Hello and best wishes for 2025.
In the meantime, let’s take a quick look at 2024, covering some of the usual review topics.
Illegal Wildlife Trade
Social media is fuelling the illegal wildlife trade – “Social media has become a crucial tool for wildlife traffickers, experts say. A growing number use Facebook, for example, to advertise endangered animals or their by-products for sale, often switching to messaging apps such as WhatsApp to complete the sale:
A report published in October [2024] by the Global Initiative Against Transnational and Organized Crime flagged 477 adverts for 18 protected species in Brazil and South Africa alone in a three-month period this year. Social media accounted for 78% of these” – “‘It shouldn’t be that easy’: inside the illegal wildlife trade booming on social media,” The Guardian, 9 December 2024
The illegal online trade via everyday platforms is a sad reflection of hamanity’s greed and dissonance with nature – and it’s not just wildlife, but also protected plants for example, poached from the wild leading to rapid species extinction.
The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill
At the 2019 General Election, both major parties included a ban on trophy imports in their manifestos. The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill passed unanimously in the House of Commons in 2023, but was subsequently blocked by a tiny group of unelected peers in the House of Lords.
A new UK government was formed in July 2024, a “Ban trophy hunting imports,” Early Day Motion (EDM) 97 was raised 2 September 2024 – this EDM had some 94 MP’s signatures as of late December 2024, but moving the Bill for parliamentary time and onwards towards legislation seems to be a slow process in the United Kingdom (other countries have moved much faster).
Please ask your MP to become a signatory EDM 97 (if they are not already a supporter) and urge MPs to support the reintroduction of a Hunting Trophies (Importation Prohibition) Bill:
[Updated Petition – October 2024] – UK GOV: BAN SICK ANIMAL ‘TROPHIES’ – Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting – Action Network
We don’t need to be reminded how depraved trophy hunters can be – The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill is long overdue.
Forever Chemicals
We have covered this issue in past annual reviews – an issue that stems from the past self-regulation of the chemicals industry that still perpetuates today. It now turns out even mineral waters are not free from potential contamination as a result of continued use (and excuse) of TFA (a type of PFAS*) in pesticides and refrigerants – there really is no escape (and PFAS are still being produced regardless of the clear risks to health of all life on earth).
*Per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of about 10,000 chemicals valued for their non-stick and detergent properties which have made their way into water, soils and sediments from a wide range of consumer products (from frying pans, fabric treatments to cosmetics), firefighting foams, waste and industrial processes.
Big Cat Breeding Facilities
A consultation process initiated in 2018 culminated in a High Level Panel (HLP) being convened in South Africa – The Republic of South Africa’s Cabinet approved late April 2022 the High Level Panel’s (HLP’s) report [High Level Panel Report_15 December 2020].
The HLP (Chaired by Pam Yako) recommended a majority view (62.5%) that the captive lion breeding (CLB) industry, canned hunting and derivative products is ‘humanely’ ‘halted’:
“Minister puts in place a process to halt and reverse the domestication of our iconic lions, through captive lion keeping, breeding, and commercial use, putting in place ethical and humane procedures for euthanasia of existing captive lions” – Report, Para 9.3.19.3, “Recommendations” page 329
On the 15 November 2024, the Republic of South Africa, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment announced a consultation in the Government Gazette 51581 ( Vol 713, No. 5555) “National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (10/2004): Consultation on the Draft Notice prohibiting certain activities involving African Lion (Panthera leo)“
The November 2024 proposal (ref IWB’s submission) encompasses a prohibition (Para 2) that “A Person may not, in respect of a live specimen of African lion (Panthera Leo), establish and register a new captive breeding facility, a new commercial exhibition facility or a new rehabilitation facility, or establish and other new controlled environment.”
However, the exemption to the above prohibition being the establishment of a new facility for sanctuary of live sterilised lions from the captive lion breeding industry.
The above is welcomed, but the rest of the proposals are limited in terms of:
- encompassing other big cat species within the prohibition – tigers, leopards etc. will remain subject to commercial exploitation within a new (and existing) captive breeding facilities established for such purposes.
- encompassing any proposals to phase out pre-existing captive lion (and other big cat species) breeding facilities.
“The Policy Position on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros,” Gazette 50541, 24 April 2024) at para 6.1 states the policy objective is “To end the captive keeping of lions for commercial purposes and close captive lion facilities, put a halt to the intensive breeding of lions in controlled environments, and end the commercial exploitation of captive and captive-bred lions.” The proposals to achieve this policy aim remain long-overdue and should include other big cat species so exploited.
At the moment, there is only a voluntary exit mechanism proposed for captive lion facilities – the proposed voluntary exit mechanism currently lacks detail in the public arena and/or the “broader legislative process” is awaited before final conclusions and likely outcomes can be fully assessed.
Scottish Wildcat
Image courtesy of Wildcat Haven
The Scottish government appear to be content to be complicit in the pre-meditated destruction of known Scottish Wildcat habitat:
“The Scottish government is fully aware of this data [the negative impact on Scottish Wildcat habitat exposed within the Confidential Annexes of the Environmental Impact Assessment carried out by Vattenfall] and yet their [Scottish government’s] statutory agency, Nature Scot, publicly stated that they did not object to this windfarm development” – Wildcat Haven, Crowd Justice, 15 November 2021 case update
After an unsuccessful appeal (November 2024) to the Court of Session in Scotland, the challenge to Vattenfall’s proposed windfarm in Clashindarroch forest will be heard in the Supreme Court in due course. In the meantime, Swedish government owned Vatenfall is coming under increasing pressure within its homeland with regards to its planned encroachment on the Sottish Wildcats’ last stronghold in Clashindarroch forest.
Wild Justice
IWB continues to support Wild Justice and the issues it highlights and litigates – for example, seeking a ban on driven grouse shooting – given its destructive nature – to the persecution of bird species, badger culling etc. An article (October 2024) highlighted that a loophole (“tax-exempt heritage assets scheme”) exempts 355 landowners in England from inheritance tax, including:
“According to HM Revenue and Customs, estates that benefit from the tax break include the Hampden Estate, owned by the Earl of Buckinghamshire, host to the Hampden shoot. Another is the Newburgh Priory estate in Yorkshire, which hosts a large pheasant and partridge shoot, and the Bolton Abbey estate in Yorkshire, owned by the Duke of Devonshire and dominated by a large grouse moor.”
These are commercial endeavours that do not contribute to ‘looking after’ the land and ‘making it available for the general public to view.’ At least seven grouse moor estates gain this extra money in return for giving the public access to moorland that they are already legally obliged to provide access to – “Loophole exempts 355 landowners in England from inheritance tax, data shows,” The Guardian, October 2024
It is not clear if this loophole still exists post-Autumn budget – but there are no recent updates to the availability of the “tax-exempt heritage assets scheme.”
Badger Culling
In August 2024, the UK Government announced that the ill-advised badger culling programme would end in five years’ time – the ending of the persecution of badgers is welcome, but in the meantime the persecution continues and should have been ended before now, let alone in five years’ time….
To close, best wishes to all animal advocates – it can lead to persecution by those that somehow seek to justify their own deluded excuses for ongoing exploitation of animals/wildlife, as the recent detention (and subsequent release, December 2024) of Paul Watson (anti-whaling campaigner) has demonstrated…we wish Paul and all activists for animals/wildlife a happy and safe 2025!
Further Reading
“Sweden begins wolf hunt as it aims to halve endangered animal’s population,” The Guardian, 1 January 2025
“Five entire families can be killed, totalling 30 wolves, in move campaigners say is illegal under EU law“
“Calls for Labour to honour pledge to toughen anti-hunt laws,” The Guardian, 26 December 2024
“Government ‘committed’ to banning trail hunting,” BBC News, 26 December 2024
“Standing Against Fox Hunting,” League Against Cruel Sports
“Bird flu kills 20 big cats at US animal sanctuary,” BBC News, 25 December 2024