Wildlife Crime Soars

New police figures show a huge rise in the number of wildlife crimes committed in the last year, with occurrences more than doubling from 2,177 to 5,854, at a recorded rate of 120 incidents a week.

Among these wildlife crimes are badger baiting with dogs, poisoning protected birds species and hare coursing. Egg thefts, deer poaching and habitat destruction figures have also seen an increase. The rural area with the greatest number of incidents was Northumbria (500 incidents) with Grampian (244), Humberside (195), and North Wales (188) also affected.

 
The Independent on Sunday reported that these statistics do not even cover those cases of crime against domestic and farm animals. In 2008, the RSPCA investigated 140,000 cases of animal cruelty in England and Wales, a steep rise from the 2003 figure of 105,000. A tenfold rise in dog fighting since 2004, coupled with airgun attacks on animals and sheep and cattle rustling show a worrying trend, with 16 crimes against wildlife being committed daily.

Badgers are among those animal groups who have seen the most prominent rise in what has been named “badger persecution”, with an estimated annual increase of 72%. The story behind the term is a cruel one- badgers are dug out of their setts, pitted against terrier dogs in fights, or are shot by farmers, landowners or their agents. The total incidents in just the first sixth months of 2009 almost exceeds the number of reported incidents in the entire previous year.

There are several police crackdowns in place to turn the tide on wildlife crime- Operation Meles and Operation Galileo. However, local wildlife trusts are also making a concentrated effort at educating the public about wildlife, with a dedicated People and Wildlife Team responsible for providing education and engagement opportunities to a range of audiences throughout Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s activities allow individuals to understand and engage with nature and wildlife in their local and regional areas, and it’s this awareness that could prove key in preventing these sorts of wildlife crimes in the future.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is one of the People’s Postcode Lottery’s charities, and has received over £139,000 in support from the charity lottery to date.