At least in Britain, poaching is on the rise -- including of livestock. Via the Independent
Last week, rural landowners and businesses in Scotland launched a new campaign to get the public to report instances of poaching or illegal hare or deer coursing. Scotland's National Wildlife Crime Unit has records of 335 incidents of poaching in 18 months, with the numbers now running at more than 20 a month. During August, the number of recorded incidents was 22, almost double the previous year's figure.
"Poaching is particularly common on the urban fringes," a spokesman for the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association said. "It's idiots going out into the country with guns, or crossbows. And there are snares being set by idiots, really for the hell of it. Salmon poaching is on the increase. This is not a case of stealing one for the pot: it's on an industrial scale. There are people trawling fish traps in the river beds that will hold a dozen or two dozen fish."
In Hampshire, poachers have struck 14 times in the past month, and police have met local residents and warned them about taking the law into their own hands. Incidents are now three times as common as they were a year ago. One gamekeeper chased poachers from a farm near Corhampton at speeds of up to 80mph, until they rammed his vehicle to ensure their escape. The number of incidents reported in the area last month was three times the figure for the same period in 2007. Charlie Flindt, of Manor Farm, near Alresford, in Hampshire, said poachers were stealing deer, pheasants, partridges, and chickens. Two Shetland ponies have also been stolen, though unlike the stolen game, they may not be destined for the cooking pot.
