FROM PROTECT THE WILD - THE INSIDIOUS INDISCRIMINATE KILLER OF WILDLIFE - POISON

 

View this email in your browser "Activists like us are often asked 'How do you keep going when there is so much suffering and persecution out there?" In a nutshell, we love wildlife. But it's also true (in the words of John Lydon) that "anger is an energy"! Just last week we were emailed the above image.  It was taken 'near' a shooting estate (we can't give details at this point) and is textbook raptor persecution. The bird to the right is a Common Buzzard, the smaller bird to the left is a Wood Pigeon. What is more difficult to see are the red grains of wheat by the Buzzard's talons. They are Ruby Grains, an extremely toxic rodenticide that works by breaking down the nervous system of whatever eats it. The pigeon had been killed, sprinkled with poison, and used as bait to attract Buzzards and other scavengers. Yet another bird of prey dead. One of the many illegally killed every year to 'protect' grouse, pheasant and partridge chicks reared just to be shot. Poisoning of birds of prey is a serious problem. It might take place all year round but it's the early spring - when birds of prey like Buzzards start displaying and become visible again - that is 'peak poisoning period'.  We can all help tackle wildlife crime like this if we know what to look out for though. We have explained how to recognise the signs of poisoning and what to do if you come across a crime scene like this at https://protectthewild.org.uk/protectors-of-the-wild/poisoning-poisoned-baits-law/ In the meantime we are angry. The shooting industry has been getting away with crimes like this for far too long. Protect the Wild may be well known for its work on hunting, but this year we are going to be putting as much effort into tackling shooting and raptor persecution. We will use campaigns, animations, our social media platform, and our Substack. We will not let up. You can help support this work by adopting a bird with Protect the Wild. In doing so you will receive a cuddly owlet, adoption booklet and glossy photo. Adopt an Owlet Copyright © 2024 PROTECT THE WILD LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: PROTECT THE WILD LTD 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

FROM THE LOG PILE TO THE POWER OF SEVEN PLUS

FROM THE LOG PILE 
TO THE POWER OF SEVEN PLUS

SLIME MOULD
I love decay on this bark shedding log
in its own decorticate style of beauty 
like a sponge or delicate head cover 
with the un-enticing family slime name
not a fungi but nevertheless enhances
the logs decaying state to create
another wonder to admire and ponder on
 

GOOD NEWS FROM THE CORNWALL WILDLIFE TRUST - THREE MORE TAMWORTH PIGS RELEASED

 Cornwall Wildlife Trust have released their second set of three little pigs at Helman Tor nature reserve.

The Tamworth pigs are an ancient breed with coarse hair which can cope with the harsh environment up on the moors but also have the rootling behaviour that provides germinating opportunities for wildflowers, microclimates for basking opportunities for butterflies and reptiles and foraging opportunities for many birds. 

WILL THE KILLING EVER STOP.? HARES THIS TIME AND NO KILLING BY ROYAL AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS

 

View this email in your browser Hi,  Student Hare Hunters Feel The Long Arm Of The Law The Royal Agricultural College Beagles are the student hare hunt of the Royal Agricultural University based in Cirencester. They have been feeling the pressure recently, with 7 hunting days lost to sabs so far this season. Frustrated, on Saturday they turned to the age-old hunt tactic of intimidation. RAC Beagles weigh up their options after sabs ruined another meet earlier this season On Saturday (3rd February), a small group from Severn Vale Hunt Saboteurs responded to a tip-off that the RAC Beagles had been spotted in the hamlet of Culkerton. On approach they spotted vehicles of supporters parked along the road watching the beagles in the fields south of Purley Covert, so sabs pulled over to video the hunt as they were finding on the scent line of a hare. And then things got serious. In a pre-planned operation, one four wheel drive full of red-faced young men blocked the sab vehicle in behind while another equally packed truck blocked the escape to the front. Recognising the danger, the police were called. By a quirk of fate, an innocent member of the public pulled up behind the rear vehicle and the thugs' plans had to be abandoned. The vehicle in front pulled out of the way and the sab vehicle was able to drive out of the ambush, only to be pursued by two trucks full of some extremely angry hunt supporters. Fists were waved and their intention of violence was clear, a cudgel clearly visible on the dashboard of the lead vehicle. The sab vehicle was then pursued at speed through Tetbury and onwards towards Malmesbury. All this time sabs were still on the phone to Gloucestershire Police and were able to provide them with a running commentary as events unfolded. Recognising the seriousness of the situation, the police arranged for the pursuers to be intercepted. Police pull over hunt thug vehicle After a 20 mile high speed chase, sabs watched as a police truck pulled in front of the lead vehicle, and were gobsmacked to learn that the other car had been stopped by an armed response unit with guns drawn! As we understand, a Section 59 notice was issued to the driver of one vehicle for anti-social behaviour, meaning the vehicle could be confiscated if this is repeated. Elsewhere in the country, Leicestershire Police also issued a Section 59 on a vehicle transporting hired thugs around at the Cottesmore Hunt. And the hunt? They abandoned their attempts at hare killing and had already packed up when sabs from Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs & Bath Hunt Saboteurs, who diverted from sabbing the Beaufort Foxhunt, came past the meet. Severn Vale sabs drove back through once they were done with the police and everything was quiet, confirming that their presence had stopped the RAC from killing. Sabs close in on the RAC Beagles at a meet earlier this season A spokesperson from Severn Vale Hunt Saboteurs said: “Hot on the heels of shutting down the Leadon Vale Basset Hounds, and driving the Severn Vale Beagles so far underground that they may never see the light of day again, it’s the RAC Beagles who have been getting most of our attention recently. Frustrated that they’ve had repeated Saturdays of illegal hunting scuppered, they’ve turned to a tactic they’ve often used in the past, violence and intimidation.   Of course it won’t deter us, and we’ll be back, but the police intervention is unprecedented. The RAC Beagles, and the Beaufort and Vale of White Horse foxhunts whose country they share, have long believed themselves to be untouchable and above the law, free to slaughter our wildlife, assault those that oppose them and that the police are their servants, to be told what to do and when. Today proved that this is no longer the case. We spoke to the officers involved afterwards and it is clear that Gloucestershire Police are intent on pursuing the wildlife criminals that infest the county. We can only hope that other forces follow their lead.” You can support Severn Vale Hunt Saboteurs by following them on social media and donating to their fundraiser here. Find out how you can get involved with our campaign to strengthen the Hunting Ban here. Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Copyright (C) 2024 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

MY PERSONAL.VIEWS ON A POST FROM PROTECT THE WILD. I LIKE WHAT THEY DO

 Protect the Wild should be complimented on their work and, I think, deserve a response on some of the posts and point they make. Below is my personal view so, please read and comment if you wish.

I have read the five pages of the post on Friday 2nd by Protect the Wild. It is lengthy and poses questions. I will not take as long because I have decided to focus only on certain points. 

The main issue is one of conflict between opposing groups who are blind to the reasons for the others intentions. I know my last sentence can be seen as contentious but I will explain.

I was brought up in rural Herefordshire where the myth persisted that ‘the fox’ was vermin and a wanton killer. I have kept chickens and never seen any such wanton destruction. So, for me, the myth is a lie. The tenant farmer where my father worked would not the let the hunt on his land although they met regularly nearby. As a child I could not understand his reasoning because I had been ‘normalised’ by the culture and tradition of the countryside ways. Taphonomic views are as fossilised as ancient footprints but they exist in the hunting fraternity. Those of us who have mentally moved on know better and because of this realisation, the killing for fun is opposed. 

I will now deal point by point.

1. Where laws are concerned sound legal advice should be sought.

2.   Public Nuisance. Like any legislation any study needs to be in depth. In this instance excessive use of noise could be deemed a nuisance. I think including a personal alarm (although Helen did not have one) is over stretching the point. It can be easily argued that a hunt with hounds on a highway is a nuisance. Although that can be dealt with by different legislation.

3. Stop & Search has been an emotive issue for some of my lifetime. Misunderstood by many including politicians. Legislation has tried to eliminate guess work (correctly so too) but analysis and interpretation must occur. Protect the Wild make a good point when being spoken to by police. It will be viewed by many as confrontational but if you have nothing illegal in your possession and have not committed a crime behave as though you are innocent. Becoming confrontational creates a confrontation!

4. Police Crime Sentencing etc, Public Order Act 2023 need to be viewed with regard to the situation in Abergavenny. Again scrutiny of the law needs to be done by legal professionals. And good luck with that. At a cursory glance I cannot see any relevance.

5. You say there is a caveat when intentionally causing alarm and distress but there is no reference given.

6. You state a personal alarm is no longer in the possession of the owner. There has been no crime reported. The facts are bare here and in my view more explanation is needed. What actually is occurring? Are there recorded instances of where personal alarms are used when hunts meet by anti-hunt supporters? And what effect did it have if any? Such knowledge is worth having.

7. Police have a duty to act when provided with some sort of information. Putting it bluntly they will be damned if they do and also damned if they don’t. There are people out there who tell lies.

8. There is one thing that does need consideration is that all of us come from the society we live in. Therefore any organisation can only gain labour mainly from that source. Groups and organisations should not be stigmatised by the behaviour of some members. The reference to The Metropolitan Police is erroneous and is best left out.

By final point is a personal one. In the general sense there is a class divide where the power lies with the wealthy, the well connected but supported by others lower down the social scale, such as The Terriermen. This group are confronted by The Hunt Saboteurs who deplore fox hunting and try to verify illegal activity by the hunting fraternity. All credit to them. They, the SABS, display courage and should be complimented.

My personal stance is simple. Killing for fun is abhorrent to me, should be condemned by society as a whole and dealt with more vociferously within the legal context.

IS THERE A CONSPIRACY GOING ON IN WARWICKSHIRE?

 QUESTIONS REMAIN UN-ANSWERED WITH WARWICKSHIRE POLICE AND PHILIP STANLEY SECCOMBE - A MEMBER OF THE COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

I have extrapolated sections from a recent post from Protect the Wild and their full post can be found on their site.

In August 2023 thus statement was issued

“We (Police) met with the hunt last week to discuss a protocol they had proposed. The force was satisfied this protocol, if adhered to, would meet the goals of the CPN and that there was therefore no requirement for the CPN.”

But this so-called protocol has never been made public, despite demands by Western and his constituents. And now the MP is demanding more answers.

Lack of transparency

In his letter to Home Secretary James Cleverly, sent on 18 January 2024, Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, stated that he was writing on behalf of "concerned constituents" regarding the "handling of potential criminality by the Warwickshire Hunt."

Western argued that the private protocol between the police and the hunt has caused "public outrage and suspicion", particularly because the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, Philip Seccombe, is a member of the Countryside Alliance, an organisation set up specifically to overturn the Hunting Act 2004 and restore hunting.

Anti-hunt campaigners are suspicious that Seccombe had something to do with the overturning of the CPN. In fact, Western has previously written to Seccombe himself, demanding answers about why the protocol isn't in the public domain.

Impartiality under question

For half a year, Western, hunt saboteurs and wildlife campaigners have all demanded that the protocol is made public knowledge. PCC Seccombe (whose wife Isobel is the Conservative leader of Warwickshire County Council) has said that his membership of the Countryside Alliance "is not a conflict of interest in the policing of the Warwickshire Hunt" and stated that the protocol can remain secret under Section 32 of the Freedom of Information Act, relating to court records.

However, questions about his impartiality were raised yet again when he was forced to apologise for leaving a 'laughing emoji' on a West Midlands Hunt Sabs Facebook post at the end of last year.What are they hiding?

So what are Warwickshire Police and Philip Seccombe hiding? Does this so-called protocol even exist? Or is the Warwickshire Hunt allowed to continue with business as usual?

It certainly seems that way on the ground. But if the protocol does exist, how are we to trust it when the police have admitted that the hunt itself came up with it?

MY COMMENT: This issue seems distinctly odd and lacks any form of transparency. Can those in ‘civil authority’ be trusted? There are connections involving politics, the police authority and Seccombe’s position as Warwickshire Police Crime Commissioner. If that was not enough Seccombe is a member of the Countryside Alliance. This was formed from three groups in 1997. The British Field Sports Society, Countryside Business Group and The Countryside Movement. Their aims are to help promote and defend the British Countryside and rural life both in the media and in Parliament.

They also oppose the Hunting Act. They want to continue hunting.

FROM THE LOG PILE TO THE POWER OF SEVEN PLUS

FROM THE LOG PILE 

TO THE POWER OF SEVEN PLUS

WITCHES BUTTER

bright orange growth protrudes from elder branch

beauty is two fold        fungi in its home

of roughed up and decaying bark

it’s as though it was intended and of course it was 

Dacrymyces Palmatus or Witches Butter knows that

wonderful to find to see and to know why

myth and legend help the tale onwards