Forums to unite expertise and commitment for wildlife welfare, protection and conservation
Wildlife Crime Conference: Strength in Unity
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This Conference aims to enhance cross-sectoral collaboration for wildlife and environmental protection. It hopes to bridge the gaps between government bodies, conservation groups, legal experts, and community stakeholders. It focuses on unravelling the complexities of existing legislation protecting wildlife and the environment, and highlighting the necessity of cohesive efforts to tackle wildlife crimes and conserve biodiversity.
Through a series of engaging talks, interactive discussions, mock crime scenes, case studies, and networking sessions, participants will explore innovative strategies for policy integration, share best practices for enforcement and compliance, and foster partnerships that leverage the strengths of diverse sectors. This conference represents a unique opportunity to catalyse action, inspire change, and advance collective efforts towards sustainable environmental stewardship and wildlife conservation.
Remember, go to to learn more about wildlife crime and download the PAW reporting app. We are all part of the solution.
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Saturday’s theme is Wildlife Crime: Justice for Nature
Sunday’s theme is Conservation: How to Nurture Nature
Venue: The Glenview Hotel, Glen of the Downs, Wicklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
This conference presents a valuable networking opportunity for all sectors with an interest in tackling wildlife crime or working towards the conservation of Ireland’s heritage.
Jointly hosted by PAW Ireland, USPCA, WRI
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Remember, go to to learn more about wildlife crime and download the PAW reporting app. We are all part of the solution.
Venue: Sonairte Ecology Centre, Co Meath
Our sold-out Wildlife Crime & Conservation Conference was a vibrant and insightful day. Attendees enjoyed discussions on how best to protect Ireland’s native wildlife, with the sunny weather allowing several sessions to take place outdoors in the courtyard alongside stalls from local artists and producers.
The conference opened with environmental author and journalist Paddy Woodsworth, who emphasised the importance of addressing wildlife crime in Ireland. Supt Martin Walker (An Garda Síochána) outlined AGS’s vision for crime prevention, followed by Kieran Buckley (National Parks and Wildlife Service), who spoke about the challenges involved in prosecuting wildlife crime.
Damian Hannigan (Irish Deer Commission) introduced PAW Ireland and explained the reasoning behind creating an Irish counterpart to PAW UK and PAW Northern Ireland. International wildlife vets Mark Naguib, Elizabeth Mullineaux, and Heidi Hargreaves then delivered engaging sessions on the welfare, persecution, and conservation needs of wild birds, mammals, and bats.
Aoife McPartlin (Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland) highlighted the growing demand for wildlife casualty care and its crucial role in protecting Ireland’s biodiversity. After lunch, Lorcan O’Toole (Golden Eagle Trust) explored the cultural influences shaping human relationships with nature through the lens of ethnobiology.
The programme continued with Randal Plunkett’s update on rewilding progress at the Dunsany Nature Reserve in Co. Meath, followed by Brian O’Toole’s uplifting presentation on rewilding in Wicklow and the creation of Wildacres Nature Reserve. The day concluded with Michael Ewing’s inspiring closing talk, Global Goals – Local Actions.
Remember, go to to learn more about wildlife crime and download the PAW reporting app. We are all part of the solution.
Human activity, deliberate or otherwise, continues to have a negative impact on Ireland’s environment and wildlife; the aim of this conference is to identify some of the threats, problems, and solutions to resolve this.
Wildlife suffer not only from intentional harm and persecution such as poisoning and illegal hunting and trapping, but also from habitat destruction and continuing human encroachment on their dwindling wild spaces through insensitive farming practices and ill-considered building construction, and through expansion of our transport infrastructure.
Finding solutions will require new ideas and approaches beyond existing conservation practices and protections, as well as increased engagement from communities, NGO’s and local and national government. A new strategy is needed – the Conference will be a two-day event that will explore these issues and work towards a strategy to create an environment of planned co-existence rather than inadvertent conflict with nature.
Remember, go to to learn more about wildlife crime and download the PAW reporting app. We are all part of the solution.
Venue: Rock Farm, Slane, Co Meath
Across the country, there’s a network of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to help some of our most vulnerable neighbours.
Late-night feeds, cuts and scratches and constant goodbyes go hand-in-hand with their largely voluntary roles but neither this, nor juggling tasks with full-time jobs, families or other life responsibilities, deters them from their mission.
Indeed, Ireland’s wildlife rehabilitators are a determined and passionate bunch and this shone through at the recent Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference at Rock Farm in Slane. Organised by Emma Higgs and her team at Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland (WRI) – an organisation established to promote wildlife rehabilitation and support rehabilitators – the event pulled together carers from Ireland and the UK to share their stories and knowledge.
Dr. Pete Wedderburn BVM&S CertVR MRCVS, known as “Pete the Vet,” gave up his time to speak at the event. A companion animal veterinarian based in Bray, Pete runs his own practice and keeps a variety of pets. He is a familiar media figure with weekly TV and radio appearances, regular columns in the Evening Herald and Daily Telegraph, and four published books.
Venue: Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne, Co Meath
2013, Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland hosted Ireland’s first Wildlife Crime Conference, which brought together members of An Garda Síochána, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), veterinary practitioners, animal welfare and conservation groups and the general public, to raise awareness of, and discuss the various issues surrounding, wildlife crime in Ireland. It is critical to progress and follow up on commitments and actions taken in 2013. Therefore, this second 2 day Wildlife Crime Conference was organised.
One of the aims of the second conference was to highlight the work ‘behind the scenes’ i.e. the extraordinary lengths that dedicated wildlife crime enforcement staff such as NPWS Conservation Rangers and District Conservation Officers go to in order to bring wildlife offenders to court. If general public and government officials are made aware of the work that goes on day and night in the fight against wildlife crime, we believe it will encourage reporting and investment of time and resources into wildlife protection.
Remember, go to to learn more about wildlife crime and download the PAW reporting app. We are all part of the solution.
In September 2013, Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland (WRI) ran Ireland’s first All-Ireland Wildlife Crime Conference. It brought together an extremely diverse audience of over 150 delegates, for a weekend of talks and practical sessions, with the intention of promoting greater understanding, cooperation and communication between the law enforcement agencies, charities, NGOs and the public in general.
Much work has been put into animal protection legislation in Ireland and WRI believe it can be most effectively implemented by ensuring communication and cooperation at all levels. The conference aimed to establish and enhance effective and cordial working partnerships throughout the island of Ireland. This was the first time that such a conference had been convened to discuss wildlife crime in a comprehensive all-island context and, as such, WRI hoped it would prove to be a historic milestone in Irish wildlife protection.
The conference was addressed by national and international speakers and addressed a wide variety of issues including bird poisoning, poaching, badger baiting, forensics, and the use of illegal traps and snares.
In the last weekend in September each year Co Meath is host to a really wild weekend. Anyone with an interest in wildlife, including rescuers, Vets, Vet Nurses and wildlife rehabilitators from all over Ireland, descended on Ashbourne, Co Meath to attend the 3rd Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland annual Conference.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland exists to promote wildlife rehabilitationand improve wildlife welfare and conservation in Ireland. The conference is run over 2 days: Saturday had over 70 delegates from the general public and Sunday was attended by over 80 Vets and Vet Nurses. Anyone can attend lectures and learn a bit more about Ireland’s wildlife and how we can all help wildlife casualties and support many species throughout the year.
This year focused on hedgehogs, badgers, squirrels and bats, with expert speakers from Ireland, the UK, USA and Canada making the trip over to cover topics such as; mammal first aid and common conditions, handling and veterinary care of bats, bird rescue and basic care, post release monitoring of wildlife casualties, squirrel conditions and treatments, badger rescue treatments and TB, and all things hedgehog. Also covered was rescue and short term care of wildlife, identification of species, nutrition, first aid, rehabilitators’ requirements, Veterinary treatments and how we can all help in the campaign to stop wildlife crime. Many wildlife rescuers were represented and lent their contact details to maintain a network of rescue volunteers, transporters and specialist rehabilitators all over the country.
The second annual Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference was held on the weekend of 24th and 25th September 2011 at the Boyne Valley Hotel and Country Club in Drogheda, with speakers, delegates and exhibitors attending from across Ireland, the United Kingdom and as far afield as Canada. The conference consisted of two days of presentations and practical workshops tailored to different audiences with ‘open attendance’ on the Saturday for rehabilitators, conservationists, NPWS employees, members of the public and other interested parties, and a veterinary practitioner’s conference on the Sunday (registered for 7 CVE credits).
The 1st Annual Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference was held on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of August, when veterinary surgeons and nurses, rehabilitators and others associated with Wildlife took part in an informative and enjoyable conference in the genial and relaxing atmosphere of the Boyne Valley Hotel and Country Club in Drogheda.
The exceptional turnout is testament to the amount of interest by the veterinary profession in this subject, and is also an indication of the amount of under-acknowledged rehabilitation work that is currently being carried out in Ireland, and the need to bring interested groups together.
The conference proceedings were opened by Emma Higgs, organiser of the event and creator of the new Irish Wildlife Matters website. Lilian Collier made sure things ran smoothly all day and Andrew Kelly brightened up the conference room with his brilliantly colourful wildlife photography (some of which were raffled). This small team put together an impressive list of speakers all of whom kept the audience engaged throughout the weekend..
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