clock for British wildlife - and doing it on a shoestring budget. We don’t rely on major grants or corporate funding. Instead, our work is powered by thousands of passionate supporters, and that’s exactly how we want it to stay. Because it means we stay independent. It means we can move quickly, speak honestly, challenge powerful interests, take risks, and do what truly needs to be done for British wildlife. If you’d like to support our work and help us keep fighting, please consider becoming a monthly supporter here. Donate to Protect the Wild SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing