Wild take licences come to an end

WAWC strongly welcomes the announcement today (6 March 2025) that DEFRA Ministers will adopt a presumption against issuing licences to take wild birds of prey for falconry and aviculture (“wild take”). Ministers have endorsed a Natural England recommendation following a two-year review which concluded that wild take is not integral to the continued practice of falconry or aviculture in England.  The review considered the potential conservation impacts of wild take as well as the welfare concerns raised by WAWC and others.

Using a trained bird of prey, such as a peregrine falcon, to hunt wild birds has a long history in England, but the taking of wild birds for this purpose stopped during the 1980s due to conservation concerns. Since then, the number of practising falconers has increased substantially, using captive-bred birds. The last wild take licences were issued by Natural England in 2020, allowing a small number of peregrine falcon chicks to be taken from the wild, but these expired without ever having been used.

WAWC responded to the Natural England consultation and Dr Pete Goddard, WAWC Chair to 2024, was invited to take part in follow-up workshops. In our written response, WAWC opposed the taking of native birds of prey from the wild for falconry and aviculture. We gave our view that birds taken from the wild, whether for falconry or aviculture, will experience poorer welfare over the course of their lives than would be the case if they remained in the wild, even if their life expectancy is sometimes increased. 

WAWC stated that anything that permanently limits an animal from exhibiting the full spectrum of its behaviour repertoire ought to be avoided.  Drawing on the internationally recognised Five Domains model, we noted that wild caught individuals are likely to experience an increased likelihood of motivational frustration, a high likelihood of negative affective states (such as fear) and behaviours consistent with experiencing stress in captivity.

Announcing the review outcome, the Wild Take Review group acknowledged that there were differences of opinion between falconers and non-falconers but believed that the review had demonstrated “a shared desire amongst falconry and conservation groups to work together to conserve birds of prey and raise public awareness of the threats they face.”

As always, WAWC will continue to work to ensure that the welfare needs of sentient wild animals are also emphasised during these important discussions.