Somerset Wildlife Crime was born out of an horrific incident in Minehead town centre in July 2017.

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A group of sea gulls were calously run over whilst foraging through rubbish which had been left out on the street by local residents.

Despite there having been a huge outcry and widespread condemnation on social media about the incident, there were only two reports to the police over the incident, and one of those came from us.

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During discussions with police and members of the public one thing is clear, people don't know what wildlife crime is, how to report it, or whether they should report it.

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Generally speaking it is a mixed bag when dealing with Avon and Somerset constabulary, in our experience they are not particularly ‘pro wildlife’ certainly they aren't keen on any form of activism, but seeing as we aren't in this to make friends we don't see that as too much of a problem.

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We are fortunate to have a dedicated and efficient Wildlife Crime Officer who we pass any issues to directly, saving wasted hours on 101 and more often than not, a call handler who doesnt understand the issues and simply fobs you off!

 

We have had good results, ranging from offences recorded against a landowner and local Hunt official for blocked badger setts, to traffic offences for members of local hunts caught riding quad bikes illegally (yes, you can report this, get those dash cams set up - best £20 you'll ever spend, and, if footage is sufficient its an easy way to cost the blood junkies £100!)

 

If we can't get convictions against the hunts for illegally hunting, then its easy enough to get them for Road traffic or anti social driving offences. If we catch them blocking roads, committing public order offences (feel free to contact us as we can advise on any of these anti social behaviours), the occasional drink driver and, we have had the odd firearms offence and an assault thrown in.

 

In the past 6 months we have established good links with people locally who are letting us know about all the dirty little secrets that the hunting community have, badger killers, sett blockers, poachers, hunts and farmers, all committing wildlife offences and breaching animal welfare legislation.

 

We are quietly gathering evidence and working with other organisations to, hopefully, secure prosecutions.

 

Whether its trapping, poaching, snaring, shooting, badger sett blocking, hunting, abuse, neglect or just plain cruelty, we want to know about it. We can visit sites and gather evidence, and if possible liaise with police to seek prosecutions. Alternatively, we can investigate, report and expose wildlife crime from here. All information will be handled sensitively and sources held in complete confidence.

 

Get in touch if you have concerns about our wildlife. Send a private message to the page, alternatively call or text 07399057338. No need to give your name.