Frequently Asked Questions

There is no requirement under the Road Traffic Act to report a road accident with any wild animal. However, if the animal is injured and needs veterinary treatment, the police hold a list of vets available to attend. It may also be necessary to contact the police if the accident has caused an obstruction in the road. Animals involved in accidents that do require reporting to the police include horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats and dogs.

The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Section 1(3) states that possession of a badger, dead or alive, is an offence. If you decide to keep it and have it stuffed and mounted, then the responsibility is yours and you must be able to prove that you came by it legally. There is no set procedure and it would depend on the circumstances. You could ask a vet to examine the body and he/she may be able to give you some sort of statement, but that is down to the individual vet.

Tortoises should only be bought from a reputable breeder/seller who, depending on the species of tortoise, will have the necessary Article 10 Certificate before sale.

All species of bats are protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to kill, injure or take a wild bat. It is also an offence to damage or destroy a bat roost or disturb a roosting site. Before any work can be done, contact must be made with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), who can give advice on what work can be done and how, and also if a licence is necessary.

Subject to certain exceptions, yes. All birds and their nests are protected whilst the nest is in use or being built.

Probably. Certain birds, namely magpies, crows, jays, jackdaws, and rooks are allowed to be controlled by means of a larsen trap, which is a large cage divided into three compartments, one containing a magpie as a decoy. The operator of the trap must meet certain conditions for instance food, water and shelter should be provided for the decoy bird.

Provided the snare is a free running snare, and it is being set to snare a fox or rabbit, then it is legal. Self-locking snares are illegal. Snares must not be set in certain places such as near badger setts, deer runs or public footpaths. Snares must be checked at least once every 24 hours.

It may be. All tiger parts and derivatives are strictly controlled. However, some items can be sold legally depending on the age of the item and certain conditions. The shop may be covered by a certificate issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This is quite a complex area of crime, so it is worth checking with DEFRA before buying anything of this type.

It depends. As long as they are not taken from the wild, and dependant on the species of bird (many birds of prey need to be registered with DEFRA) it may be all right. However, there may be some welfare issues relating to how the birds are being kept so it is worth contacting your local police wildlife officer for further advice.