7 Oct 2025
Analysis warns of “an urgent need for reform”, with many of the concerns identified having persisted for at least two decades.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © Brian Jackson / Adobe Stock
An animal charity has urged the veterinary sector to back its call for changes to how wildlife crimes are handled by police.
New analysis by the Naturewatch Foundation warned there was “an urgent need for reform” and many of the concerns identified have persisted for at least two decades.
But officials believe the case for action could be further strengthened by both case insights from individual clinicians and policy support from professional bodies.
Campaign manager Jim Clark said: “By sharing knowledge and experiences, together we can ensure that these crimes are recognised, acted upon and given the attention they deserve by enforcement agencies.
“We would be very interested to hear from veterinary professionals about any cases they have encountered that could relate to wildlife crime, and from veterinary organisations keen to work with us in strengthening responses to these harms.”
The foundation’s Policing Wildlife Crime report highlighted “wide variation” between forces in terms of both the availability of specialist officers and the ways in which offences are recorded.
It believes that issue would be addressed by making offences legally notifiable; a position backed by 81 per cent of respondents to its police survey.
The report’s other recommendations include a review of current legislation and consolidating it into a single UK-wide law, greater training for police and prosecutors plus increases in police investment and NGO collaboration.
But Mr Clark, himself a former police officer, argued that greater veterinary input could have strengthened its findings.
He said: “Veterinary expertise is invaluable in identifying and evidencing harm to wildlife, and in spotting emerging crime trends that risk being missed in official data.”
The foundation already runs a campaign called Target Crime not Wildlife, where Mr Clark said there was a “fantastic opportunity” for increased collaboration with the veterinary community.
One area of specific current concern is the growing trend of attacks on animals using handheld weapons such as catapults.
The report said around 900 such incidents had been recorded across the UK since 2020, while a Sky News investigation last year exposed a WhatsApp group with hundreds of members sharing images of such attacks.
But while inconsistent recording means it is difficult to assess the full scale of the problem, despite data collected by the RSPCA and other agencies, Mr Clark argued clinicians can also provide critical insights.
He said: “Vets are often the first to see injuries of this nature and their insights could play a vital role in building a clearer picture of the scale and nature of such crimes.”
Any veterinary professionals or organisations who are interested in sharing their expertise with the foundation can email [email protected]
