Animals

Wolves are set to have their protected status in the EU downgraded with effect from next March. A proposal to downgrade the status of wolves from "strictly protected" to "protected" has been approved by the standing committee of the Bern Convention, which governs the conservation of European wildlif

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill has been passed by Holyrood. The bill includes a range of measures that will help tackle raptor persecution, and ensure that the management of species on grouse moors is done so sustainably and with animal welfare as a priority.

A father and son who, over a number of years, illegally possessed and sold wild peregrine falcon chicks for large sums of money, have been ordered to carry out periods of unpaid work. Both men are also prohibited from possessing or having under their control any bird of prey for a period of five yea

Animal welfare charity OneKind is urging the Scottish government to uphold its commitment to consult on a phase out to farrowing crates for pigs. The Scottish government has committed to consult this year on phasing out cages for laying hens and gamebirds. However, the consultation will not include

Licensing for businesses such as dog walkers, canine fertility services and dog groomers is being considered to improve animal welfare standards. The Scottish government is seeking views on a proposed licensing scheme, which aims to ensure consistency in standards across the animal care services sec

A 28-year-old man who kept and trained dogs for fighting has been sentenced to 210 days' imprisonment, banned from keeping animals for 15 years and fined £1,800 for firearms offences. Rhys Davies, a former gamekeeper at Millden Estate near Glenesk, was sentenced at Forfar Sheriff Court after p

A father and son have been sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work for animal welfare offences, illegal puppy farming and a consumer protection offence involving multiple identities to sell puppies on Gumtree. At Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday, Samuel Ronald Hessin and his son Samuel Arthur Hessin were

Animal abusers could be jailed for up to five years if they upload content depicting their cruelty to social media. Judges have been told to give out heavier sentences if people convicted of animal cruelty share media of such acts online, like West Ham footballer Kurt Zouma. The RSPCA is prosecuting

Protecting foxes, hares and other wild mammals from being chased and killed by packs of dogs is the purpose of the Scottish government’s new Hunting with Dogs Bill. The bill will replace existing legislation in this area, making the law clearer and closing loopholes.

Legislation to end the harmful practice of setting ‘glue traps’ is to be brought forward by the Scottish government in order to protect animal welfare. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) undertook a review of the use of glue traps and concluded that there are significant anima

Three Aberdeenshire men have been sentenced after admitting using dogs to hunt wild hares. Peter Anderson, Philip Starr and Phillip Wilson, all from Macduff, had previously pled guilty to wildlife offences at Forfar Sheriff Court.

Police managed to solve a mere two per cent of dog theft cases in the UK last year.

The critically endangered flapper skate is to gain further protection following the urgent designation of a new marine protected area (MPA) within the Inner Sound of Skye. The site will protect a nationally important flapper skate egg nursery area, which is the largest of its kind to be identified i

Animal welfare campaigns charity OneKind has welcomed the introduction of legal protection for mountain hares. As of today, it will be illegal to intentionally kill, injure, or take mountain hares at any time unless a licence is obtained.

New measures to increase the maximum available penalties for the worst cases of animal cruelty have come in to force. The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 increases the maximum penalty for the most serious animal welfare and wildlife crimes to five years i