Wildlife law in England and Wales

[5] The law defines certain other species as vermin and landowners are permitted (or, in the case of wild rabbits, are required) to cull them.

Police can, without warrant, on suspicion with reasonable cause of an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, stop and search; seize and detain evidence; or make an arrest.

A certain rank and standing, or the possession of a certain amount of property, were for a long time qualifications indispensably necessary to confer upon any one the right of pursuing and killing game.

[10] The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was founded as the Plumage League in 1889 by Emily Williamson at her house in Manchester[11] as a protest group campaigning against the use of great crested grebe and kittiwake skins and feathers in fur clothing.

On 1 May 1899, the Trust purchased two acres of Wicken Fen with a donation from the amateur naturalist Charles Rothschild, establishing the first nature reserve in Britain.

[14] During his lifetime he built and managed his estate at Ashton Wold[15] in Northamptonshire to maximise its suitability for wildlife, especially butterflies.

During the society's early years, membership tended to be made up of specialist naturalists and its growth was comparatively slow.

These early Trusts tended to focus on purchasing land to establish nature reserves in the geographical areas they served.

[16] This Act gives ministers strong powers to remove a threat to agriculture,[17] except in the case of badgers or European Protected Species.

[18] Prohibits the capture or killing of wildlife by means of self-locking snares, bows, crossbows, and explosides other than firearms ammunition.

Makes it an offence to mutilate, kick, beat, nail or otherwise impale, stab, burn, stone, crush, drown, drag or asphyxiate any wild mammal with intent to inflict unnecessary suffering.