4 November 2024
Wildlife and Countryside Link's new Wildlife Crime Report has found that reports of wildlife crime levels have remained stubbornly high since a surge during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 4,735 incidents reported in 2023. There were increased instances of persecution, harm or death being reported for badgers, bats and marine mammals in 2023. Yet convictions for wildlife crime remain shockingly few, with numbers at an all-time low when looking at all types of wildlife crime the report collects data on.
One of the stand-out findings in the report is that expanded data collection on marine mammal disturbance has revealed a stark picture of disturbances of beloved marine wildlife across the country. Data collected by local wildlife groups in Cornwall, Devon, Kent and Yorkshire is building a clearer picture on the extent of seals, whales and dolphins being disturbed by humans – which risks severe to these marine mammals. 1,290 reports of disturbances were collected during 2023, impacting thousands of animals.
Marine mammal disturbance has increased in recent years in some part due to a rise in the number of people participating in outdoor activities on or near the coast including walking, paddleboarding, kayaking and jet skiing, as well as wildlife tours and wild swimming. Marine experts are working to educate the public on how to enjoy our beaches and oceans without putting the welfare of marine wildlife at risk. [2]
It is an offence to hurt or recklessly disrupt whales and dolphins under the Wildlife & Countryside Act. The Act does not cover seal species but seal disturbance in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is prohibited where seals are a monitored feature of the SSSI.
One report from an SSSI in Cornwall saw well over 200 seals stampeding due to being disturbed by people walking too closely to them. Such incidents can cause huge harm and even death to the animals as they panic to enter the water (dragging themselves over rocks and often leaping from height into the sea). In Kent, one incident at an SSSI saw a group of 10 watercraft deliberately race each other next to 30 resting seals, including seal pups, leading to most of the seals panicking and flushing into the sea. Such disturbances can cause significant harm, for example causing animals to abandon preferred feeding or resting areas – affecting their health. And it can even cause deaths, including young animals become separated from their mothers.
On convictions, by far the biggest area of prosecutions has traditionally been fisheries crimes, with enforcement traditionally better resourced through funding from fishing rod licencing. However convictions have fallen by almost 80% since their peak in 2019 (see table 1), seeming to reflect decreased resourcing or willingness to prosecute by enforcement agencies. For other wildlife crimes just a handful of criminals are prosecuted each year.
Matt Browne, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Wildlife crime remains a stubborn problem across the country. Reports of crimes remain high while the number of convictions this year reached an all-time low. The picture for marine mammals disturbances revealed by new data really hits home in this year’s report revealing a national issue. The physical harm and even death caused to our cherished seals, dolphins, whales and porpoises when they’re maliciously or carelessly disturbed by people is exactly the sort of thing that must be tackled if the UK is to have a good chance of meeting its commitment to stopping the decline of nature by 2030.
“The Government has the chance to turn a corner on wildlife crime. Making it a notifiable offence would help police forces identify crime hotspots and plan accordingly. Better information can underpin better law enforcement, leading to improved protection for marine mammals and other wildlife threatened by crime.”
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Kit Stoner, CEO of Bat Conservation Trust said: “As a result of improved information sharing in the last few years we are getting a more accurate picture on the level of offending against bat species and their habitats, and that is reflected in the increased figures being reported annually. As we improve our sharing of data we anticipate the figures will continue to climb.
"Development and tree felling without following legal processes, motivated by the perception that it will save time and money, remain the primary causes of bat crime. We are seeing some developers rolling the dice on bat crime. Many are gambling that any fine they pay if they are caught will be less than the cost of responsibly protecting bats on development sites. And sadly inadequate fines are all too common, even on the cases that do actually make it to court.
"This situation could potentially worsen further, with less oversight and protections for wildlife, if relevant planning regulations are weakened in a Government race to reduce red-tape for growth. The Government and our legal system must ensure that wildlife crime doesn’t pay. Implementing tougher minimum fine and sentencing guidelines is essential, alongside ensuring planning regulation protects and speaks up for the wildlife that can’t speak for itself.”
Sue Sayer MBE, of Cornwall Seal Research Trust, said: “As more local groups record disturbance of our marine wildlife, we’re getting a clearer picture on how much of an impact our behaviour can have on animals. We all have the right to head to the coast and enjoy ourselves, but if this disturbs a seal it can have dire consequences as they use up huge amounts of energy and risk physical injury when they flee from rocks or beaches.
“Fortunately, it’s very easy to enjoy our beaches and ocean without putting seals at risk of harm. Just keep your distance, and slowly move further away from them if they start to look at you.”
Craig Fellowes MBE, Wildlife Crime Officer and Trainer for Badger Trusts and Deputy Chair of the Link Wildlife Crime Group said: “With over 600 crimes reported against Badgers in England in Wales in 2023, this new report paints a bleak but unsurprising picture and highlights the scale of the threat this iconic British species faces despite its supposed protection.
"But we know what needs to be done. The new Government has an opportunity to show it’s on the side of our native wildlife and demonstrate its commitment to turning the tide on crime by making crimes against badgers notifiable and extending the maximum sentence for convictions”
Anna Moscrop, Head of Science Policy for Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) said: "Whales and dolphins are key predators in the ocean with a critical key role in maintaining healthy marine eco-systems, addressing climate change by cycling nutrients and sequestering carbon, and giving us a huge sense of wonder when we see them. But we must make sure we don’t disturb them by keeping our distance when on the water to ensure that they can continue to feed, rest and socialise without disruption. We all need our personal space – so do whales and dolphins… it’s #RudeToIntrude"
To properly tackle the issue of wildlife crime, nature experts are calling for the following actions (most of which were also recommended by a UN report in 2021):
1. Making wildlife crimes notifiable to the Home Office, so such crimes are officially recorded in national statistics. This would better enable police forces to gauge the true extent of wildlife crime and to plan strategically to address it.
2. Increasing resources & training for wildlife crime teams in police forces. Significant investment in expanding wildlife and rural crime teams across police forces in England & Wales, would enable further investigations, and lead to further successful prosecutions. Funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit should be increased in line with inflation, to allow the Unit to continue its excellent work.
3. Sentencing guidelines for wildlife crimes. No sentencing guidelines are currently in place for wildlife crimes so judges tend to err towards caution and the lower end of the sanction scale for wildlife crime convictions. The Sentencing Council should consult on sentencing guidelines in England and Wales for a range of key wildlife crimes, including breaches of the Wildlife & Countryside Act, Hunting Act, Protection of Badgers Act, Habitats Regulations and control of trade in endangered species (COTES) regulations.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. Link wildlife crime reports are drawn from data collected by charities and eNGOs, including reports of suspected offences and the outcomes of any subsequent prosecutions. In the absence of official data, due to wildlife crime not currently having notifiable status, the reports attempt to fill the gap in order to provide a national-level overview of wildlife crime. Due to the nature of the data, it should be viewed as an indication of levels of crimes being committed, rather than a comprehensive record.
The full report can be found here.
A lack of notifiable status for wildlife crimes means these figures are not officially collected at a national level by the Home Office. Most wildlife crimes are recorded as ‘miscellaneous’ offences and are therefore invisible in police records, with no duty to be reported upon.
2. Operation Seabird (operating in coastal locations including Cornwall, Devon and Yorkshire) sees local police forces partner with nature groups and marine management organisations to engage with local communities to spread awareness about the issue of marine mammal disturbance and offer advice on how such crime can be avoided.
3. Seal Research Group’s top tips for watching seals safely:
Move slowly and quietly, paying attention to any signs up on the beach
Keep at least 100 metres away from seals when they’re on the beach
Use binoculars to get a closer view
Keep dogs on a lead
If the seals are looking at you, then you’re too close and you’ll need to back away quietly
If you’re paddling, don’t stop. Move past them, keeping your distance
If you’re paddling or walking in a group, pass the seals in one go rather than breaking up the group.
4. Notes on 2023 data:
Reports of marine mammal incidents from 2017 to 2022 covered Cornwall only. The 2023 figures include reported incidents from Cornwall, Devon, Yorkshire and Kent.
When removing the new data sources from Devon, Yorkshire and Kent from this year’s report for marine mammals the overall figure on wildlife crime shows a slight decrease from what was recorded in 2022. Data on birds of prey persecution is still being updated for this year and will be released in due course by RSPB.
Reports of hunting incidents are not presented here as they are collected per hunting season (August to March) rather than by calendar year. The text of the report cites reports of hunting incidents for the 23-24 hunting season.
Numbers for badger and bat incidents reported between 2017 and 2022 will differ slightly from previous reports, due to new data. The number in this table should be used over previous reports.
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