Chris Packham with his portrait, which it is said depicts him as “a living saint”, in the Fitzrovia Chapel Credit: Richard Ansett/Radio Times
Chris Packham has posed as St Francis of Assisi in a portrait celebrating him as a “living saint”.
The portrait of the presenter and environmental campaigner is now on show on the altar of the Fitzrovia Chapel, central London.
Originally commissioned by Radio Times magazine to mark Earth Day, it is the work of photographic artist Richard Ansett.
Packham is surrounded by images of some of the UK’s most endangered species. Mr Ansett said it also made reference to Packham’s neurodiversity – the presenter was diagnosed with autism in his 40s.
“I hope that every pixel of this portrait offers a safe space for anyone challenged by neurodiversity. Packham’s remarkable connection to the natural world drives him relentlessly to save us from ourselves,” Mr Ansett said.
The portrait of Packham is available to view until May 21 at the former chapel, where it is described as a work “elevating him to the status of living saint”.
Chris Packham is surrounded by some of the UK’s most endangered species in the artwork Credit: Richard Ansett/Radio Times
Packham said: “This photo is about a fundamental level of engagement, an engagement of equals. It conveys the importance of nature to heal us, provide us with a sanctuary in times of terrible trouble.
“But the species featured are also rare or declining so it serves to remind us that our one and only home, our Earth, is on a brink too many are refusing to see and act to protect and repair.
“This is a photograph about love, a love of life, all life.”
The featured species include the red squirrel, the house martin, the woodcock and the hedgehog.
Mr Ansett, an award-winning photographer whose previous works include Sir Grayson Perry in the style of the Madonna and Child, added that the Packham portrait “recognises the difficulties that he has prevailed over to become a success in his career and a positive light for so many people”.
It is “a personal tribute to Packham’s humanity in challenging the worst parts of ours, in our ambivalence to the destruction created in the wake of our own needs”, the photographer said.
Chris Packham; known to all of us in the UK for his environmental knowledge and especially as a television wildlife campaigner; narrates a video for ‘Animal Aid’, of which he is a Patron, called ‘Killing Our Countryside’.
The film reveals the damage done to the British countryside and wildlife by the shooting industry’s mass release of tens of millions of pheasants and partridges for shooting ever year.
The film, and accompanying campaign, make the argument for a ban on the production and release of birds for shooting.
The film also reveals what many people have not seen; the method of raising these birds which are bred to die – simple as that !
WAV is based in Kent, England; as well as having Diana in Germany.
Kent is known as the ‘gateway to Europe’ due to its location. It is a short hop over [or under] the English Channel to start your euro journey from France. Kent is a very historic county with masses of beautiful buildings and locations to visit. It is located directly South East of ‘Ol London town’ but the reality is once you get there, for example, down into the Weald; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weald which still has 23% of its area covered by woodland; the world here is utterly different to the madness mayhem that is London. And to think central London borders with Kent and is a mere 23 miles away !
KWT have a unique opportunity to create a wildlife rich landscape; where missing species can be resored to former farmland.
In the borough of Tunbridge Wells lies over 205 ACRES of land where hedgerows have eroded and the woodland edges are disappearing. Bordering Furnace Farm, an existing KWT reserve, Hoathly Farm has been intensively farmed for decades and no longer yields the returns needed to be viable without flooding the land with pollutants.
KWT HAVE UNTIL THE 24TH MAY 2025 TO SECURE THIS LAND AND RESTORE IT TO A BEAUTIFUL HAVEN FORE WILDLIFE AND WALKERS.
Can you help with a donation; no matter the size ?
It’s getting closer to the time when the USDA comes into New Jersey to kill Canada geese. As we’ve mentioned in previous alerts, APLNJ has been reviewing USDA reports to see who contracts with them for geese management. This is the time of year when towns/businesses, etc. contract with the USDA, so writing NOW is critical.
We have reached out to all of them, sent information and visited the site with some. We’ve had success in steering some away from lethal towards nonlethal. But others are still hell-bent on allowing the killing (with a portable CO2 gas chamber).
The individuals you will be sending a letter to either allow the USDA, in partnership with Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, to come on their property, which lies in the flight path of airplanes, and round up and gas the geese OR have their own contract with USDA Wildlife Services to come in and kill.
Instead of allowing the USDA in year after year to kill, they all should be looking into habitat modification which is the clear winner when it comes to options for keeping geese out of a specific area. These methods are highly effective and provide better protection for air traffic areas. In fact, at best it’s irresponsible to not use the most effective methods, at worse, is can be dangerous, providing a false sense of security.
Please urge these entities to DENY THE USDA ACCESS to their property and schedule a site visit with Animal Protection League of New Jersey instead. Click here to send a letter.
And a second letter is going to those who have their own contract with USDA and we are asking them to CANCEL THE CONTRACT. Click here to send that letter.
Kruger Park rangers on the poisoning scene. (Photo: EWT)
08 May 2025
Eighty-four vultures have been rescued after a mass poisoning event in the Kruger National Park, one of the largest incidents of its kind recorded in southern Africa.
An elephant carcass, laced with poison and surrounded by more than 100 dead vultures, marked one of the most devastating wildlife poisoning events yet seen in the Kruger National Park. Remote sensing triggered a scramble to save birds that were still alive.
In a coordinated emergency operation spanning helicopters, ambulances and nearly 24 hours of intensive care, 84 poisoned vultures were pulled back from the brink.
The operation this week was undertaken by a combined team of South African National Parks rangers and Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) officials in the park’s Mahlangeni Section, where the elephant carcass was found.
According to Gareth Tate, head of EWT’s Birds of Prey Programme, the organisation’s wildlife poisoning detection system triggered an alarm, flagging suspicious activity.
“The following morning, SANParks rangers conducted surveillance and uncovered a mass poisoning event involving more than 120 dead birds,” Tate said. “It was a shocking, gruesome scene.”
By 8.20am the joint team had arrived on site. They discovered 122 dead vultures, including 102 white-backed vultures, 20 Cape vultures and one lappet-faced vulture – all species listed as endangered or critically endangered. Several vultures were found alive but severely affected.
Tate described the rescue as a “world-class operation” involving two ground teams, helicopters, 12 vehicles and the EWT’s specialised Vulture Ambulance. Emergency treatment was administered in the field, including atropine to reverse the effects of the poison on the birds’ nervous systems, activated charcoal to bind toxins, fluid therapy and a procedure to flush and milk the vultures’ crops to remove ingested poison.
“We’ve developed a strict protocol over the years and we’ve achieved about a 98% success rate for birds found alive,” Tate explained. “Those first 24 hours are critical. If we can get them through that, they have a good chance of survival.”
Vultures were being deliberately targeted both to conceal illegal activities and to harvest body parts for the illegal wildlife trade and traditional medicine markets.
A total of 84 vultures were rescued alive. Of these, 45 were transported in the EWT’s mobile vulture ambulance and 39 were taken by helicopter to care facilities. Five of the rescued birds died despite treatment, but 83 remained alive as of the following morning, representing a 96% survival rate.
SANParks Pilot Bradford Grafton with one of the rescued vultures. (Photo: SANParks)
Eighty-four vultures have been rescued by a joint team of SANParks rangers and Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) following a devastating poisoning incident in the Kruger National Park. (Photo: EWT)
Reinforcements were swiftly deployed. Support teams from the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Briner Veterinary Services and Wildscapes Veterinary Services were mobilised within hours and worked through the night to stabilise each bird and keep them alive.
“This was one of the largest and most coordinated vulture rescues ever conducted in the region,” Tate said. “The collaboration between SANParks, vets, NGOs and rangers was remarkable.”
This is intentional genocide of vultures. It’s absolutely malicious and a silent killer.
The poisoning involved agricultural toxins placed on an elephant carcass, a method increasingly used by poachers to kill vultures that might otherwise alert rangers to poaching sites by circling overhead. Tate said vultures were being deliberately targeted both to conceal illegal activities and to harvest body parts for the illegal wildlife trade and traditional medicine markets.
“Vultures are being systematically removed from the landscape,” Tate warned. “This is intentional genocide of vultures. It’s absolutely malicious and a silent killer.”
“They’re targeting vultures for their brains, heads and feet,” Tate said. “There’s even evidence that poisoned vulture parts are ending up in muti markets, meaning that toxic substances are being sold to unsuspecting users.”
Broader crisis
This incident forms part of a broader crisis facing vultures across southern Africa. The birds play a key role in ecosystems by consuming carcasses and reducing the spread of disease. Their absence leads to carcasses lingering longer in the environment, increasing the risk of disease transmission to other wildlife and humans.
The decline of vultures has been linked to knock-on effects seen in other regions: in India, the collapse of vulture populations due to veterinary drug poisoning led to a boom in feral dog numbers and a corresponding rise in rabies cases.
Kruger hosts at least five regular vulture species: the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus), the most common; the Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres), mainly found in the park’s north; the lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos); the hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) and the rarely seen white-headed vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis). Each species occupies a niche at carcasses, forming an efficient clean-up system.
Each adult vulture killed is not just an immediate loss – it’s a loss of future generations.
However, their numbers are declining due to a number of pressures. Many species breed slowly, raising only one chick per year. Their nesting habitats are shrinking as large trees along rivers are lost, often from increased elephant activity. Without sufficient nesting sites, reproductive success drops. Poisoning events exacerbate these losses, wiping out breeding adults and chicks alike.
Poisoning incidents targeting vultures have increased. Poachers use pesticides like carbofuran, a highly toxic agricultural chemical, to lace carcasses. Vultures that feed on the poisoned remains are removed as natural sentinels from the ecosystem. Other scavengers, including jackals, lions, hyena and ground hornbills, also fall victim.
“Unlike targeted poaching of individual animals, poisoning takes out entire species indiscriminately,” Tate said. “Each adult vulture killed is not just an immediate loss – it’s a loss of future generations.”
Efforts to address the issue include increased patrols, training poison response teams and establishing artificial feeding sites to provide uncontaminated food. Conservationists stress that long-term solutions will require stronger regulation of agricultural poisons, improved enforcement against wildlife crime and engagement with communities living near protected areas.
Community outreach initiatives by the Kruger Park have begun, aiming to reduce demand for vulture parts in belief-based practices and build support for conservation. However, scaling these measures to meet the size of the problem remains a challenge.
Tate emphasised the need for stricter penalties for those responsible. “These individuals need to be caught and the penalties must reflect the seriousness of the crime – they’re killing critically endangered animals.”
Natural waste disposers
The rescued vultures continue to recover under veterinary care and will be released once they are fit to return to the wild. “Some of them are so strong that we’re planning to release them this Saturday,” Tate said.
Conservationists hope the surviving birds will resume their vital ecological role as natural waste disposers, limiting the spread of disease in the ecosystem. The poisoning incident highlights the vulnerability of vultures to deliberate targeting, the ecological consequences of their decline and the urgent need for interventions.
“Without vultures, carcasses take longer to decompose, leading to increased risks of disease,” Tate said. “Their loss disrupts a delicate balance. We need to act now to protect them.”
As the surviving vultures recover, conservationists warn that the battle to save these birds is ongoing. Preventing future poisonings, preserving nesting habitats and raising awareness about their ecological importance will be essential to ensure that vultures remain part of Kruger’s skies. Each circling silhouette is a sign that the clean-up crew is still at work, maintaining the health of the ecosystem for wildlife and humans alike.
So – here we go. Found this truly wonderful publication serving the good people of Michigan, and their clearly totally derailed connection to nature and all that lives within her. Calls itself the “Michigan Enjoyer” (?????). Your average nutcases’ daily publication.
Far be it from us to give this filth a forum here, we think we need to show what happens out there in remote uncivilised corners of the North-American continent – the better to understand why it is the US is such a great, internationally respected leader of the free world ….
Right – tell you what’s cool: seeing these guys hang head down from a tree with a small fire underneath .. if they’re so keen on the Wilds, and bygone times of “Adventure” and all that “strong men” shit, bring back the scalpers and skinners of the white invader! Clearly it’s been too long …
And as if that wasn’t enough from lovely Michigan, here’s more: (Nuisance???)
A new lethal and legal way to deal with nuisance geese will be implemented in Michigan this year. As annoying and bullish as these Canada geese may be, I still don’t feel very good about this new method to remove them. Here’s what we know so far:
According to a report from MLiveMichigan is moving forward with the new pilot goose removal program– despite pushback. While the state isn’t exactly encouraging the gassing of nuisance Canada geese it will be permitted in certain circumstances.
Canadian Geese v. Canada Geese
There is a difference. I, like many, have referred to the black and brown geese spotted all throughout Michigan as “Canadian geese” in the past however that’s not quite accurate. The term Canada goose refers to a particular species, Branta canadensis, while grammatically, the phrase Canadian goose could refer to any goose from Canada. Get it?
The Michigan DNR has long offered help and relocation services to private landowners and has even adapted hunting regulations when it comes to Canada geese in particular, but what are landowners, businesses, and golf courses supposed to do when they exhausted every option? DNR Wildlife Biologist and Acting Waterfowl Specialist Kaitlyn Barnes told MLive,
The Michigan DNR has long offered help and relocation services to private landowners and has even adapted hunting regulations when it comes to Canada geese in particular, but what are landowners, businesses, and golf courses supposed to do when they exhausted every option? DNR Wildlife Biologist and Acting Waterfowl Specialist Kaitlyn Barnes told MLive,
Why is This Necessary?
Not only is the highly contagious bird flu a factor but think about all the nuisance geese that pester children and families at parks, loiter outside nursing homes, and leave so many droppings that beaches are forced to close due to E.coli. I hadn’t even considered this, but MLive mentions goose feathers and feces can clog pipes at local wastewater treatment plants.
Again, I understand why this would all be necessary but I really don’t think it’s fair to the geese and their young. I’m not for the killing of innocent animals and that’s exactly what they are!
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Update: More Animals Added to Michigan’s Year-Round Hunting List
The Michigan DNR has added the following animals to the state’s year-round hunting list. Land owners may kill these animals on their property with no special permits required.
Gallery Credit: Lauren Gordon
FOX SQUIRREL
According to the Michigan DNR nearly 70% of the state’s Fox Squirrel population can be found in southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. You’ll see them everywhere from forest to farmlands to city parks– and everywhere in between.
GRAY SQUIRREL
Also called the Eastern Gray Squirrel, these critters typically nest and live the majority of their life within a single nest tree and is the least social of Michigan’s six squirrel species.
BEAVER
The majestic beaver was added to Michigan’s year-round kill list as their dams can cause flooding and block culverts.
MUSKRAT
It’s hard to tell a beaver from a muskrat, but the difference is in the tail! The Michigan DNR warns that muskrat burrows can weaken shorelines, dikes, and riverbanks.
COTTONTAIL RABBIT
Poor, Peter Cottontail. Much like squirrels, these rabbits are known to chew through structure or equipment wires.
Animals You Can Hunt All Year in Michigan
Gallery Credit: Maitlynn Mossolle
RUSSIAN BOAR
Uh…yeah…did you know these even exist here in Michigan because we sure didn’t until we saw the DNR say you can freely hunt these all year! According to Michigan.gov these are a highly invasive species that were only introduced either by “Intentional release” or “escape from captivity.” They are particularly dangerous which is why you are welcome to hunt them and encouraged to report when you do see them.
OPPOSSUM
While some may think these critters are pretty cute, they are also commonly known to be pests. That’s why, though people may not actively hunt these for their meat or for the “thrill of the hunt” but if you happen to kill one that’s been rummaging your trash, harassing your pets, etc. you are welcome to kill them as well.
FERAL PIGEONS
Now we’re not entirely sure what the difference is between regular pigeons and “feral” ones but the Michigan DNR says you can hunt the feral ones as you please. We assume there are some people keep for pets for some reason?
RED SQUIRRELS
Now, regular squirrels are pretty cute and pretty harmless (for the most part) but RED SQUIRRELS…well, they were put on this Earth for one purpose: Chaos. They get into everything, chew on electrical wires and just really do not know their place other than to ruin everything. The Michigan DNR says you are welcome to kill them as much as the day is long.
WOODCHUCK “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck, could chuck…” Yeah, these critters may have inspired a fun little rhyme but at the end of the day, MSU Extension’s Fisheries and Wildlife division says you can kill them if they are causing damage to private property. And boy, can it be extensive.
HOUSE SPARROW
Now these birds may look all teeny and cute, but MLive reports they are known for displaying behavior that can threaten the survival of other birds. You can CLICK HERE to read more but long story, short, these little guys are actually kind of a**holes. You are welcome to shoot them all year, though, it may be easier to find some way to trap them instead.
PORCUPINES
We probably don’t have to go into too much detail about what is wrong with these animals and why you are able to hunt them year-round…however, a point we would like to make is that people had pet hedgehogs forever and they’re basically just mini porcupines, no?
GROUND SQUIRRELS
Am I missing something here, these are what we commonly refer to as “chipmunks” right? Has our entire lives been a lie? Should it really be “Alvin and the Ground Squirrels”? Anyways, here is yet another animal that probably needs no explanation as to why you can kill it year round with no interference from the Michigan DNR…just don’t get ridiculous with it…that could mean you have some deeper issues.
STARLING
Much like the house sparrows, Starlings also pose a threat to other native bird species. Michigan.gov says, “English sparrows, feral pigeons, and starlings may be taken by hunting statewide, year around except within state park and recreation areas from April 1 to September 14.”
WEASELS
While like other animals on this list, weasels are cute, but they are considered pests here in Michigan. Of course, with our state’s history in the fur trade it’s not all that surprising, yet it still somehow is. According to Michigan.gov, “Opossums, porcupines, weasels, red squirrels, skunks, ground squirrels, woodchucks, and feral swine may be harvested year-round, statewide with a valid Michigan hunting license. There is no bag limit for these species.”
SKUNKS
As mentioned with the previous critter, skunk is still part of Michigan’s fur trade which means you are open to kill them. However, I have to wonder, are they like stink bugs where if you kill them, it releases the stench? Someone please explain.
. and so forth …
It truly does make you wonder about the clearly highly disturbed mental health of the people of Michigan, or certainly a large portion. What, one cannot but wonder, do they do with themselves, if they do not go out and kill wildlife???
As many of you know of course, today was the day where the world said farewell to Pope Francis, of Rome. Francis, unlike so many before him, took this name upon ascension, in reference to the Patron Saint of Animals, St. Francis of Assisi.
St. Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone around 1181 or 1182 in Assisi, Italy, is a prominent figure among Catholics. He was a renowned Italian mystic and poet who renounced his wealth to embrace radical poverty. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan Order, .. “He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace,” the former Catholic Church leader added.
While of course, as all men (and women naturally) are, by our very nature, fallible creatures – Pope Francis was not perfect in his pursuit of the high moral example set by the Saint St. Francis in the important – for us, area of ecology and animal welfare – he was nevertheless a man who followed his path with honesty, humility, and great dedication.
The full encyclical is available here. It’s less than 200 short pages, written in a simple, everyday style, and is the work of a thoughtful and caring person.
Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si, is much more than a commentary on climate change; it’s a sweeping indictment of the entire global capitalist system that’s wrecking the planet.
Those who say that the Pope shouldn’t get involved in the issue of what’s happening to Planet Earth and all its inhabitants are either very stupid or very afraid. Or, in the case of the political establishment, both. ……………..
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Even PETA sees fit to make a Pope the Person of the Year, 2015 …
Masked hunters have ambushed and beaten up a team of international ornithologists from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) on the Greek island of Zakynthos.As a result of the attack three birders were injured and taken to hospital for treatment, CABS said. Local police have launched an investigation.The incident, which happened on 16 April 2025 at 12.30 pm, occurred at the Keri peninsula, an area that is known for the illegal shooting of migratory birds. Despite a total ban on spring hunting on the island many hunters were reported to be present, with most of them were carrying shotguns.
A Slovenian member of CABS had his nose broken in the incident on Zakynthos (CABS).
Brutal attack
CABS explained that while documenting the situation, some poachers approached its team and started to hurl insults and threaten them.
Stefania Travaglia, an Italian member of the CABS team, said: “Within minutes they were joined by other angry hunters and the situation went totally out of control.”
Emma Phipps, also of CABS, added: “They also threw stones and warned us never to return to Keri again if we would value our lifes.”
Travaglia added that, without warning, her team members were punched in the face, thrown to the ground and kicked in the stomach. A body camera and a smartphone, both of which recorded the incident, were also stolen by the attackers.
The men only stopped their attack and ran off when they realised that the police had been called for help and a patrol was on the way to the scene. While the officers were trying to find and identify the attackers, one female and two male birders were transported to the Saint Dionysios General Hospital in Zakynthos where doctors treated a broken nose as well as several open wounds and bruises.
Suspects identified
It is understood that local police have already identified a number of suspects which have been brought in for questioning.
CABS president Karl-Heinz Kreutzer condemned the attack as a “brutal and cowardly assault” and called upon the authorities to leave no stone unturned to bring those responsible to justice. He added that CABS will not bow to violence and intimidation tactics and that its members will continue with its activities on Zakynthos until the end of the month.
To find out more about CABS or support its work, visit www.komitee.de.
The battered goose was left “almost lifeless in pain.” Rescuers rushed him to a veterinarian in an attempt to save his life, but he went into cardiac arrest and died while being sedated for surgery.
Now the slain goose’s mate is left alone. Canada geese mate for life, making this horrific crime even more heart wrenching.
The slain goose’s mate is now alone (via Tidewater Wildlife Rescue)
The man who bludgeoned this goose not only committed a shocking act of animal cruelty—he also broke the law, as Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, making this a federal crime.
Please sign the petition today to help Animal Victory hold this individual accountable for his abhorrent behavior when he is found and arrested! Animal Victory is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible!
Bludgeoned to death in front of his mate
Target: Department of Wildlife Resources, Wildlife Crime Division
WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS:
We, the undersigned, want the man responsible for this crime to be found and charged. We demand this individual be prosecuted for each and every law he violated!
Research has consistently shown a strong link between animal cruelty and human violence. Individuals who commit such heinous acts against animals often pose a threat to society as a whole, as animal abuse is frequently a precursor to other violent crimes. Failing to hold this man accountable not only denies justice for the innocent goose he brutalized but also endangers the community at large. It is imperative that we send a clear message that such cruelty will not be tolerated.
Individuals are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Animal Victory relies upon the authorities and the court system to determine guilt or innocence.
Note: Efforts are underway to find this man. The goose was attacked in the area of 144 Business Park Dr, Virginia Beach, VA Anyone with information is asked to call Tidewater Wildlife Rescue by calling 757-255-8710.
World Animals Voice 