Animal Crimewatch

How we investigate and our successes

Here at the League Against Cruel Sports, we are fully committed towards protecting animals from cruelty in the name of ‘sport’. Our supporter funded Animal Crimewatch is a function available to report cruelty to animals inflicted by ‘sport’.

When you contact us to report animal cruelty, your information could:

Help our investigators bring offenders to justice.
Be the all-important missing jigsaw piece to complete the picture of what’s happening.
Provide statistical details to show the scale of the cruelty.
Support our vital campaigning work calling for changes to the law to improve the lives of thousands of animals.
Provide our media team with stories worthy of press interest highlighting issues to a wider audience.

Some of the animals we protect include:

Head of a fox, a stag, a bulldog, a hare and a grouse with black background

Dogs - Dog Fighting
Cockerels – Animal Fighting
Foxes - hunted by hounds
Deer - hunted by hounds
Hares - hunted by hounds and hare coursing
Minks - hunted by hounds
Badgers - (Baiting, digging out and sett interference)
Partridges & Pheasants – Commercial Shooting
Grouse – Intensive moorland & Commercial Shooting
Snares & Traps (in relation to Commercial Shooting & hunting)
Raptor Persecution (Trapping & poisoning)

Unfortunately, our charitable aims do not extend to matters that are not within our campaigns such as the neglect or cruelty to domestic pets or horse welfare.

Our Professional investigators

Our investigative work is carried out by a dedicated team of League investigators or highly skilled contractors. The work we undertake, can be dangerous and therefore we are unable to disclose details of our investigators to protect their safety enabling them to continue to operate in this challenging environment. Our professional investigative team will gather information, assess its value, analyse it and produce packages to support our work. This complex work can only be done with the support of suitable software solutions.

Even though the League has no regulatory powers to directly enforce the laws relating to cruelty to animals in the name of ‘sport’, we are collaborative in our approach and have the capability, knowledge and skills to prepare credible investigation and evidential packages to share with those who do have an enforcement capability.

Whilst undertaking investigations for alleged animal cruelty we will collect a variety of personal data from a number of different sources.

Your personal data will be used to assist the campaign objectives of our charity including the prevention of cruelty to animals and the pursuit of criminal convictions in relation to cruelty to animals.

Your personal data may be shared with:

the police or other public authority to support a criminal prosecution
other NGO’s with a prosecution capability (e.g RSPCA,SSPCA RSPB)
other organisations when required; to comply with legal obligations

Report crimes to help us end cruelty in the name of 'sport'

You can contact us by:

Using our online reporting form

Make a report to Animal Crimewatch

Or telephone us on 0300 444 1234

Calls cost the same as dialling a local or national telephone number.

Or e-mail us at [email protected]

It is really helpful for you to provide your name and contact information so we have the opportunity to clarify the information you have provided. When we use your personal information, we will always consider if it is fair and balanced to do so and if it is within your reasonable expectations. We will balance your rights and our legitimate interests to ensure that we use your personal information in ways that are not unduly intrusive or unfair. If you do not feel comfortably in providing your information we will have to treat the information as anonymous which may reduce our ability to act on it.

We assess every report we receive, and where possible, we will progress your information into action. Empowered by knowledge and driven by compassion, your information may also be used to form statistical data; providing us with a holistic view of the scale of the cruelty.

“We treat all information seriously and you may be eligible for a REWARD of up to £1,000 for information that leads to a conviction.”

Location location location

*As part of our Online Animal Crimewatch Form, we ask that if you use the free what3words app add in the 3 words to the form. This is not mandatory.

What3words is a free app for your mobile phone that allows you to provide and identify the exact location of the crime you are reporting by generating three simple words that are unique to a three square metre point. This helps us understand exactly where you are referring to when reporting wildlife crime incidents.

If you see something that you think is a crime you should also call the police on 101. If you don’t report it, the police won’t know it happened; and remember always ask for a reference number for adding to your report to us.

Some of our successes to help end cruelty to animals in the name of 'sports'

We are sure you will understand, but much of our investigation work is sensitive and we are not often able to explain what we are doing. But through our investigations there have been some momentous outcomes for animals persecuted in the name of ‘sport’.

Crimewatch: Pet dog caught in a snare on the Queen's Sandringham Estate

Posted January 2021

A report received by a member of the public to the Animal Crimewatch team stated that whilst out walking, their dog Nell was lost for several hours until it was found caught with a snare around its neck. The snare was believed to be a free running (legal snare). It had been set on land belonging to the Queen's Sandringham Estate.

Crimewatch: Cornish hunt seen chasing a fox through a wildlife sanctuary

Posted February 2020

An Animal Crimewatch report said the Four Burrow Hunt trespassed on a Nature Reserve in the Tregavethan area of Truro, Cornwall. There were 30-40 hounds, 30 horses and riders, a quad bike and an off-road motorbike in attendance.

Crimewatch: Dead badger found in Wiltshire with a snare round its neck

Posted July 2020

Animal Crimewatch information received about a dead badger being found in Wiltshire with a snare around its neck resulted in us working with police and other agencies to recover the badger and snare.

Crimewatch: Girl finds stink pit of animals used as bait to attract other animals

Posted July 2020

A large stink pit of decomposing animals was discovered in a small copse in Suffolk. This stink pit contained at least five dead foxes piled on top of a large mound of adult pheasants and other wildlife and birds.

A follow up email stated: “I want to thank both you and your team for working so hard and getting the story of me finding that terrible loss of life out there. It means so much to me to know that I am not the only one who cares and it has inspired me to keep striving forward and trying to protect our planets beautiful wildlife even more, as now I know I am not alone.”

Crimewatch: Fox hunting brutality mapped out by the League.
Posted 10th December 2019

New figures compiled by leading animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports show the shocking scale of fox hunting still taking place across Britain, 14 years after it was banned.
Campaigns and Crimewatch: Yorkshire Water commended for tightening up grouse shooting rules.
Posted 11^th November 2019

Campaigning organisations Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire’s Moors and the League Against Cruel Sports have welcomed a commitment from Yorkshire Water to change the way it manages its land.
Crimewatch & Campaigns: Law needs to be strengthened
Posted 18^th November 2019

Leading animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports is calling for political parties to commit to strengthening the law on hunting.
Crimewatch: Ban for Dumfries man who admitted dog fighting charges
Posted 28^th August 2019

Following the BBC Expose on dog fighting a collaborative investigation with the SSPCA in Scotland lead to a dog fighter being identified and convicted.
Crimewatch & Campaigns: Calls for longer sentences
Posted 24^th June 2019

Animal welfare charity League Against Cruel Sports with other NGO’s have collaborated to call on the Government to stand by its repeated promise to increase prison sentences for animal cruelty.
Crimewatch: BBC Expose - Inside the illegal world of organised dogfighting
Posted 13^th February 2019

A three year investigation with the BBC into an international dog fighting syndicate was uncovered and exposed with links to the UK identified.
Crimewatch & Investigations: Conviction for animal cruelty shatters myth of trail hunting

Posted 29th March 2018

The League Against Cruel Sports investigators, using hidden cameras caught a gamekeeper for keeping a fox in cruel conditions which led to his conviction.

Latest

Dan Norris joins event calling on the National Trust to end fox hunting on its land

Metro Mayor for the West of England Dan Norris joined campaigners from the League Against Cruel Sports at Dyrham Park to call on the National Trust to stop licensing ‘trail’ hunting on its land.
It’s time to strengthen the Hunting Act, says charity following landmark court case

There can be no reason to delay strengthening the Hunting Act, says a national wildlife charity, as one of hunting’s top people is accused of telling hunts how to break the law.
Five surprising facts about stags and their antlers

Stag hunting season started last month, so the League Against Cruel Sports’ professional Investigators are already tracking and photographing the most threatened individual animals. For the next two months, mature stags with the best sets of antlers will be targeted, many forced to run for miles as they flee for their lives from deadly hounds.
Four signs that ‘game’ bird shooting may be happening near you

Game bird shooting remains a disturbingly common occurrence in the UK. During peak shooting season, this cruel sport claims the lives of as many as 131 birds every minute. It is quite possible that game bird shooting is happening somewhere near you but it can be difficult to identity. That’s why the League Against Cruel Sports’ professional Investigators have put together this list, featuring the four key signs all animal advocates need to look out for.

Working for the League

Want to work for a compassionate and courageous animal charity? Find our current job vacancies on this page.
Fox Hunting

Fox hunting is a traditional ‘sport’ in which hunters follow a pack of hunting dogs aiming to pick up the scent of a fox, chase it and kill it. Fox hunting is illegal in England, Scotland & Wales.
How to vote FOR a ban on hunting on National Trust land

This October, National Trust members can vote in favour of banning ‘trail’ hunting and other hunting related activities on trust land.
Why The League

Hurting and killing animals for ‘sport’ is one of the principal causes of animal cruelty in the UK: tens of millions suffer and die each year for ‘leisure’ activities. We’re here to protect those animals.
Foxes

Foxes use 28 different vocal calls to communicate, and often form a pair that lasts for life. Foxes wag their tails to greet family members - just like dogs. More fox facts here!
Bullfighting and Bull Running

Bullfighting is a traditional bloodsport that is thought to have existed in Spain since the Roman times. The League is calling for a complete ban of bullfighting – a cruel ‘sport’. Read more about bullfighting as a spectator ‘sport’.
Stand up for animals Join the League

Help stop animal cruelty in the name of sport.
JOIN
Strengthen the Hunting Act

The Hunting Act 2004 is the law which bans chasing wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales – this basically means that fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting are all illegal, as they all are cruel sports based on dogs chasing wild mammals.
Greyhound Racing

The League has been calling for immediate action to address welfare issues for dogs used in greyhound racing. Government regulations were introduced in 2010 to address these welfare issues, though animal charities still view them as inadequate.
Dog Fighting

Dog fighting as a ‘sport’ was banned in 1835 – but this horrific form of dog abuse still continues. We’re determined to expose and help prevent dog fighting in the UK. Find information on dog fighting, the signs to look out for and advice for professionals here.