Police investigate after animal rights group films badgers allegedly being caught in snares and shot on the Moscar estate

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Police are investigating allegations that protected wildlife was killed on a shooting estate owned by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland.



Footage filmed by an animal rights group allegedly showed badgers caught in snares and shot this year.

The Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) , which filmed the footage, said it was part of “horrific wildlife persecution” on the Moscar estate, a grouse shooting estate in the Peak District.

It is a criminal offence to injure, kill or ill-treat badgers under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in England and Wales.

The Moscar estate, near Bamford in Derbyshire, is owned by the 11th Duke of Rutland, David Manners, and Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland.

The pair, worth a reported £140m, also own the 6,000-hectare (15,000-acre) Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, a stronghold established at the Norman conquest that has appeared in films including The Da Vinci Code and The Young Victoria.

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Rutland said in a statement: “They were not aware of any alleged illegal activities being carried out on the land. They are horrified by these allegations and will investigate them fully.”

HIT said an estimated 400 wire snares were set across the estate alongside a variety of traps to catch mammals and birds.

The group said two badgers, one mountain hare, one fox and three lambs were found caught in the traps, which are legal in the UK, on one snare site over a four-week period in spring.

The activists alleged that one badger was shot and dragged off to be buried in a nearby wood. A second badger was allegedly caught overnight and endured “a prolonged capture and botched release”.

HIT said investigators were able to release the three lambs unharmed, while a female mountain hare allegedly died from internal bleeding and stress after being caught in a snare.

A fox struggled frantically to free itself before being shot three times when the gamekeeper arrived, HIT said.

Under the Countryside Act 1981, snares must be inspected every day and any snared foxes killed quickly and humanely by a shot at close range from a rifle. They must also only be set in places likely to be used by a fox or rabbit.

Tanya Hall, a HIT campaigner, said: “The cruel decimation of wildlife is perpetrated daily in one of the most popular tourist areas of the UK.



“The immense suffering of badgers, foxes and hares that our investigators found is inflicted simply so that the Duke of Rutland’s estate has plenty of grouse available to shoot. We must end this cycle of violence and cruelty and we encourage the public to add their support to our campaign.”

A Derbyshire police spokesman said: “Members of the group contacted one of our specialist wildlife officers last week and we now have a copy of the footage.



“As a result, we have started an investigation and will be examining the clips as part of that.”

It is not the first time the estate has faced scrutiny from animal rights groups. In 2015, the League Against Cruel Sports found 100 snares on the land after runners were caught in the traps.

Later that year, the Belvoir Hunt was mired in controversy when a captured fox was found dehydrated and underweight in an outbuilding hours before the annual gathering in Buckminster, Leicestershire.

In March last year, two men were arrested on suspicion of assault after two anti-hunting campaigners were attacked while monitoring the Belvoir Hunt in March. The pair were released on bail.