One-year-old achieves charitable status

The Wild Animal Welfare Committee (WAWC) is delighted to announce that it has been awarded charitable status by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

Just a year after its inaugural meeting in September 2014, the WAWC has been successful in demonstrating to OSCR that its objects and activities meet the charitable aim of advancing animal welfare.

Although the charity is registered in Scotland, its remit covers the welfare of all free-living wild animals in the United Kingdom. Initial projects for the WAWC include a scoping research project to help assess priorities in wild animal welfare, based on the available scientific evidence.

A stakeholder survey is also underway. In July, the WAWC announced that it would produce a Statement in response to public interest in possible changes to legislation governing the hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England, Wales and Scotland.

WAWC Chair Dr Pete Goddard said:

“The WAWC is now just one year old and has already cleared many hurdles. We are moving on with our work programme and aiming to produce authoritative materials that will really inform debate about the welfare of wild animals in the UK.

“We know that there is considerable public interest in these issues and that attitudes towards wild animals are changing.

“Over the next year we will be looking to attract practical support from trusts and organisations interested in seeing independent, evidence-based information produced to help shape public policy.”