Category: Hunting

Hunting

Cyprus: Success against poaching

Committee against Bird Murder e.V.

Spring Mission Cyprus 2021

A video says more than 1,000 words: At our bird protection camps in April and May, we caught 49 poachers, secured 545 traps and 67 nets and rescued more than 200 birds!

Our video from the spring deployment in Cyprus shows what is behind the sober numbers:

(to see the video, please click on the picture)

https://www.facebook.com/Komitee.CABS/

And I mean…Cyprus is the “problem child” of bird protection in Europe.
In gardens, bushes and acacia trees specially planted for poaching, countless bird trappers set up liming rods to catch the resting songbirds.

Thrushes and warblers are particularly numerous, but also cuckoos, owls and other protected species.
The captured animals end up in the saucepan and not infrequently in restaurants, where they are offered at high prices as delicacies.

Bird trapping has long been forbidden – the relevant laws were tightened once more when the country joined the EU.

But the poachers seem above the law.

The perpetrators hardly bother to hide their trapping facilities because large parts of the rural population have little awareness of poaching


On the other hand, the authorities and the police are not completely inactive, but there is usually a lack of staff and the right will to take action against poaching.
For this reason, the teams are often left on their own.

When the committee team found the position of a very active poacher in Famagusta in 2012 and collected the liming rods, the poacher attacked the activists with a club!!

In autumn 2020, when the team filmed him setting up the liming rods, the poacher was fined € 200!

The bird catchers known to the team – around 1,200 people – usually have no financial worries.
Bird trapping is a hobby that promises to be a real gain.
It has nothing to do with poverty.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Hunting, Uncategorized

Bangladesh arrests tiger poaching suspect after 20-year hunt.

Bangladesh arrests tiger poaching suspect after 20-year hunt

Bangladesh arrests tiger poaching suspect after 20-year hunt – BBC News

A man suspected of killing 70 endangered tigers has been arrested in Bangladesh after a 20-year search.

Habib Talukder – known as Tiger Habib – was finally caught following a tip off, after three previous arrest warrants had been issued for him, police said.

He has operated in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, on the border between India and Bangladesh.

The area is home to the world’s largest population of Bengal tigers. Only a few thousand remain in the wild.

Black market traders buy their pelts, bones and even flesh for sale around the globe.

“He was on the run for a long time,” police chief Saidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

The 50-year-old Habib Talukder started his career collecting honey from bees in the forest.

Honey hunter Abdus Salam told AFP news agency that the locals “equally respect him and are scared of him”.

“He’s a dangerous man who could fight alone with [tigers] inside the forest.”

Officer Abdul Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune that both the police and the forestry department had sought to arrest Habib Talukder for years.

“He secretly entered the Sundarbans and hunted wild animals despite being banned from entering the forest long ago,” he told the paper. “He has been carrying out these criminal activities even though there are multiple cases against him… some powerful gangs are involved in this.”

The paper reports the suspect was detained on Saturday morning.

Bangladesh tiger census data released in 2018 showed numbers in the Sundarbans had risen to 114 that year from a record low of 106 in 2015.

Wildlife charity WWF released data last year suggesting that after rapid declines over the past decades, endangered tiger populations were making a “remarkable” comeback around the world.

Regards Mark

Hunting

Germany: 2 hunting towers destroyed

According to mainstream media reports, two Hunting towers were destroyed in Auringer Wald, Germany. A third one was found to have the ladder sneakily sawn in order to break when in use.

https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Germany_hunting2_May21.jpegPHOTO: From a local newspaper, hunter poses sad next to a destroyed tower.

The hunters report that the sabotage has costed them about 4000 Euros and that because the hunting towers cannot be insured, they will have to cover all costs.

The police reported they don’t have a clue about who the perpetrators could be.

https://animalliberationpressoffice.org/NAALPO/2021/05/11/2-hunting-towers-destroyed-4000-euros-in-damages-germany-2/

And I mean…The hunters have offered a reward for catching the perpetrators.

Germans are indeed an informer nation, but even informers these days don’t even give a shit about two hunting towers.
The days of the hunt are numbered.

In the name of the animals, many thanks to the activists

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Hunting

UK; Sick In Head Trophy Hunters Use ‘Click and Kill’ Website To Shoot Animal Species for Depraved Kicks.

Mental head trophy hunters use sick website to book “click and kill” holidays – so they can shoot vulnerable species for kicks.

Almost all the animals on BookYourHunt are exempt from forthcoming UK legislation aimed at banning the import of hunting souvenirs such as skins, antlers and heads.

The website has up to 5,000 hunts available for animals such as reindeer (£1,373), striped hyenas (£14,815), golden jackals (£542) and the African civet cat (£848).

They are not considered sufficiently at risk of extinction to make the Government’s designated categories of species to be covered by the new law.

But all are on a “red list” compiled by global animal rights body the International Union for the Conservation of Nature which considers them near threatened or vulnerable.

Others on the hunt list include camels, kangaroos and even sheep.

Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “This is a click-to-kill catalogue which sick psychos browse before choosing a defenceless animal to shoot for fun.

“It’s a one-stop snuff shop for hunters who love to kill for thrills. There’s something for every animal murderer.”

Explorer Ranulph Fiennes said: “This is the most hideous website I have ever heard of. It’s advertising animals like you’re doing a weekly shop, except the photos show bloodthirsty psychopaths grinning moronically over the dead animals they’ve killed for fun.

“Trophy imports like these should be banned, they’re an absolute disgrace.”

MPs are signing a cross-party Commons motion to press ministers to include less endangered species in the new law – and jail time for offenders.

Tory MP David Amess, who is behind the move, said: “We should ensure all animals are protected from those who take pleasure in killing them for entertainment and furnishings. We must settle for nothing less than a total ban.”

Read it all; including photos, at

Trophy hunters flock to sick website to book holiday to shoot vulnerable species – Mirror Online

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News, Hunting

USA: New Campaign Brings Awareness to Wildlife Killing Contests in Wyoming.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2021

New Campaign Brings Awareness to Wildlife Killing Contests in Wyoming

Billboard Compels to #STOPTHEKILL of Wolves and Other Apex Predators

Cody, WY — Starting today, drivers traveling from Cody to Yellowstone National Park will see a large billboard featuring a captivating wolf and a call to action to “End Wildlife Killing Contests.” The billboard, funded by Wyoming Wildlife Advocates in partnership with the national organization Project Coyote, is part of a coordinated campaign to bring attention to the widespread but little known bloodsport of wildlife killing contests—events in which participants compete to kill the most, largest, or smallest animals for cash, guns or other prizes.

Wyoming is home to many of these contests, including the Wyoming Best of the Best and other privately run events. The Wyoming Best of the Best is a circuit of contests that draws people from around the region to Wyoming to kill target wildlife, primarily coyotes and foxes. Participants pay an entry fee and then build points in monthly events that run from December through February. Qualifying events are held in Kemmerer, Casper, Cheyenne, Lovell, Riverton, Rock Springs, and Newcastle, and a state championship is held in early November in Rock Springs. The number of contests that occur in Wyoming is difficult to assess because organizers and participants, aware that the majority of the public does not condone or support these events, operate mostly in secret with virtual check-ins and little oversight—but killing contests occur in or near most communities across the state.

In addition to smaller native carnivores like bobcats and coyotes, wildlife killing contests in Wyoming may also target imperiled wolves. Despite the fact that they are still recovering and bring essential tourism dollars to local economies, wolves are listed as trophy game animals in the northwest corner of the state where there is a hunting season and limits on the number of animals that can be killed. Even worse, they are considered a predator in the remaining 85% of the state, which means they can be killed at any time by any means with no oversight or hunting tag needed. This lack of regulations concerning fair chase, hunting seasons, quotas, night hunting and spotlighting, use of electronic calls, and the use of high-powered weapons does not protect animals considered “predators” in Wyoming and leads to egregious ethical violations on the part of contest participants.

Participants and proponents of killing contests claim that killing coyotes and other animals protects deer and elk and prevents livestock losses. Yet the best available science illustrates that randomly killing wildlife does not increase public safety or decrease conflicts with domestic animals. Seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington) have enacted prohibitions on killing contests and have not observed increases in conflict. Four additional states (Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and Virginia) are considering bans on killing contests.

Bans on killing contests are increasing as the public recognizes that coyotes and other native carnivores play key roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems, such as controlling rabbit and rodent populations, and that wildlife killing contests threaten the safety and well-being of hikers, dog walkers, bird watchers, hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts. This billboard serves to raise awareness of the issue for the millions of people who visit Wyoming to see wildlife but do not realize the national park is a proverbial zoo and valued wildlife are slaughtered as soon as they step foot outside the park.

“Wildlife is held in the public trust by our wildlife managers and should be managed for all Wyoming residents,” said Kristin Combs, Executive Director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. “A minuscule number of people are involved in wildlife killing contests, meanwhile wildlife watchers and ethical hunters are left with virtually no voice in the management of animals classified as predators. All of these animals serve a valuable purpose in the ecosystem and don’t deserve to be randomly gunned down while just trying to raise their young and live out their lives.”

“Billboards are showing up across the country and raising public awareness about this barbaric practice, which will inspire people to take action and join the growing movement to ban wildlife killings contests nationwide,” said Camilla Fox, Executive Director and Founder of Project Coyote and Co-founder of the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests. “Most people have no idea this cruel and unnecessary bloodsport is happening in their state and they are shocked to learn that it is legal to slaughter animals en masse for cash prizes and awards. Once they become aware of this issue, they want to know how they can get involved to help end this cruelty. That’s why we steer them to ProjectCoyote.org to learn how they can get involved in this growing movement to end killing contests.”

“Wildlife killing contests serve no genuine ecological or wildlife management purpose,” said Michelle L. Lute, PhD in wildlife management and Project Coyote National Carnivore Conservation Manager. “These contests are mass slaughter events that may actually increase what are typically rare occurrences of conflict and undermine the valuable ecological roles of carnivores.”

Viewers of the billboards will be pointed to ProjectCoyote.org where they can view a new film about wildlife killing contests produced in partnership with National Geographic filmmakers and sign a petition to ban wildlife killing contests on federal public lands. The petition has thus far garnered over 60,000 signatures.

The National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests, including co-founder Project Coyote, Wyoming Wildlife Advocates and 50+ other national wildlife and animal protection organizations, will continue to raise awareness in pursuit of policy changes at local, state, and national levels in 2021 and beyond.

* * * * *

Wyoming Wildlife Advocates is a non-profit organization focused on informing, educating, and empowering communities to preserve our wild legacy and protect our shared wildlife resources. We envision a Wyoming that leads the nation in exceptional and innovative wildlife management; all stakeholders are valued equally, and management decisions are driven by the best available science. Headquartered in Jackson, Wyoming, WWA has supporters in Wyoming, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and nationwide. Visit wyowild.org to learn more.

Project Coyote, a national non-profit organization, is a North American coalition of scientists, educators, ranchers, and citizen leaders promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science and advocacy. Visit ProjectCoyote.org for more information.

To learn more about wildlife killing contests, visit the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests’ website here.

Watch the new film Wildlife Killing Contests and sign the petition here.

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Hunting, Live Transport, Uncategorized

England (UK): Who’s Pulling the Green (Animal Welfare and Environmental) Strings in Number 10 ? – Possibly These for Sure.

No. 10 mouser Larry celebrates 10 years of being most influential cat in politics

Above – Larry the Cat Belongs to No. 10 Downing Street – Government Residence.

WAV Comment – As an Englishman and animal activist, I (Mark) can remember for many years the fact that the Conservative Party viewed the animal welfare movement as the lowest of the low.  We; ‘the low’, always said in response; ‘do you not realise what additional votes there are from the animal / environmental movement if only you undertook some serious animal welfare issues’.  Our advice never worked; until recently that is; with Carrie Symonds doing her bit for welfare, and good others like Zak; Theresa Villiers, Sir Roger Gale and Sir David Amess; there is a realisation in the Conservatives that animals and the environment ARE actual issues that get them additional votes.  The following is an interesting article (link referenced at end) – I have included photos of thos described so that you ascertain who people are; and who ‘may be pulling green strings at No. 10’ (Downing Street.

Regards Mark

Who’s pulling the green strings in Number 10 ?

There are two – or possibly three – interpretations of the Government’s sudden conversion to the cause of animal welfare. The inclusion of a range of measures in the Queen’s Speech, including recognising animal sentience, ending the export of live animals and taking steps to stop people keeping primates as pets, is a far cry from a Conservative Party that only four years ago was promising its MPs a free vote on bringing back fox hunting.

Many people have, of course, pointed the finger at the prime minister’s fiancée Carrie Symonds, known for her work in the field of marine conservation, now employed by the conservation charity the John Aspinall Foundation. 

Boris's girlfriend Carrie Symonds blasts 'sick and cowardly' trophy hunters who shoot puffins as she wears £225 sustainable eco-dress and wellies in first solo speech
Above – Carrie Symonds – Fiancee to the Prime Minister.

Gossip about her influence over Boris Johnson and his seemingly new-found passion for green issues goes back to 2019, when environment secretary Theresa Villiers told Natural England to scrap the planned badger cull in Derbyshire. 

Theresa Villiers MP appointed as the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs | Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation
Above – Theresa Villiers (Yellow Jacket) – Politician and anti live animal export campaigner.

Symonds had been briefed by Dominic Dyer, until last December the chief executive of the Badger Trust, and – so the story goes – she pleaded with Johnson to intervene.

“I gave her information to give to Boris and he brought it up in Cabinet,” Dyer confirmed to ENDS. “Her intervention was significant because she understood the issue, her views were clear and she was a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF), a group that had worked hard to build a platform against badger culling.”

The NFU later took out a Judicial Review against Villiers’ decision, and the High Court judgment – though it rejected the farmers’ claim – found considerable evidence for Johnson putting pressure on DEFRA ministers to halt culling in Derbyshire.

In fact, Dyer believes it would have been easy to persuade Johnson that stopping the cull was the smart thing to do. The county was in the middle of the so-called ‘Red Wall’ that the Conservatives would target in the looming (though yet to be announced) General Election. “She told him you could be shooting badgers that have been vaccinated, and there’s no public support for that – that’s why he intervened,” Dyer said. “He didn’t want this issue coming up on the doorstep.”

Below – Lorraine Platt at badger cull demo.

Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation at No10 on the important implications of Brexit and animal welfare | Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation

But there’s another view. CAWF founder Lorraine Platt has been working for more than a decade with sympathetic MPs to fundamentally change the party’s approach to all manner of animal welfare issues. “It’s important to remember that patrons have had key influential roles in promoting animal welfare for many years, sometimes decades,” Platt told ENDS. “Sir Roger Gale and Sir David Amess have both been in Parliament for 37 years.”

Tory MP Sir Roger Gale: I don't need to justify paying my wife with taxpayers' money
Sir Roger with pet dog.

Below – Sir David Amess

Sir David Amess MP awarded Cruelty Free International MP of the month | Cruelty Free International

And, indeed, Platt argues, Johnson wrote a piece in the Daily Telegraph in 2018 arguing for an end to live animal exports. “He used his first speech on the steps of Downing Street as prime minister to talk about animal welfare, the first PM to have done that,” she said.

But if the animal welfare and broader environmental issues are really genuine passions for Johnson, then he appears to have a mixed record in advocating them. True, he’s written pieces about elephants and pangolins, but go back a decade or more and you can find articles questioning the science of climate change and rejecting recommendations from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“If they seriously believe that I am going to give up eating meat – in the hope of reducing the temperature of the planet – then they must be totally barmy,” he wrote. Does this suggest that his embrace of green issues is superficial or that it has come later, raising once again the influence of his new partner?

CAWF patron Sir David Amess suggested to ENDS that giving Symonds all the credit for the government’s commitment to animal welfare would be to ignore the work of many other people.

“I can’t pretend to know the lady, I’ve met her once at the Conservative Party conference,” he said, “but I’ve got no evidence for her influence over these issues. I know that [environment secretary] George Eustice and [environment minister] Zac Goldsmith were talking positively about these things way before she came on the scene.” Dyer also acknowledges the considerable influence of Goldsmith in Number 10. 

UK to ban import of trophy hunting souvenirs to help rare animals | Metro News
Zac Goldsmith (right) – key person in stopping UK trophy hunt imports.

So, Johnson’s new-found commitment to animal welfare could be down to Symonds, but it could also – or equally – be down to the fact that the Conservative Party, and the people who vote for it, have changed. Changing tack makes political sense. 

And the third possibility? That it is intended to distract from other other measures, such as the proposed reforms to the planning system, that will have adverse impacts on the environment. Throw the blue-green voters a bone so they look away from potentially less palatable actions elsewhere, could be the thinking. 

Dyer agrees there are contradictions within the Conservative agenda, whether it’s HS2 or airport expansions. “These are big issues and there are vested interests that will push back the other way,” he said.

Symonds, in other words, may have influence, but so do plenty of other people.

General News, Hunting

Overfishing with the blessing of the EU

Report by Martin Buschmann – MEP

The short-finned mako is a shark that can be found in almost all seas on earth.

However, its widespread distribution does not prevent it from being extinguished. The stocks are showing strong signs of overfishing and the animal has long been on the red list.

Mako Shark, the fastest shark in the world : An Endangered Species

Most of the mako ends up as bycatch in the nets of the fishing industry. But it is also caught specifically to eat its meat, cut off its fins or just for pleasure. 3000 tons of the ocean shark are landed in the ports of the North Atlantic every year.

The EU is responsible for 55 to 76% of the landings, mostly Spanish ports.

Swift and drastic measures must be taken to keep short-fin mako populations from becoming extinct. An in-depth investigation was conducted in 2017, which found that a recovery would be possible in the coming decades – but only if shark trapping is immediately and completely stopped.

For four years, however, the EU has been putting its hands on its lap, nothing has happened.

In 2019 and 2020, the EU even voted against restricting mako fishing.

In the meantime, the forecasts have clearly deteriorated. Another meeting will take place in 2021 to vote on global fishing quotas. Is the EU finally coming to its senses?

Only the EU and the US are still against the moratorium on short-finned mako. All other states will vote in favor.

Shrtfin Mako Shark face forward

https://www.facebook.com/Tierschutzabgeordneter/

And I mean…Mako sharks grow and reproduce slowly.
Females are slow maturing at approximately 18 years, while males mature much sooner, at 8 years.
Similar to great white shark pups, once born these baby sharks are left to fend to for themselves.
That means: a female shortfin Mako shark is estimated to reach sexual maturity at around 18 years, giving birth to relatively small litters (4-25 pups every 3 years).
Let’s think about what this means for a moment.

A female Mako sharks reproducing and giving birth to a litter for the first time this year would have been born around the year 2003!
This life history characteristic makes these apex predators extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation.

We read in the report that in 2019 and 2020 the EU even voted against restricting mako fisheries.
Like USA too.

But what common economic interests does the EU have if it supports the USA in eradicating Mako sharks from the oceans?
Actually none.
It is only because the EU has only ever cooperated with the powerful, no matter whether it’s the USA, the auto industry or the meat mafia

At the next meeting we will not be surprised if the EU re-enters as a cooperation partner of the USA and represents the interests of criminals again.

My best regards to all, Venus

Hunting

The trade in exotic animals – a profitable business for criminal people

PETA-Germany

Another case of cruel monkey trade and serious violation of the Animal Welfare Act: In a new research, PETA investigators were able to locate an exotic dealer who was offering baby monkeys a few days old on an exotic platform for self-rearing. Shortly after the birth, the baby monkeys were to be snatched away from their mother and then sold for € 1,000.

We at PETA Germany became aware of an exotic trader from Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Germany) via a relevant internet portal, who was offering “baby monkeys a few weeks old to continue feeding” on the internet.
Undercover, our investigators contacted the dealer and pretended to be interested in one of the monkey children.

Together with ARTE TV-Sender: we, PETA Germany uncovered this case.

During a visit by the investigators on site, the dealers reported that they had been selling baby monkeys in this way to customers around the world for several years. Only recently a monkey was sold to Latvia with an exotic courier.

The monkeys would be torn away from their mother 10-14 days after birth and then bottle-raised. In the case of triplet births, one of the children would be separated from the mother immediately after birth.

On-site research brings the cruel truth to light

In addition to the common marmosets, red-hand tamarins, marmosets from the Czech Republic and cites, protected list monkeys were kept in the dealers’ garden.

Other animals are housed with the dealer’s father for reasons of space.

Various exotic species of monkeys were found in the garden of the dealer.

The early separation of the common marmoset monkey children from their parents is a criminal offense according to §17 No. 1 of the Animal Welfare Act.

Continue reading “The trade in exotic animals – a profitable business for criminal people” →

Hunting

Lombardy and its right-wing populist hunters!

Report of the “Committee against Bird Murder”-19.05.

Right-wing populists in Lombardy kneel in front of the poacher lobby:
The right-wing “Lega”, which is in government in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, wants to soften the already hunting-friendly regulations for the protection of migratory birds with a draft law that has now been presented.

The main point of the amendment to the law is the abolition of controls on live decoys.
In migratory bird hunting – thrushes and skylarks can still be shot in Italy today – hunters are dependent on the use of live decoys.

Since bird trapping has been banned, hunters have theoretically had to resort to bred birds.
But the decoy traders often do not breed the animals, but instead catch them with nets or rob them from nests as chicks.

Tens of thousands of these birds then end up on the market with forged “breeding rings” – a mafia-like, well-organized fraud.

So far, committee staff and police officers have spent a lot of time checking these rings.
According to the will of the “Lega”, these controls are now to be prohibited – a free ticket for bird trapping and poaching!
The Italian nature conservation associations – in addition to the Committee against Bird Murder, LAC, LAV and the WWF – announced yesterday 18.5.

Protest actions started calling on the Lombard MPs to reject the change in the law.

https://www.facebook.com/Komitee.CABS/

A few more things on this subject: In Italy, hunting is still a firmly rooted tradition, especially in the countryside.
A total of around 600,000 hunters are registered. Italy has a licensing system, which means that hunters can hunt almost anywhere in their region.
The hunters mainly hunt birds and primarily target migratory birds.

Brescia – a city in Lombardy – is the heart of the Italian hunting arms industry.
Here there is one arms and ammunition factory after the other.

The right-wing populist “Lega” – avowedly hunting-friendly – has provided the mayor in almost every municipality for decades. Making politics here means, above all, standing up for hunters and the arms industry.

According to the organization “caccia il cacciatore”, there are 10,000 of these permanent huts for bird hunting for every 30,000 hunters in Lombardy.

“The decoys are caught and kept permanently in tiny cages. Their feathers are torn out to start a spring change that is not appropriate for the season. When the feathers grow back, the bird, which is kept in a dark cellar during the summer, says it is spring and sends appropriate signals to its conspecifics.
A caught chaffinch can cost up to 100 euros on the black market. “(Source: caccia il cacciatore).

Of course, it is legally stipulated which species may be shot, how many birds the hunter can kill per day of the hunt and how many decoys he may use. But who really wants to rigorously control that with the enormous number of hunters?

Poaching has an ancient tradition in Italy and, although officially forbidden, is tolerated especially if the prey is “only” birds.
In accordance with local customs, slings, nets, stone traps or bows are used.
But the big problem in Italy is traditional silence.
Everyone knows that neighbor A is laying traps with live decoys, but nobody would report him for it, because if you let him poach in peace today, he will let you “dispose” of the old refrigerator in the creek on the edge of the field tomorrow.

One hand washes the other is the motto, and the authorities – and above all the police – have to fight against this mentality.

My best regards to all, Venus

Hunting

UK: Anglers demand legal killing of otters

Hunting and pollution drove otters to the brink of extinction in the 1970s, but now they are back.

Their widespread return to our waterways is one of few recent successes for Britain’s beleaguered wildlife. Yet instead of celebrating the return of this beautiful animal, extremist anglers have launched a petition to have its legal protections removed.

Incredibly, the petition calls for the complete removal of all legal protections currently enjoyed by the otter.

Otter Cruelty

The petition is only the latest salvo in a long running anti-otter campaign by anglers who complain that otters take ‘their’ fish from waterways or fish farms.

In March 2020, for example, Dorset fishery owner Stuart Jones was jailed for two months after trapping and shooting an otter in front of horrified holiday makers.
Jones killed the otter rather than pay for otter-proof fencing.

No Laughing Matter

Anti-otter sentiment is rife in angling circles. Particularly unpleasant are the Predation Action Group, a lobby organisation composed of anglers and fish farmers.

Their hypocrisy is astounding: they breed fish – for ‘sport’ or ‘food’ – in filthy, cruel and cramped conditions and then complain when otters are attracted to this over-abundance of natural prey.

The PAG’s own ‘report’ reveals the grim nature of their activities:

“These are intensive operations involving huge numbers of fish, farmed in a relatively small area, being kept in concrete tanks or earth ponds.”

As if this was not bad enough …PAG’s patron is ‘comedian’ Jim Davidson!!!

Not funny: PAG patron Jim Davidson

Sound familiar?

This situation is analogous with what happens on grouse moors or pheasant shoots. An artificially high number of animals are bred to be killed and any potential predators are then ruthlessly snared, poisoned or beaten to death.

It is a certainty that anglers are already killing otters – just as gamekeepers continue to kill birds of prey.

Their petition just shows they want to do it with impunity.

Direct Action Against ALL Bloodsports

None of this surprises the HSA which has always opposed shooting and fishing, as well as hunting with hounds.

These activities are inherently cruel and cause huge environmental damage along the way.

https://www.huntsabs.org.uk/anglers-target-otters/

And I mean…Instead of killing defenseless animals, which are very popular in England, the anglers should buy their meat and fish from the supermarket – if it absolutely has to be meat.
Angling fish although they don’t need it to survive is a bloody sport, the otter needs it to survive, otherwise it will starve to death.

The Barbel Society Officers have recently launched a petition on the government website calling for the removal of the current legal protected status of otters.
This follows on from their 2018 petition calling for ‘non-lethal controls’ which was comprehensively rejected by the government.

The petition organisers should be honest. Their petition is a doomed call to the government to remove legal protection for otters so that they can be culled- what the hunters have been doing illegally up to now anyway.

That’s what the organisers have been calling for on social media and elsewhere and that’s exactly how it’s already being perceived by the public.
That means: what they will achieve is that hundreds of thousands of people will stand against this bloody sport.

We are confident that the government will refuse the legal murder of otters this time even more violently than the last one

My best regards to all, Venus