Other animals
| Mammals | Badgers | Bats | Deer | Whale, Dolphin, Porpoise and Basking Shark | Seals | Reptiles and Amphibians | Fish | Invertebrates |
For other specially protected animals it is an offence to:
- recklessly kill or injure the animal;
- capture or keep [alive or dead] the animal;
- destroy, damage or obstruct access to its place of shelter;
- disturb the animal (for some species only if it is in its place of shelter);
- sell or advertise for sale the animal or anything derived from it.
About one hundred species of animals are given this special protection. These range from otters, wild cats and whales through newts and lizards to fish, butterflies and a sea slug (see animals which are protected). Protection extends to the eggs, larvae and any other immature stages of the species. Most of these animals are given legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 but there are also special laws for badgers, deer and seals. Additional protection is provided for animals listed on European Directives - European Protected Species.
It is an offence to kill a special list of
animals by prohibited methods including
automatic weapons, artificial lights, decoys and vehicles.
The possession of a specially protected animal, or anything derived from it, is an offence. Therefore, you should ensure that you keep good evidence of the circumstances if one comes to you by lawful means, for instance if you inherit a stuffed animal killed legally before the present legislation came into force.
For most animals the place of shelter or protection can be damaged
or obstructed if it is within a dwelling house (but special rules on
this apply to bats). There
are also some exceptions for action that may be necessary to preserve
human health and safety but there are special procedures to follow in
these cases - contact the Scottish
Executive for help.
Accidental acts are unlikely to result in prosecution as long as you
are not reckless.