Ban The Hunt NI 🦊

Isn’t she a beautiful little fox 🦊 Honey, the young vixen popped in this morning and kept watch around the garden ☺️ #foxoftheday #foxes #nature #animal #wildlife

So many otherwise trusted sites are posting deadly misinformation about bonfires, and hedgehogs who may be nesting under them. PLEASE BE CLEAR: ❌Poking a broom or stick under the bonfire will do nothing - even if you actually hit the hiding hedgehog and hurt her, she will NOT run. Hedgehogs DO NOT have the flight or fight reflex that humans and other animals have. Their response to threat and danger, and even pain, is to curl into a ball and stay put, and wait for the danger to pass. ❌A hiding hedgehog will NOT hiss, or make any sound at all! They are a prey animal, you are a predator - they will NOT alert a predator to their presence, they will stay silent. ❌Lighting the bonfire from one side will NOT WORK. Their response to danger is to STAY PUT AND CURL INTO A PROTECTIVE BALL. They won't come running out. As the heat comes closer and the smoke fills her lungs, a hiding hedgehog will just curl tighter. Whoever wrote these 'tips' does not understand the nature of a hedgehog. THEY DO NOT RUN FROM DANGER. Broadcasting this total nonsense is spreading a false sense of security and is potentially extremely harmful. The only safe bonfire is one that is built or moved ON THE DAY IT IS LIT. Moving a bonfire takes less time than you'd think. There are lots of late-born baby hedgehogs around right now, who would see a bonfire as a safe place to nest. Regrets won't turn back the clock. The 'If only' will haunt you for a lifetime. If you have to have a bonfire, please make sure you do it right.

🇨🇳 THINKING OF VISITING CHINA? ANIMAL LOVERS, PLEASE READ. China has an extraordinary amount to offer tourists. Thousands of years of history, breathtaking landscapes, incredible food, and fascinating cities. But there is a darker side that animal lovers should know about. China still lacks a comprehensive national law against animal cruelty. Deliberately torturing a dog or cat is not, by itself, a criminal offense under national law. As a result, perpetrators of horrific abuse can escape punishment. 🐕 Wang Wang, a mother dog, was brutally killed and reportedly burned alive in June 2026. Her three puppies were murdered alongside her. 🐈 Fireball (Miiko), a kitten just two months old, was reportedly tortured and skinned alive. Her suffering was filmed and circulated online. These are just two stories among countless victims of animal cruelty. The true scale of the suffering is unknown. And without meaningful legal protections, many perpetrators face little or no accountability. If you’re considering visiting China, I ask you to think about this before booking your trip. Tourism brings billions of dollars into China’s economy every year. Where we choose to spend our money is a personal decision, but it’s worth considering the values and practices we’re willing to overlook. China has made extraordinary progress in so many areas. Yet its most vulnerable animals remain without basic protections against deliberate cruelty. Please consider that reality when deciding where to spend your tourism dollars. Modern country. Modern laws. #China #AnimalWelfare #AnimalCruelty #JusticeForWangWang #china #chinatourism #chinacool #chinatravel #chinagram #discoverchina #visitchina

If you are starting to build your bonfire for next week, please remember NOT to build it on the spot where it will be lit. You’ll need to move it the day you light it, or fence off the building area NOW, to prevent wildlife deaths. A hedgehog who has made it as a nest won’t move if you poke her with a broom, light the bonfire from one side, shine a torch under, or any of the other myths that you have read from well meaning sites. They’ll just stay in a frightened ball and be burnt to death.

A man whose cat was put down after he was thrown on a Halloween bonfire in Blanchardstown, County Dublin has urged pet owners not to let them out this weekend newstalk.com/news/cat-2-2320… #Ireland #AnimalCruelty

Sign the petition: Create An All Island Animal Cruelty Register sdlp.ie/crueltyregister?recr…

The real horror of Halloween. Artificial cobweb: a bit of fake fun for you, but a very real and terrifying death for them. If you see your neighbours using it, it's possible they don't know the danger so please print out this simple leaflet and pop it through their door: tinyurl.com/HalloweenHedgeho… The fine, strong synthetic fibres of this lethal 'web' are difficult for animals to see at dusk and can quickly wrap around their legs, wings, and neck, trapping and killing birds, insects and mammals. When Eden the hedgehog struggled to free herself the web tightened, cutting off circulation and causing deep wounds. Can you imagine the pain and sheer terror? And then seeing dawn approach, while hanging there, tightly bound and helpless, only an inch above the ground but suffering slow strangulation. Aside from being stressed, dehydrated, starving and exhausted, she also had horrific bite/peck wounds to her face, where she had been held there, helpless, unable to curl and defend herself, while a predator tried to eat her alive. Tragically her constriction injuries were too severe to survive, and poor Eden had to be put to sleep. If you have used this deadly cruel trap to 'decorate' your garden, I beg you - take it down now. Please spread this vital information, and help save lives.