Tayside Biodiversity – Wildlife Crime
Tayside Biodiversity - Wildlife Crime
Wildlife crime can involve anything from poisoning a golden eagle to smashing open freshwater pearl mussels. Rare species are put at risk, more familiar ones, like the badger or deer, suffer cruel torture and death. In fact, wildlife crime threatens a far greater range of creatures and plants than you might imagine, even damaging the environment on which they depend. In short, it’s the illegal destruction and theft of animals, plants and habitats, both in the countryside and urban areas.
The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime in Scotland – PAW Scotland – includes the police, land managers, conservationists and the Scottish Government.
- Badger Trust App: The Badger Watch App (available on iOS and Android) allows you to recognize, record, and report instances of badger persecution and wildlife crime directly to the Badger Trust.
- PAW Scotland Wildlife Crime App: This app allows you to complete reporting forms and upload crime scene photos that are automatically tagged with a GPS reference. It is designed to safely transmit this information directly to Police Scotland.
- Country Eye App: Primarily focused on rural communities in Kent and parts of the South, the Country Eye App allows users to log and report wildlife crimes like hare coursing and poaching directly to local police and partner agencies.
- Wildlife Witness: For international or UK travel, the Wildlife Witness App (developed by TRAFFIC) makes it easy for the public to report illegal wildlife trades and incidents locally and globally.
