Key points

When a wildlife crime is suspected, the first step is for it to be reported to the police (or detected by the police), and then recorded. Further steps may include investigation to assess whether the recorded crime should be part of a case submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and then a decision on whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to be prosecuted. Ultimately a court case may result in a conviction or acquittal. All these stages may be supported by relevant scientific evidence and intelligence.

This report presents statistics relating to wildlife crime as recorded in various parts of the police and justice system. Although these sets of statistics are related, direct comparisons between them cannot be made due to differences in data sources, timing and the bases on which statistics were collated. For example, several recorded crimes may be included in one COPFS case (involving multiple sources of scientific evidence), and subsequent criminal proceedings may occur in a different year.

Data from different data sources is available at different times. This report presents statistics relating to 2023-24 from all data sources for the various stages described above. To improve the timeliness of the report, 2024-2025 data is also presented for some sources where available at the time of writing. This is the first report which includes more recent data.

The statistics cannot differentiate between changes in the underlying level of occurrence of wildlife crimes, and the level of reporting of these crimes. It should be emphasised that these statistics cover crimes that have been recorded, but the true incidence of wildlife crime will be higher, for example due to crimes that have not been reported or where evidence has not been observed.

Recorded crime (offences)

Recorded wildlife crime offences increased by 15% between 2022-23 and 2023-24, before falling by 27% between 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Key points figure: wildlife crime offences derived by Scottish Government from Police Scotland database, 2019-20 to 2024-25.

• Recorded wildlife crime offences increased by 15% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 from 220 to 254 offences, before falling by 27% between 2023-24 and 2024-25 to 186 offences.
• Looking at 2023-24 and 2024-25 combined, the Lothians and Scottish Borders had the highest number of recorded wildlife offences (72 offences), followed by Fife (66) and the Highlands and Islands (57).
• Fish poaching was the most common offence type over the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25 (348 out of 1452 offences; 24%).

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service cases

• The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service received 72 cases in 2023-24 relating to wildlife crime (which may include more than one offence per case), with fish poaching being the most common category (27 cases).
• Of these 72 cases, 30 (42%) received an alternative to prosecution (e.g. fine) and 25 (35%) were prosecuted. Of those prosecuted, 16 (64%) were convicted, 7 (28%) were acquitted and 2 (8%) were pending trial.

Criminal proceedings

• Twenty people were proceeded against for wildlife crimes in 2023-24, and of these, 14 (70%) were convicted.
• The five-year average conviction rate for people prosecuted for wildlife crimes over 2019-20 to 2023-24 was 74%. Monetary penalties were the most common main penalty (36 out of 62 convictions; 58%).
• The average monetary fine for all offences for this five-year period was £1,335, ranging from £334 for fish poaching to £3,075 for badger offences.
• Half of those convicted of a wildlife offence between 2019-20 and 2023-24 had at least one conviction for a non-wildlife offence in the previous 10 years. A particularly high percentage (76%) of those convicted of hunting with dogs (typically hare and deer coursing) had previous convictions for non-wildlife offences.

Scientific evidence and intelligence

• 2023-24 had the lowest number of Scottish cases received by the Wildlife DNA Forensic Unit in the last six years (8), whereas 2024-25 had the highest (27).
• Raptor persecution was generally the largest category of cases received by the Wildlife DNA Forensic Unit.
• In the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25 the number of pesticide incidents investigated by the SASA Chemistry Branch has ranged from 141 to 217. In general, the percentage of incidents considered to be abuse was low, ranging from 1% to 9%.
• The SASA Chemistry Branch reported that 21 birds of prey were found to have been poisoned in 17 incidents over the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25. The majority of birds were red kites (14), followed by peregrine falcons (3) and buzzards (2). One golden eagle and one white-tailed eagle were found to have been poisoned.
• Seventy-two cases were submitted to the SRUC as suspected wildlife crimes in 2023-24 (44 birds and 28 mammals). Fourteen bird cases (32%) were identified on further examination as crime related, and 13 mammal cases (46%).
• The Scottish SPCA Special Investigations Unit was involved in 132 wildlife crime investigations in 2023-24. Three cases were reported to COPFS, all relating to trapping and snaring.
• In the National Wildlife Crime Unit intelligence logs, the most common species-specific keywords have been ‘Hare’, ‘Fish’ and ‘Deer’ every year in the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25.

Wildlife crime priority areas (further analysis of recorded crimes)

Some types of wildlife crimes (relating to badgers, bats, trade in endangered species, freshwater pearl mussels, poaching and coursing and raptor persecution) are designated as being “priority areas”. Police Scotland provide further detailed analysis to allow these areas to be separately identified from within the broader crime classifications of the recorded crime data presented earlier. Figures are also presented for trapping and snaring and hunting with dogs, which are of interest although not classified as distinct priority areas.

• Poaching and coursing is consistently the most common priority area, forming around half of all offences in the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25 (734 out of 1430 offences; 51%). This is followed by raptor persecution (117 out of 1430 offences; 8%), then badger persecution (87 out of 1430 offences, 6%).
• There was a small spike in CITES offences in 2023-24, with 14 offences recorded. Of these, 11 related to keeping live fish without licence, or introducing them into an inland water course without licence.
• There were 20 badger persecution offences in 2024-25, the highest in the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25. Fourteen of these offences related to digging, damage and obstruction to badger setts.
• There were 14 raptor persecution offences in 2023-24 and 21 offences in 2024-25.
• Seventy-three hunting with dogs offences were recorded in 2023-24, second only to the peak of 85 offences in 2020-21 in the six-year period 2019-20 to 2024-25. The level then fell to 22 offences in 2024-25.
• Five trapping and snaring offences were recorded in 2023-24, and six in 2024-25, a low level compared to recent years.