FROM PROTECT THE WILD—END THE GUGA HUNT

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more End the Guga Hunt Campaign Heads to Lush Stores One thing stood out above everything else: people care. DEVON DOCHERTY JUL 19 READ IN APP What happens when you spend four days asking complete strangers whether baby Gannets should still be beaten to death in the name of tradition? You discover just how ready people are for change. After seeing the work we’ve been doing to end the Guga Hunt, Lush invited us into their stores to raise awareness of the campaign. Their message to us was simple: they’d been following the campaign and wanted to help. To have our work recognised by such an iconic brand, with such a strong track record of standing up for animals, felt like a huge endorsement of the campaign and the impact it’s having. From investing millions in research to fight animal testing to backing grassroots environmental campaigns, Lush consistently uses their platform to fight for a better, fairer world, and we’re so grateful for their support of Protect the Wild. We spent two days in their Inverness store, home to the headquarters of NatureScot, the agency licensing the hunt. We spent another two days in Glasgow city, the second largest Lush store in the world, which is quite a feat considering Lush has over 886 stores worldwide in 52 countries! We must have spoke to hundreds of people over those four days. And while every conversation was different, one thing stood out above everything else: people care. A surprising number of people had already heard about the Guga hunt, and the overwhelming majority were firmly opposed to it. Those hearing about it for the first time were often visibly shocked. Much of our campaigning happens online, and that's vital for reaching huge numbers of people quickly and mobilising support when it matters most. But there’s something special about stepping away from the screen and having real conversations with people and sharing our passion for protecting wildlife in person. We hope it’s something we’ll get to do much more of in the future. One of the most heartening parts of the week, though, was speaking to several people from the Isle of Lewis, where the hunt originates. Supporters of the hunt often portray it as though it has unanimous support on the island. That simply isn’t true. We met islanders who told us they believe the hunt is outdated and should end. Their voices deserve to be heard too, and they were a powerful reminder that no community speaks with one voice. We also raised vital funds for the campaign through sales of our gorgeous Gannet plushies and by recruiting new Gannet Guardians. We were also incredibly grateful to receive a generous donation from Lush themselves. Aside from that we added loads more signatures to our petition calling on NatureScot to reject the Guga hunt licence, which is now sitting at 232,919!! With just two weeks until NatureScot decides whether to grant another Guga hunt licence, we're setting ourselves one final goal: 250,000 signatures by 3 August. If you haven't already, please add your name and help us get over the line. SIGN THE PETITION Thank you so much again to Lush and all of the wonderful people we spoke to in store. Together, we're building the movement that will finally bring the Guga hunt to an end. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing