Rare and beautiful birds – including the national bird of Britain – are being illegally shot dead for fun or trapped before being plucked, skinned and eaten – or simply discarded. Across southern Europe and North Africa birds are dying at rates that are driving endangered species to the brink of extinction. From the lawless […]
Category: Polls
POLL: Is Florida’s Bear Hunt Necessary?
After just two days, Florida ended its controversial black bear hunt because a higher than expected number of bears had been killed. Wildlife authorities said late on Sunday that 295 bears were taken overall, nearing the official limit. The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) posted a statement on its website saying it had […]
POLL: Should the trapping of songbirds in Malta be stopped?
The ministry for the environment has issued two legal notices announcing the start of the autumn finch-trapping season, despite having been referred to the EU Court of Justice by the European Commission for breaching the Birds Directive. The season will run from 20 October to 31 December, allowing for the trapping of linnet, goldfinch, greenfinch, […]
POLL: Should Africa’s poachers be shot on sight?
The well-heeled tourists filing through the modest airport at Hoedspruit – Afrikaans for Hat Creek – look carefree and expectant. Guides are standing by to transport them to luxurious bush lodges offering spa treatments, campfire dinners and dawn and dusk game drives offering a potential glimpse of Africa’s “big five”. But something is different from […]
POLL: Should Diclofenac “the vulture killing drug” be banned?
Would you care if vultures were dying because of a man-made drug? Meet a man in Spain who really cares about vultures—so much so that he travels great distances and climbs rocks to feed them. The majority of Europe’s vultures live in Spain, and these vultures are in danger of being decimated, following the country’s […]
POLL: Should Scotland be “rewilded” with wolves?
The last wolf in the UK was shot centuries ago, but now a “rewilding” process could see them return to Scotland. Adam Weymouth hiked across the Scottish Highlands in the footsteps of this lost species. In Glen Feshie there stand Scots Pines more than 300 years old, and in their youth they may have been […]
POLL: Should the Canadian Government kill seals for sex potions?
Sales of Canadian seal products could get a lift if the federal Fisheries Department adopts a plan that, among other things, calls for the revival of the controversial seal penis trade, a key supporter of the East Coast seal hunt says. The report, drafted by the Fur Institute of Canada, is aimed at creating new […]
POLL: Should whales and dolphins be kept in captivity for our entertainment?
In 2013, the movie Blackfish exposed the dark side of orca shows at the marine park franchise SeaWorld by documenting the deaths of several trainers. John Hargrove, author of Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish, was the senior trainer at the time and one of the most experienced orca handlers […]