Wildlife crime rates remain high, but prosecutions fall
A disturbance caused over 200 seals to stampede in Cornwall.
A new report from Wildlife and Countryside Link has revealed that wildlife crime levels have remained high, following a surge in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, convictions for wildlife crimes have remained relatively low, with numbers at an all-time low among the crimes the report collected data on.
The Wildlife Crime Report found that, in 2023, there were 4,735 incidents of wildlife crime reported. This included an increase in instances of persecution, harm and death against badgers, bats and marine mammals.
The report’s expanded data on marine mammal disturbance has caused particular concern about the safety of marine wildlife across the country.
It includes information collected by local wildlife groups at Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Devon, Cornwall, Kent and Yorkshire, which explores the severe risks human interaction has on seals, whales and dolphins. During 2023, there were 1,290 reports made of disturbances to marine animals.
In one case in Cornwall, human disturbance caused over 200 seals to start stampeding. This can result in significant harm and even death to seals in their desperation to reach the water.
Wildlife and Countryside Link believe that this increase in marine mammal disturbance is linked to the growing popularity of outdoor activity near the coast. Activities such as walking, paddleboarding, kayaking and wildlife tours can bring people dangerously close to marine animals.
It is an offence to hurt or recklessly disrupt whales and dolphins under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. While seals are not covered by the act, seal disturbance remains prohibited where they are a monitored feature of an SSSI.
Marine experts say that education is important to ensure that the public can enjoy beaches and oceans without putting marine wildlife at risk.
Sue Sayer MBE, from 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.”
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Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
