The United Kingdom is blessed by a plethora of wild animals which roam its lands, from the most elegant birds of prey soaring over northern dales, to beavers enhancing the wetlands of Scotland, to red squirrels repopulating Welsh forests.

Notwithstanding such rich natural history, our wildlife is increasingly threatened and persecuted through various forms of human activity. As well as habitat loss caused by development and expansion our wildlife often faces the threats from targeted actions such as shooting, trapping, hunting and other acts of direct cruelty.

The Wildlife Law Working Group seeks to work with all stakeholders involved in the protection of wildlife to ensure that the interests of animals are safeguarded. The Working Group recognises that the interests of wildlife can only be secured by taking a holistic approach to the problems posed and therefore pursues this mission statement in various ways. The Working Group not only works to review and reform the legal regime protecting the welfare of wild animals but also collaborates with other organisations to ensure the standards enshrined in legislation are enforced in practice and properly reflect the highest possible wellbeing for animals.

The Working Group is an inclusive group of likeminded individuals who are passionate about wildlife welfare and welcomes enquiries from individuals who are interested in volunteering to support the group’s work.

We have selected the following four priorities as our initial areas of focus:

• Habitat protection;
• Wildlife trade;
• Traps; and,
• Captive wild animals.

Find out more about these areas below.

If you are interested in getting involved, or would like to find out more, please email [email protected].