What is wildlife crime?
The illegal destruction and theft of animals, plants and habitats both in the countryside and urban areas.
What should I be looking for?
- Dead animals including birds, in particular those found in suspicious circumstances.
- Suspicious vehicles
- People you are unfamiliar with in your local area. Often offenders travel distances to commit crimes.
- Do report – even if you are not sure, report the incident. Evidence of wildlife crime is not always obvious.
- Do take a note of the date time and weather conditions.
- Do identify a map reference or accurate description of both the incident scene and location from where you witnessed the incident.
- Do take a description of the person/s involved including gender, age, height and clothing etc.
- Do make a note of vehicle registration numbers, make, model and colour that may be involved.
- Do identify other witnesses and obtain their name and contact details.
- Do photograph or video the scene or make a rough sketch.
- Do cover up any suspected baits or victims that may have been poisoned to prevent any person or other animal coming into contact.
- Do remove any discarded fishing line if you think this could present a hazard to wildlife, to prevent animals becoming tangled in it.
- Do not disturb the scene by moving items.
- Never approach suspects or intervene if you suspect someone is committing a wildlife crime, putting yourself in danger.
Who should I report to?
Phone the police on 101.
Click here to download this page in PDF format
(with nice animal photos 🙂 )