National animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports has called for new stronger hunting laws after the police dropped a prosecution despite being presented with footage showing a hunt allegedly chasing a fox.
The footage of the Middleton Hunt hounds and staff – obtained by a League investigator last December – was being investigated by North Yorkshire Police who have now dropped the case on the grounds of identification issues.
The drone footage shows a fox running across a number of fields from a large pack of around 30 hunt hounds near Langton in North Yorkshire.
Emma Slawinski, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The failure to prosecute clearly highlights the need for stronger fox hunting laws.
“This case comes as the government is looking into the response from its consultation to ban trail hunting and identifying what other measures would also help end fox hunting.
“The introduction of prison sentences would allow the police more time than the six months they currently have to deal with serious and complex cases.
“Clearer rules around what it means to participate in hunting – so that more than just the unidentified person could be charged – and also the introduction of vicarious liability for hunts would make the job of the police and Crown Prosecution Service much easier.”
The League Against Cruel Sports has also called for all the exemptions in the Hunting Act to be removed as they say these are being exploited by both fox and deer hunts.
Polling commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports and carried out independently by FindOutNow with further analysis by Electoral Calculus in March/April 2024 found that 74 per cent of the Yorkshire public supported stronger fox hunting laws, with only six per cent disagreeing.
Emma added: “It’s time for change. It’s time for stronger and more effective fox hunting laws that make the jobs of the police and courts much easier and allow more successful prosecutions.
“This needs to be backed up by a more effective deterrent to would be hunters in the form of prison sentences, as we campaign to consign fox hunting to the history books.”
The League is urging the public to take part in an action, by contacting their MP and calling for stronger hunting laws.
Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) said: “Illegal hunting is a national wildlife crime priority, which needs improved legislation to enable the police to tackle criminals most effectively.
“The NWCU has made a submission to the Government consultation on behalf of UK policing, calling for a tougher law that is fit for purpose and removes the unnecessary complexity and loopholes we see within the current legislation.”
Minister Gavin Pearce confirms bird flu case in Tasmania
In short:
The discovery of a brown skua found at Burgess Cove at Rocky Cape, on the north-west coast of Tasmania, is the state’s first confirmed case of the H5N1 bird flu.
Testing completed overnight of the deceased bird confirmed it was carrying the deadly virus.
What’s next?
The Tasmanian government is urging anyone who comes across sick, injured or dead birds or other wildlife to avoid contact, record the incident, and report it by calling the emergency animal disease hotline.
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Tasmania has confirmed its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu that has impacted wildlife across five other Australian states.
Following testing which was completed overnight, a brown skua was confirmed to have had the virus.
The single bird was found at Burgess Cove at Rocky Cape, on the north-west coast of Tasmania.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE) said it was alerted to the carcass of the bird by staff from the Parks and Wildlife Service, who have been undertaking active surveillance of coastal areas.
The government said the first detection was a single case, and at this stage was not considered an outbreak.
The avian influenza was detected in the carcass of a brown skua, a migratory Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabird. (Steve B, Brown Skua, CC0 1.0 DEED)
Minister for Primary Industries and Water Gavin Pearce said Tasmania was “prepared to respond” and would enact its bird flu response plan.
“Although we’ve had a positive detection, I want to be clear that there is no evidence of an outbreak and there is no detection in commercial poultry at this time,”
Mr Pearce said.
“I want to reassure Tasmanians that we are prepared to respond to H5 bird flu, and we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.”
A brown skua infected with H5 bird flu found in WA (Supplied: Esperance Wildlife Hospital)
Department secretary Jason Jacobi said it was “inevitable” that the virus would arrive in the state.
He said infected brown skuas had been found in other Australian states.
“It’s not unexpected that we would find a confirmed brown skua,”
Mr Jacobi said.
Brown skuas are large predatory seabirds native to Tasmania that breed on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands.
The birds are often found in coastal areas and have been known to feed in large flocks on carcasses.
The first detected case of H5 bird flu in Australia, found in WA, was also a brown skua. (iNaturalist: Simon Plat, Brown skua, CC BY-NC 4.0)
Testing underway to find out where skua caught virus
NRE’s director of threatened species, Dr Rachael Alderman, said skuas were regular visitors to Tasmanian waters.
“Skuas don’t breed in Tasmania but they do frequent local waters for foraging year-round,”
she said.
“In general, they would be travelling alone looking for food sources in the ocean, but if they were to come across a dead floating whale, for example, there may be a large flock of skuas.”
Rocky Cape is a rural area on the state’s north-west coast. (ABC News: Sandy Powell)
She said it was not “unusual” that this bird was found at that location.
“Normally, when they are turning up, we’re seeing them alive and at sea. When they have the disease, as this one has, they’re more likely to turn up on the shore, which is why this one was found.”
Dr Alderman said at this time, it was not known where the affected bird may have contracted the virus.
“When this sample comes back from its analysis at the ACDP [CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness] in Geelong, that’s when they’ll have really detailed sequencing information,” she said.
“They use that sequencing information to map the relatedness. You can tell lots of interesting things about whether it’s come from Heard Island or somewhere else”.
Dr Rachael Alderman said a sample taken from the dead skua would provide detailed sequencing information. (ABC News: Simon Farrell)
The government said it had completed aerial surveys of more than 980 kilometres of Tasmania’s coastline, including more remote areas such as along the West Coast, King Island and islands in the Furneaux Group, as well as Tasmanian islands that are home to seal and seabird colonies as part of its early detection plan.
The state’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Guy Barnett, said this strain of H5N1 bird flu could impact Tasmania’s endemic species, including the endangered orange-bellied parrot.
He listed the Tasmanian devil, the shy albatross, the short-tailed shearwater, the Furneaux white-fronted tern, the fairy tern and little tern, Australian and long-nosed fur seal, and Australasian gannet as being vulnerable to the virus.
“We have been preparing for the risk of a mass mortality event by working closely with the federal government to deliver protection plans for species considered most at risk,” he said.
“H5 bird flu poses a significant threat to the orange-bellied parrot species.”
“We cannot eliminate the risk entirely, but we’re taking action to give our orange-bellied parrots the best possible chance in the event of an outbreak.”
The wild population of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot is as few as 88 individuals. (JJ Harrison/CC BY-SA 3.0)
A plan to vaccinate about 350 orange-bellied parrots would be enacted.
Due to the permit conditions of the vaccine, the parrots will be the only species to receive vaccinations.
The bird’s wild population was last year recorded at 88 individuals, and the stability of the species’ population is reliant on timed, captive releases of birds from the breeding program.Everything you need to know about Australia’s bird flu surge
There are more than 200 confirmed cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain across Australia. Here’s how it spreads and what to know.
Mr Barnett said while there was no way to prevent new strains of bird flu from entering or spreading through Tasmania with wild and migratory birds, it was important for the community to remain vigilant and report sick or dead birds and wildlife immediately.
The government has advised that for poultry owners, biosecurity remained key.
Its advice was to keep poultry separated from wild birds, protect feed and water sources from contamination, and for owners to monitor birds for signs of illness.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff spoke in parliament this morning on the bird flu case.
He said he was encouraged by the community’s vigilance, including 500 reports to the emergency animal disease hotline resulting in 80 birds being tested.
“I particularly want to commend members of the public who continue to report sick and dead birds,” Mr Rockliff said.
“This is exactly the kind of community vigilance that strengthens our biosecurity response.
“Early reporting allows our experts to investigate, to test, and to respond quickly.”
Parks and Wildlife Service staff have been undertaking proactive surveillance of coastal areas, including Rocky Cape. (ABC News: Sandy Powell)
The confirmation means only the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory have not detected the deadly virus, which was confirmed to have arrived on Australian shores in July.
There are more than 200 confirmed cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu across the country, with Australia’s first confirmed case was in a wild brown skua seabird found at Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance, Western Australia.
The Tasmanian government has urged anyone who sees sick or dead birds or other wildlife to call the emergency animal disease hotline on 1800 675 888 or report the incident through the online form at http://www.nre.tas.gov.au/BirdFlu.
Terrifying bird flu strain ripping through Aussie wildlife
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The deadly bird flu strain killing wild birds across the country has now been found in all six states, as Tasmania records its first case.
The carcass of the wild bird was found in Tasmania’s northwest and state authorities revealed on Thursday the brown skua had been infected with the deadly strain of bird flu.
“Although we’ve had a positive detection, I want to be clear that there is no evidence of an outbreak and there is no detection in commercial poultry at this time,” Primary Industries Minister Gavin Pearce said.
The first confirmed case was in a brown skua found on Western Australia’s’s southern coast, and now only the ACT and the Northern Territory have not recorded an infection.
Skuas are large predatory seabirds that breed on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands and are native to Tasmania.
Mr Pearce said Tasmania had already been prepared to respond to the detection of H5N1 bird flu.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment secretary Jason Jacobi said it was inevitable the virus was found in Tasmania after other infected brown skuas were found elsewhere.
The department said it was not yet known where the bird acquired the virus, but that would be clear once testing was done at the CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
“When this sample comes back from its analysis at the ACDP in Geelong, that’s when they’ll have really detailed sequencing information,” threatened species scientist Rachael Alderman said.
At Port MacDonnell in South Australia’s south-east, a bird’s unusual and disturbing behaviour catches the eye of locals.
Warning: This story contains images and video that some readers may find distressing.
On the ground it flaps its wings, turns in circles, cranes its neck and then somersaults.
A veterinarian told 7.30 the symptoms exhibited by this bird, which was filmed at Port MacDonnell in South Australia, were consistent with bird flu. (Supplied)
H5N1 bird flu can only be confirmed through testing but after viewing a video of the bird, a veterinarian has told 7.30 its neurological symptoms are consistent with the virus.
“Neurological signs were very obvious including stargazing (opisthotonus), incoordination, and abnormal posture — no signs of seizures or paralysis but that could happen,”
Wildlife veterinarian and associate professor at Adelaide University Wayne Boardman said.
Infected birds will then die.
Maureen Christie is the secretary of Friends of Shorebirds SE in South Australia and has been involved in conserving and tagging birds for research for years.
Now her time is spent documenting the virus’s impact on her local area of Carpenter Rocks.
“It makes me like I’m going to just burst into tears any minute,” Ms Christie told 7.30.
Maureen Christie is worried about the number of dead birds appearing at Carpenter Rocks. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
“You walk onto the beach and there’s one dead bird, and two steps on there’s another dead bird, and you turn around and take one step the other way and there’s another dead bird.
“The crested terns, the ones that I’ve seen that have been sick, tend to be off by themselves and be fairly still, huddled down, hunched down and looking miserable.
A dead bird on the beach at Carpenter Rocks. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
“I’ve seen two silver gulls sick. And one was throwing its head way back, all out of the way they normally act, and barely able to stay on its feet.
“[It’s] absolutely awful because there’s nothing you can do about it. They can’t be saved.
South Australia’s south-east has seen a number of cases of bird flu. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
“It’s not like a sick or injured bird that can be taken into care and brought back to health. Once these birds have the disease, they’re going to die.”
The ‘list of doom’
Fairy penguins on Phillip Island will be vaccinated for bird flu. (AAP: Phillip Island Nature Parks)
A federal government report dubbed “a list of doom” has warned almost 400 native bird and mammal species are at high to extreme risk from bird flu, including penguins, sea lions and seals and the Tasmanian Devil.
“Obviously we have some quite unique animals and wildlife in Australia that we are concerned about,” Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told 7.30.
“In terms of the funding, the $113 million, over $47 million of that has gone into resilience and improving habitat for those threatened native species.”
University of Queensland virologist Kirsty Short said she was concerned about the virus’s impact on native birds, based on research showing black swans were more susceptible to the virus than white swans.
A veterinarian told 7.30 the symptoms exhibited by this bird, filmed at Port MacDonnell in South Australia, were consistent with bird flu. (Supplied)
“We hypothesised based on this that Australia’s geographic isolation could cause some species to have a restricted immune response because there wasn’t that selective pressure, and as a result, being more susceptible to H5N1 than say Northern Hemisphere species,” Professor Short said.
“Unfortunately, Australia has a very strong history of extinction. And the thing that I’m concerned about is that this may be the tipping factor that tips a species into extinction.”
Kirsty Short says Australia’s isolation may mean some native species have “a restricted immune response” to H5N1. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)
Professor Short told 7.30 that Australia and New Zealand were the “last holdout”, with H5N1 having ravaged more than 80 countries worldwide.
Globally, hundreds of millions of poultry have died or been slaughtered because of the virus.
“H5N1, which we often refer to as bird flu … really first emerged in Southern China in 1996,” Professor Short said.
“And what happened is that H5N1 then spread around the world, but it continued to evolve.”
Farmers fearing the worst
Egg producer Brian Ahmed is preparing for the worst. (ABC News: Nick O’Farrell)
While the virus has been found in wild and native birds in Australia, it has yet to be detected in poultry here. The risk to humans is low.
Professor Short told 7.30 the virus was brutal on poultry.
“Chickens can actually have a lot of swelling and haemorrhaging, and they can die within 24 hours,”
she said.
Farmers like Victorian egg producer Brian Ahmed are preparing for the worst.
“At the moment we’re very strict on who we allow onto the property. We have a fenced-off area where all our sheds are and no one’s going to go into that section unless they have to,” Mr Ahmed told 7.30.
As a caged egg supplier, he said his farm was at less risk than free-range producers.
Brian Ahmed has introduced strict protocols on his chicken farm. (ABC News: Nick O’Farrell)
Ms Beaty said poultry fanciers had spent years breeding and developing their flock.
“Some of the breeds of birds are rare and that means there’s not many people showing them,” she said.
“Now, if those breeds are lost, they’re lost for good. That’s it. They’re done.”
Vaccines have been used in Asia to manage bird flu in poultry, but not in Australia.
A duck at the Geelong poultry show. (ABC News: Nick O’Farrell)
Ms Collins said that was “not something we’re ruling out here”.
“We’re certainly working very closely with industry and with the technical experts on what is viable and feasible,” she said.
The federal government has said it will stop testing every dead bird as it was moving to a reporting system based on events.
Professor Short said it was difficult to predict how bird flu would continue to spread across Australia but based on the overseas experience, the virus is here to stay.
Australia’s first confirmed case of local transmission of H5N1 bird flu was among greater crested terns in South Australia in July. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
“This particular strain of H5N1 seems to be incredibly effective at spreading as well as infecting different species,” she said.
“This [strain] first emerged in the Netherlands in 2020 and still now the Netherlands are having outbreaks. So this is not a short-term situation.”
A dead bird on the beach at Carpenter Rocks. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
In Carpenter Rocks, Ms Christie was trying to stay positive and hoped whatever the impact on birds, species would eventually bounce back.
“The death toll? It will be what it’ll be,” she said.
“[But] I can’t imagine life without the variety of the animals and plants that we’ve got.”
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