23rd May 2026
Wildlife Crime in Wiltshire
Wildlife criminals don’t care about the lives they exploit. They target the most vulnerable for entertainment or profit knowing that law enforcement remains disproportionately weak in this area.
16 May 2026
Bird Netting and ‘The Prisoners of Conscience Window’
There’s an ‘End Bird Netting’ campaign sweeping the wildlife rights sector at the moment, and rightly so. Netting is used to keep birds away from buildings and structures. In theory, this is a non-lethal solution to avoid human-animal conflict. The conflict arises because people don’t want the fallout from bird poop. Whether that's fielding complaints or clearing it up.
In practice, bird netting is highly flawed. Instead of keeping birds away, they can get trapped or physically entangled. Often left to suffer long, slow public deaths. Needless to say, bird netting won’t pass Verify Humanity's ethical test in our Human-Animal-Conflict research and will not be recommended as a solution to conflict.
Please be on the lookout for birds trapped in netting this summer. I recently found a blue tit trapped behind some metal grating covering a window at Salisbury Cathedral. Not quite netting, but the outcome is the same. Immediate action was needed to prevent the blue tit’s death and the death of their dependent young. Chicks have high metabolisms and can die within hours depending on their life stage. I discovered the bird at 5pm on Saturday which didn't bode well.
However, what happened felt rather like divine intervention. I discovered that the cathedral window where the blue tit was trapped was called ‘The Prisoners of Conscience Window’. I kid you not! I pointed out the optics and the ‘significant moral issues’ associated with an apathetic response.
Two conversations and one email later, I was informed the bird had found its way out so the battle ended there.
Not all outcomes will be so lucky. If you see a live bird caught, here's what you need to know. Contact a wildlife rescue organisation immediately. To hold the organisation accountable, take photos and fill in this quick campaign form. For long term legal change, why not sign this petition to "Ban the Use of Netting".
