East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service

Met Wildlife Crime Unit

1	Badgers
2	Protecting other wildlife mammals
3	Other protected wildlife animals
4	Illegal hare coursing
5	Cruelty to wild animals
6	Protecting wild birds
7	Illegal persecution
8	Egg collecting
9	Taking birds from the wild
10	Fighting crimes against wild birds
11	Disturbance to wildlife
12	Exotic species in the wild
13	Enforcement of wildlife laws

Badgers

The badger is one of Britain 's best loved animals and is fully protected by law. Badgers live in social groups in underground setts where they sleep during the day, only emerging in the evening. They are shy creatures which avoid contact with people, but although they are seldom seen, badgers live in many places in the countryside and in towns. For centuries badgers have been victims of persecution by man, an in the old days, badger baiting was a popular spectator sport. It was made illegal in 1835, but never completely died out and has become more common in the last 20 years or so. Badger diggers use dogs and spades to take badgers from their setts. The captured badgers are then attacked by dogs for “sport” whilst the spectators gamble on the performance of the dogs. Large sums of money are often involved and it is usually the case that those involved in badger baiting are also involved in other serious crime, so the money which they use is often proceeds of crime. Badger baiting is extremely cruel and the badgers suffer severe injuries before they are killed. The dogs are often badly injured as well. It is estimated that 10,000 badgers are killed in baiting contests in Britain every year, and in some parts of the country the badger population has been almost destroyed by the activities of diggers and baiters. All badgers and the setts in which they live are protected by law under The Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Anyone who takes, kills, or injures a badger, or who interferes with a badger sett, can be sent to prison for six months or fined up to £5,000. Badger are also victims of illegal snaring, poisoning and shooting. The Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit is working with local badger groups and the National Federation of Badger Groups to prevent illegal badger persecution in the London area. East Sussex WRAS have asked Sussex Police to become more pro-active in dealing with wildlife crime and set up a similar working relationship.

Protecting other wildlife mammals

Apart from badgers, other wild mammals are also victims of wildlife crime. In Britain our rarest species of wild animals are specially protected in law by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. Most of these are animals like the Pine Marten and Wildcat which so not live in Sussex , but others do, and these can be victims of crime, for example Bats. In Britain all species of bats are specially protected in law. This means that it is an offence to kill, injure, take or be in possession of a wild bat. It is an offence to sell a bat, or to damage or destroy a bat roost or disturb a roosting site. Most bats live in trees and buildings where they cause little disturbance and are often undetected, only usually being seen when they are on the wing in the evening. The number of bats in Britain is declining, mainly because many of their traditional roosting sites are being destroyed by land development and home improvements such as loft conversions and timber treatment. If you are planning to do any work on the roof or loft of your house check first to see if bats are present. If they are, you must contact English Nature for advice, before you start work. If you want to know more about bats, you can contact the Bat Conservation Trust on 0207-627-2629.

Other protected wildlife animals

In addition to badgers and bats, a number of other legally protected wild animals live in Sussex . These include Dormice, Water Voles, Adders, Grass Snakes, Slow Worms, Great Crested Newts and Stag Beetles.

Illegal hare coursing

Hare coursing, when practised correctly, is not against the law, but it becomes illegal when it is done without the landowner's permission. In Britain as a whole, numbers of Brown Hares are declining. This is probably caused by a number of factors, but it coincides with an upsurge in the number of instances of illegal hare coursing. At certain times of year illegal hare coursing is common in southern England and it takes place in the Sussex area at places like Pevensey Levels and on the Downs near Seaford. It involves groups of people, usually in vans or four wheel drive vehicles, driving onto farmland and setting their dogs to chase the hares in the fields. This is trespassing which causes damage to farm crops and property. It also causes the deaths of many hares every year. In illegal hare coursing there are no clear rules and, as with badger baiting, some of those take part are also involved in other crimes and often gamble large sums on the performance of the dogs.

Cruelty to wild animals

All British Wild mammals are protected from deliberate acts of cruelty by The Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996. This means that it is an offence to, for example, kick a hedgehog around the street, or try to drown fox cubs, even if the animals are not killed. Even so, East Sussex WRAS receives numerous reports of such instances of vandalism against wildlife in Sussex every year. The maximum penalty is 6 months imprisonment, a fine of up to £5,000, or both.

Protecting wild birds

All British birds, their nests and eggs are protected in law, yet many crimes are committed against birds in Sussex every year.

Illegal persecution

Many birds are shot, poisoned or illegally trapped each year. Even such popular birds as swans and herons are persecuted and become victims of cruelty.

Egg collecting

Egg collecting has been illegal since 1954, and since 1982 it has been an offence to possess the eggs of wild birds. However, some collectors persist in their activities, and some very large collections have been seized by Police in recent years. Egg collectors often target the rarest birds, and can threaten the survival of some species.

Taking birds from the wild

In the southeast of England many small song birds, like goldfinches and chaffinches, are trapped illegally to supply the cage bird market. Wild finches from Southeast have also been found being exported to some Mediterranean countries where they are sold as food. Some very rare birds of prey like Peregrine Falcons and Goshawks have also turned up in London , having been illegally taken from the wild in other parts of Britain. Birds like these have a high commercial value and are often taken to supply the falconry market. The keeping of birds like this is legal, provided that they have been bred in captivity, and in the case of some rarer species, the keeper must register the bird with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. It is an offence to be in possession of a wild bird.

Fighting crimes against wild birds

In recent years Metropolitan Police Wildlife Officers have recovered many rare birds of prey which were taken from the wild illegally, and collections of birds eggs, as well as finch trapping equipment, and have dealt with many cases of wild birds being killed illegally. Scientific advances have enabled the Wildlife Crime Unit at the Metropolitan Police to use increasingly sophisticated techniques in the detection of wildlife crime. In one case involving a large number of Peregrine Falcons taken from the wild illegally Police used DNA testing to prove that the birds had not been bred in captivity, and DNA has also been used to secure convictions in other cases involving wild birds of prey. The Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit is working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and many local organisations within the London area to protect wild birds.

Disturbance to wildlife

The laws protecting wildlife, in many cases, do not just protect the animals themselves, but also the places where they live. This is important because many species are most at risk because of destruction or damage caused to their nests or homes. It is an offence to intentionally destroy, damage or take the nest of a wild bird, and in the case of some rarer species it is also an offence to disturb the birds at the nest. Even so, Police Wildlife Officers across the country deal with thousands of reports of nests being destroyed or damaged every year. All badger setts and bat roosts are protected in law and cannot be disturbed without a licence issued by English Nature, and this also applies to sites used by other protected species such as water voles, great crested newts and dormice, all of which live in Sussex . As our towns and cities expand and many sites are cleared for development the wildlife living there often has to move out and offences can be committed by builders, tree surgeons, demolition and other contractors.

Exotic species in the wild

Over the years many species which do not normally live in the wild in Britain have been deliberately released here and many of these have established populations in the wild. This can have a serious impact on our own wildlife as these animals are often more successful than similar species already living here, and a number of previously common British wild animals are now threatened by the presence of exotic species which compete with them for the habitat and food supplies in the area. Muntjac deer from South East Asia, North American Red-eared Terrapins and American Bullfrogs are all examples of species from other counties now living in the wild in the UK . Many of the terrapins and bullfrogs are examples of household pets which were deliberately released by their owners when they became too big or too difficult to look after. This is against the law, as in Britain it is an offence to deliberately release any species which does not normally live here.

Enforcement of wildlife laws

In Britain the responsibility for enforcement of the laws protecting our wildlife rest with the police service and all police forces have appointed specialist wildlife officers to deal with crimes against our wildlife.

The Metropolitan Police Service is committed to enforcing the laws protecting British wildlife to the point that they have created the Wildlife Crime Unit at New Scotland Yard. East Sussex WRAS would like to see Sussex Police set-up a similar unit in Sussex with full time officers rather than the rather limiting and voluntary roles taken on by Police Officers who care.


If you know anybody involved in crimes against wildlife, please call

In Sussex	Sussex Police Wildlife Liaison Officers	0845 60 70 999
In London	Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit	0207 230 3641