Wildlife fear over callous rearing of game for sport

THE release of 40-60 million pheasant and partridges - bred in captivity each year to be shot for sport - is having a devastating impact on the British countryside, and threatens native wildlife, warns a new report.

- NADA FARHOUD

Welfare group Animal Aid say "terrible harm is inflicted on the birds" who are raised on intensive factory farms, but that there are also serious repercussions for native wildlife leading to declines in their populations.

This is of particularly concern as the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world

Animal Aid also warn gamekeepers target animals deemed a threat to these birds - foxes, crows and even protected raptors - to create an artificial landscape for those paying to shoot innocent birds for sport.

The group has joined forces with TV presenter Chris Packham who said the environmental fallout is profound - land and waterways polluted with lead shot, native plants depleted, and the risk of avian flu spread.