Protect the Wild

This is the first in a series of articles highlighting the unnecessary suffering caused by rodenticides. In the coming weeks we will outline how poisons affect the whole ecosystem - not just rats and mice - and we will examine how humane alternatives can be used to control rodent populations. We will be making the case for local councils and other public institutions to radically change their approaches to ‘pest’ control in our communities.

Look up the next time you walk through a railway station, cross a supermarket car park, or pass the entrance to a shopping centre. You may notice something that should stop you in your tracks: a bird, or what remains of one. Bird netting is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Installed to keep birds away from buildings and public spaces, it can trap, injure and kill the very animals it is meant to deter. We recently produced this short animation to highlight the impact of bird netting on wildlife.

If you thought humans could not treat wild animals any worse, think again. The Gardens Lounge, Manchester, is using one of the most intelligent birds on the planet as decoration. Rio is a blue and gold macaw, a species naturally found in the Peruvian rainforest, where these magnificent birds fly hundreds of miles a day, mate for life, and live in complex, deeply bonded social groups. But right now, in Manchester, Rio is alone.

Many of our readers have been in touch to ask about the strange plastic devices visible on the beaks of birds in some of the images we’ve used with previous articles. Many of us won’t have seen these things before, but what you are seeing are called beak guards — or “bits” — and in the next few articles we will explain why they are used and how they are fitted. We think you will be shocked. We were.

A couple of hours ago, our call for the Labour Government to finally end hunting for good, and to close the loopholes that hunts have exploited for the past 20 years, was seen by more than 100,000 people on BBC News and BBC iPlayer. The interview formed part of my campaign to raise awareness of the Government’s public consultation on hunting, which I am highlighting through my candidacy in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.

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Welcome to the second 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.

A building in Dorking, Surrey, has been demolished, and with it, what may have been the largest known Swift colony in the area. Between 17 and 22 active nests were destroyed during the destruction of Regent House, carried out by Northeast Demolition UK for the contractor, Hill Group. The work is part of a redevelopment by Clarion Housing.

Each month, we host a wildlife-themed raffle featuring three carefully chosen, ethical prizes - all to help power Protect the Wild’s work. For our June draw on 10th June, we’ve lined up some great rewards.

Despite the withdrawal of its hunting licence, repeated warnings, and ongoing police complaints, the Derwent Hunt continues to trespass across protected land in the North York Moors, exposing yet another failure by authorities to enforce wildlife crime.