Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link) is a coalition of conservation and wildlife NGOs. They are currently running a joint campaign that I think is one of the most important they have ever run, albeit on what is to many people a rather boring subject – Government policy. The Environment Bill is the key piece [...]
It has now been 95 days since I first asked Sainsbury’s about the presence of toxic lead ammunition in some of the game meat products they sell to their customers, see here, here, here and here. My last email to Sainsbury’s was sent on the 12th February and I’ve had no reply, so I’ll [...]
A week is a long time in nature. Last Saturday I was wrapped up in three layers wandering around the local patch of Wanstead Flats hoping for rare avian visitors escaping the freezing conditions in the east. Most of the patch was frozen solid, there was snow on the ground and ice covered much of the [...]
The use of detection dogs to help tackle the abhorrent practice of illegal poisoning seems to be relatively widespread in many parts of Europe. Specially trained dogs have been used to locate poisoned baits and carcasses in Spain and Italy for more than a decade. They’ve been successfully used in Bulgaria and Greece too. [...]
Sainsbury’s are still avoiding answering questions about the presence of toxic lead ammunition in game products that they sell to their customers, see here, here and here. I’ve been a bit slow in following this up, but I have done today. One statement that is particularly interesting from the reply I got on the [...]
I’m looking forward to giving a couple of Zoom talks this week on the Conservation of the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing. The talks will provide an overview of more than 15 years of research and conservation effort on the breeding grounds of Kazakhstan, to the wintering grounds of Sudan, Pakistan and India. On Wednesday [...]
I’m still trying to get some straightforward answers to some simple questions regarding whether Sainsbury’s sell leaded or unleaded game products. It has taken 60 days and progress has been glacial. See here and here for previous attempts to get some answers. After my last attempt to get some answers (on the 19th Jan) [...]
At the turn of the year, Ring-necked Parakeets were in the news, and it was widely reported that Defra were considering a cull to reduce their numbers. I can’t find anything on the news section of Defra’s website, nor Natural England’s – I didn’t look too hard so I may have missed it. The [...]
Reintroducing Lynx to the UK is back in the headlines again. This is a good thing. At least in my opinion this should be one of the highest priority reintroduction programmes in the UK – we need our higher trophic levels back. It is ecologically doable, but is it socially feasible? Lynx to Scotland [...]
Sainsbury’s don’t sell leaded petrol on their forecourts because it has been banned for more than 20 years – they even call it unleaded petrol. But do they sell leaded game? The answer to this seemingly simple question remains elusive. Raptor Persecution UK first blogged about this in November and I’ve been trying to get [...]
