RJ Hamster
It’s Protect the Wild’s 11th Birthday!
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It’s Protect the Wild’s 11th Birthday!
MAY 23READ IN APP
Exactly eleven years ago today, I created what was then just a small Facebook page called Keep the Ban.
Many of you reading this may have been with us since those early days in 2015, while many more have joined us along the way. So much has happened since then.
Back in 2015, I was a 16-year-old determined to play my part in protecting the hunting ban. Social media became my first step into campaigning, creating content to expose and challenge the Government’s attempts to legalise hunting with hounds.
It feels like a lifetime ago. In many ways, it has been. Over the past 4,015 days, I’ve dedicated myself relentlessly to building a platform and fighting for British wildlife. Protect the Wild and the work we do have become such a huge part of who I am.
And together, we have achieved so much. What began as a small Facebook page has grown into a fully-fledged organisation, with more than 270,000 people now receiving these emails. This incredible community of compassionate supporters has helped us:
- Force the Government to commit to banning so-called “trail hunting” and launching a public consultation on hunting with hounds
- Strengthen the national voice for badgers by working alongside partner organisations to push for an end to the badger cull in England
- Conduct the largest undercover investigation ever carried out into the British bird shooting industry, leading to national media coverage and the launch of a growing movement to end shooting for good
- Carry out a series of hard-hitting undercover investigations, including the groundbreaking exposé into the Beaufort Hunt’s hound shooting practices
- Help pressure major landowners, including the National Trust, Forestry England, and the Ministry of Defence, into banning so-called “trail hunts” on their land
- Build an online platform of more than one million followers, reaching tens of millions of people every month
Over a decade later, I’m filled with immense pride and gratitude.
I set out to confront those responsible for the cruelty and suffering inflicted on wild animals. I dreamed of building a movement of compassionate, like-minded people united by shared values, and of bringing together a fearless, dedicated team committed to protecting the wild.
Thanks to your incredible support, that vision has become a reality.
Today, Protect the Wild is powered by a team of more than a dozen passionate people working tirelessly for wildlife in different capacities.
From the campaigners, writers, and researchers helping expose cruelty and push these issues into the public spotlight, to the animators producing powerful content seen by millions, to the undercover investigators risking so much to reveal the truth behind closed doors, every single person plays a vital role in this movement.
I genuinely could not ask for a more dedicated, hardworking, and compassionate team to stand beside in this fight for British wildlife.
None of this would have been possible without people like you standing beside us. Your support has helped us build a powerful and uncompromising voice for British wildlife.
And that voice is only getting louder. This year so far has truly been a breakout moment for Protect the Wild.
We have grown into something far bigger than I could ever have imagined when this all began eleven years ago. People are paying attention, and those in power are being forced to take notice.
Protect the Wild is now one of the fastest growing animal rights movements in the UK, and that hasn’t happened by accident. It’s happened because we are relentless in what we do. We are on this seven days a week. We do not let up. We move fast, and we fight hard for wildlife no matter the scale of the issue.
We are willing to confront cruelty head on. We say things exactly as they are, even when it makes people uncomfortable. We use every tool available to us to expose suffering, challenge those responsible, and force these issues into the public spotlight. And the public are backing us in huge numbers. More people than ever are standing with Protect the Wild because they are tired of the cruelty, tired of the excuses, and tired of wildlife being treated as disposable.
Eleven years may have passed, but believe me when I say this is still just the beginning for Protect the Wild.
I’m now 27 years old, and I have absolutely no intention of slowing down. If anything, we are only going to fight harder, push further, and speak louder in the years ahead. And trust me, we have huge plans for the future.
Over the coming months, we will be expanding the Protect the Wild team and growing our presence in Scotland. We will continue experimenting, evolving, and finding new ways to break out of the echo chamber and reach the wider public on the issues affecting British wildlife.
I will not rest until every form of cruelty, suffering, exploitation, and killing inflicted on British wildlife is brought to an end. Whether it’s the cowards on horseback chasing foxes across the countryside, the gunmen who see birds as little more than moving targets, or the Government, the royals, and anyone else who turns a blind eye while wild animals are harmed and left to suffer.
On behalf of British wildlife, you have my word:I will dedicate the rest of my life to this cause. And I could not be prouder to stand alongside such a brilliant team of campaigners who work tirelessly every single day to build a better world for the animals we share it with.
Onwards and upwards!
Rob
P.S. If you’d like to give Protect the Wild a birthday gift, you can support our work with a small monthly donation today. Every contribution helps us keep pushing forward, fighting harder, speaking louder, and standing up for British wildlife every single day.
