Survey responses (1)

We sent out a survey in our newletter #57 and 8640 of you responded – which is amazing! Thank you.

Over the Easter period we’ll post five short summaries of the responses – just for interest really.

This is the first instalment.

You’ll see that our newsletter subscribers are primarily, but not exclusively, UK based and from right across the UK. Very few of our subscribers could be described as youngsters and more are female than male. Our subscribers support a range of other wildlife and environmental NGOs. More details on all that to follow over the next few days.

We also invited free text comments on anything and received 4610 of those – we have read every one. We’ll summarise those comments in what follows too. Overwhelmingly, the comments were favourable and many made excellent suggestions.

Let’s just get the less than polite comments out of the way first (then we can ignore them in future blog posts). It was very obvious, scrolling through the comments, that abusive and rude comments came from the shooting community. Because BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) was one of the organisations we listed, it is possible to see how many of the rude comments come from people who self-identify as BASC supporters: all of them do (yes, every single one). This is not to say that all BASC supporters are rude and abusive, but it is true to say that all rude and abusive comments we received were from people who said they were BASC supporters. We had some nice comments from BASC supporters too.

Here are some examples (of complete unedited comments) just to illustrate the range of comments (the rudest comments are colour-coded in red so that you can avoid them or seek them out as you see fit):

• What you’re doing is fantastic because there’s so much which needs doing. And thank you for giving your time. I don’t know how you keep going what with the apathy of people and the ‘politicians’!!!!! But we all must keep going. I would love to help you further if I can. Good luck and stay safe.
• I thank you all for the good work you’re doing. The campaign is so well organized and targeted. A voice of reason & hope in troubled times.
• As someone with a lifelong involvement with a wide range of countryside activities (not all shooting related!), I’m genuinely interested in some of you’re aims, eradicating raptor persecution and mass gamebird release especially. I would however like to see at least some acknowledgement that human management of the UK countryside is a requirement and includes the wildlife that resides within it. I think even yourselves accept deer have to be managed – many other species similarly love the environment we have created but have no natural predators – badger & fox included – and can wreak havoc on species we need to conserve. Just one more & I’ll climb off my soap box. I personally am not a grouse shooting fanatic but surely the way forward is getting large landowners on board with conservation practices – moors are a managed environment like it or not and if grouse are not there (and they won’t be if left to their own devices) then Harriers and most other ground nesting birds won’t be either. PS I don’t work for BASC!
• I have in the past participated in game shooting including grouse but I am now not doing so . I see the sport as out of control and often damaging so I support some controls
• I agree with many of your proposals e.g. with regard to lead shot, game bird releases, but feel that sometimes you just come across as anti field sports and this then becomes personal. I shoot for pest control and for the pot. I love watching raptors and am disgusted if any are harmed, including Eagle Owls. The best day’s shooting for me is a Rabbit for the pot, calling back to a Buzzard and seeing the flash of a Kingfisher. You could have shooters on your side in many issues.
• Wj is a Marxist cell intendng to destroying the British countryside and its traditions by repeatedly lying to ignorant townies about the true state of our wildlife and how important fieldsports are in preserving it. By destroying things like grouse shooting numbers of birds that currently thrive thereon will decrease whereby wj and others will go begging for ever more money to spend upon their next attack on our wildlife.
• My opinion is that you haven’t a clue how the countryside operates and l am happy to give my support to land managers and gamekeepers. Packham is a liar and a fraud. Avery and Tingay need a lesson in reality. Your organisation will ultimately fail but not nefore you have fleeced a gullible public.
• I maybe a member of BASC but I’m not their biggest fan, just like to keep up with what’s going on in the Shooting community and to hear their views on recent challenges to their sport, which I find quite amusing at times. I think your doing a cracking job with the general license reforms, but there’s still more can be done. My tip would be.. don’t take too many battles on at once. Keep up the good work.
• Stay out of business that dosnt concern you. Shower of shite.
• Have always been interested in wild life and also the environment plastic waste etc I am also an Airrifle shooter, I shoot mainly for food and also for the conservation of other wildlife, l don’t shoot for no reason, and I practice to keep up my skills for clean kills. I’m also not a fan of .22 target shooting clubs who have no respect for the land that they shoot over, I have complained many times about a local club that I used to belong too, and their dumping of lead residue onto the ground instead of disposing of it in the right way, I complained to the chair/secretary of the club, the clubs governing body, and also the land owner (Thames Water) but all to no avail, TW quite surprised me, as they profess to be guardians of the environment.
• I appears WJ want to change the traditional way of the countryside, and not for the better. Their actions don’t support their words, for instance, the suspension of the general licence. It caused a lot of damage at nesting time through lack of pest control. Quite the opposite to what you claim to want to achieve. We now have a religion, and our traditional ways and strongly held deep beliefs will in future be protected as is any other religion. The next time anyone says anything derogatory about us , it will be reported as a religious hate crime.
• terrible organisation with no understanding for the countryside
• They have got no idea on animal conservation issues ..
• I belong to The Free Church Of Country Sports and I find Wild Justice is really damaging towards my religion , I almost feel persecuted.
• You are destroying this country’s hunting heritage with your ill-informed, biased and illogical rhetoric. Your representatives are low-intelligence, their ASD prevents them from spreading the truth, you lie and you deceive the public. You are reprehensible oafs with a vegan agenda and yet you offer no practical and effective solutions to pest control, conservation and protection of rare species. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
• You do not understand how the natural world works predators have to be controlled or predated species suffer. The country side has been managed successfully by countrymen for generations.
• You spout a load of bollocks and don’t really have a clue as to how the countryside really works. Bugger off back to the towns and give your barber wellie boots a clean
• Your all a bunch of ill informed sheep trying to get everything banned that you don’t agree with and use lies and misrepresentation to get money from the gullible
• As a member of the free church of country sports,I’m not a supporting wild justice
• I think that the countryside should be left to be run by those that live and work within it, being either Farmers, landowners, gatekeepers. These are the true guardians of the countryside
• Wild justice and a bunch of self important no it alls who know very little about how the country side actually works. There policies of protecting certain species seriously harms other species
• People from towns Vegans Jumping on the bandwagon People who actually live in the country Think your parasites
• I am pro hunting, shooting and fishing and am definite that those who participate in such sports have a greater understanding of how the countryside works, conservation, animal welfare than the sort of people who join Wild Justice, LACS and similar organisations.
• I am interested in Wild Justice as I find they are a danger to existing conservation projects and do not have a clue how our country side works. They appeal to the fluffy bunny brigade at the expense of rural jobs and livelihoods
• Wild justice is not needed just leave the countryside to country people to manage like they have for hundreds of years better concentrating their efforts on the mess the city’s are in
• Wild justice haven’t a clue about wildlife and I really don’t think they care. The only shouting wildjustice do is for the predditors and nothing for their prey. HYPOCRITES the lot of them
• You are all a bunch of wankers that don’t know what your doing and how your actions are doing more harm than good
• More townsfolk with little or no knowledge of country life trying to mess with nature for their own ends. The cities are a shambles and now they want to move outwards. Probably never seen flocks of woodpigeon descend on a crop of wheat or what a single fox will do in a shed of 3000 chickens.
• Don’t support at all. They have no idea about how the countryside works. Due to misinformation from people like Chris packham. The countryside is a workplace, not a free for all do as you like bunny hugging play ground
• Load of tree huggers who have no idea about Countryside management
• Wild justice are are bunch of delusional tossers ,who are trying to destroy our county side. Go away Chris packam your a prick
• Wild Justice are liars,and scam money from gullible members of the public,justice will be seen in court.
• I think your a despicable bunch with no true care for wildlife and you are only interested in your own agenda
• Your organisation is an utter disgrace with a hidden agenda against the countryside.
• Just a bunch of nutters who know nowt about the countryside. Should be declared a domestic terrorist organisation