A groundbreaking report has exposed a disturbing connection between wildlife crime and serious offences against people, revealing that four out of five individuals convicted of animal abuse have committed or are linked to other criminal activities.
The Shocking Scale of Wildlife Crime Connections
Research conducted by the Wildlife and Countryside Link found that 80% of people convicted of wildlife crimes have either committed or are connected to serious offences. The analysis, which compared records of 128 people convicted of wildlife crimes in 2024 against the Police National Computer database, provides the first concrete evidence of how harm to animals frequently extends to human victims.
Kevin Lacks-Kelly, chair of the National Wildlife and Crime Unit, emphasised the significance of these findings: "Our job is not just about tackling wildlife crime. It's about making our streets safer and taking every opportunity to stop abusers. Harm to animals perpetuates to humans. Wildlife crime in the UK is rarely isolated."
Profile of Offenders and Their Crimes
The research revealed that nearly all wildlife crime offenders were male (96%), of white north European ethnicity (93%), and British (92%). Alarmingly, approximately a quarter of these offenders were also linked to domestic violence and violence against women and girls.
The analysis further showed that wildlife crime offenders were most commonly associated with violent offences (59%) and theft or criminal damage (58%). These figures rise dramatically among specific offender groups, with poaching and hare coursing offenders showing connections to violent crime at 72%, and those committing badger crime offences at 67%.
Only 18% of wildlife crime offenders had no connection to other crimes, highlighting the pervasive nature of criminal behaviour across different domains.
Case Studies Highlighting the Brutal Reality
The report cites several disturbing examples, including Daniel Taylor from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, who was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for causing "barbaric suffering" to wildlife. The 33-year-old was recorded encouraging his dogs to tear apart foxes, badgers, deer, and pigeons. Police discovered a collection of deer skulls and fox tails that Taylor kept as trophies during a raid on his property in February 2023.
Nottinghamshire Police's rural and wildlife crime lead, Chief Inspector Clive Collings, described it as "the most extreme case of animal cruelty I have come across in my 26-and-a-half years in the police." Taylor had previously received a suspended sentence for his involvement in a £9,000 smash-and-grab raid at a Cash Generator shop in 2012.
Another case involved John Riley, 36, from Llanberis, Gwynedd, who was fined just £242 in 2024 for interfering with a badger sett. In 2017, Riley had been jailed for three years after a single punch broke his victim's skull outside a pub, with the judge warning he could have killed the man.
Call for Government Action and Better Recording
The Wildlife and Countryside Link report emphasises that the true scale of wildlife crime remains unknown because these offences are not currently recorded on the Home Office's notifiable offences register. The report states that the figures presented "are likely to be an underestimate" due to low conviction rates for animal crimes.
Despite a decrease in reported wildlife incidents from 5,125 to 4,819 last year, convictions actually increased from 486 to 722. However, researchers warn this represents only "the tip of the iceberg" of the actual problem.
An overwhelming 81% of police officers surveyed by the Naturewatch Foundation believe crimes against wildlife should be made notifiable, which would require forces to record every incidence.
Jim Clark, Wildlife Crime Campaign Manager at Naturewatch Foundation, stated: "We stand with the Wildlife and Countryside Link's latest report calling for stronger action on wildlife crime. Too many offenders go unpunished - and the link to wider violent crime is deeply concerning."
Sonul Badiani-Hamment, Country Director at Four Paws UK, added: "For too long wildlife crime has been overlooked and under enforced. By taking it seriously, making it notifiable and properly resourcing its enforcement, the government can protect Britain's wildlife from further harm whilst tackling wider criminality."
The research also highlights how addressing wildlife crime is crucial to the government's commitment to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, while exposing how the criminal justice system is currently failing wildlife protection efforts.
