Nature: Wildlife, Welfare and Pets - Dorset West

A West Dorset smallholder has been ordered to pay £530 and is banned from keeping poultry and pigs for ten years after causing unnecessary suffering to chickens following a court hearing in Weymouth. On 17 September 2018, at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court, Richard Thomas Hansford, aged 67, of Weymouth pleaded guilty...

Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) is delighted to announce that Dan Bosence, Emeritus Professor Geology at Royal Holloway University of London, is coming to Dorset to give a presentation about newly discovered circular structures on the seafloor of Weymouth Bay.   The new images obtained by Dorset Wildlife Trust’s DORIS (Dorset Integrated...

Yesterday the Government published the Agriculture Bill. The recovery of wildlife in Dorset and the UK depends on an Agriculture Bill which enables farmers to create and restore natural habitats. Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) believes that now is the time for agricultural policy to lead nature’s recovery.   The Agriculture Bill...

Most people don’t connect England’s countryside with crime. Crime happens everywhere, but there are differences between urban and rural crime. For instance, quad bikes are a common sight in rural areas. Farmers, gamekeepers, and terrier men attached to fox hunts use them. They’re just the thing for narrow lanes,...

To see our volunteering opportunities, visit www.dorsetwildifetrust.org.uk/volunteering SAT 1 SUMMER WILDLIFE FUN AT BROWNSEA ISLAND, 11am – 3.30pm. Go Wild about Brownsea! Come and find out more about the wonderful wildlife of Brownsea. Take part in self-led trails and visit the Villa Wildlife Centre for wildlife activities and discover...

Two giant tortoises reported stolen from Kingston Maurward College have been located. An appeal was issued after a total of four Sulcata tortoises were stolen from the college overnight between Wednesday 22 August and Thursday 23 August 2018. Officers can now confirm that two of the tortoises – Blastoise and Jeffery...

Dogs love to chase buzzing insects, but getting too close can be dangerous. It’s better to get your dog to leave bees and wasps alone as stings can cause allergic reactions. Most insect stings will simply be painful or irritating for your dog, but being stung multiple times can...

The first Southern migrant hawker dragonflies ever recorded in Dorset have been seen on Dorset Wildlife Trust’s (DWT’s) nature reserve, Lytchett Heath, which is part of The Great Heath Living Landscape project in east Dorset.   Three males have been seen in the area, where they were first discovered by...

To see our volunteering opportunities, visit www.dorsetwildifetrust.org.uk/volunteering WED 1 DORSET HEATHS PRIORITY INVERTEBRE RECORDING GROUP – BACK FROM THE BRINK. 10am – 3pm. We will be meeting every Wednesday to carry out surveys for Heath Tiger Beetle, Southern Damselfly and Purbeck Mason Wasp. Sessions will be led by the...

Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) has seen an increase in fly-tipping on its nature reserves in east Dorset, which has led to concerns for the safety of the heaths during the hot weather.   There has been three reports of this on DWT’s nature reserve, Upton Heath, in the last week,...