Our experienced Advisory team are planning to run eight predation management courses for gamekeepers and wildlife managers across England and Wales throughout February and March in 2023.
Dates and venues are yet to be confirmed so please email lherring@gwct.org.uk if you are interested in attending and include where you’re located, this will help determine where we host the courses.
About the GWCT Predation Management course
Predation management is an integral part of game and wildlife management in the British countryside. Over many years of research GWCT science has demonstrated the part predation management plays in protecting game and conserving vulnerable species such as ground nesting birds.
It is becoming increasingly important for gamekeepers and shoot operators to demonstrate due diligence. To meet modern society’s expectations management must be delivered to high standards, maintaining efficiency whilst meeting welfare and humaneness demands. On this course, attendees will receive comprehensive training covering both the theory and practicalities of predation management including current legislation and best practice thinking. Three modules are delivered with a strong emphasis on the practical application of predation management on the ground.
Our full day course incorporates legislative requirements and best practice advice surrounding fox, corvid and small mammal management; with an emphasis on fox restraints, corvid trapping and tunnel trapping respectively.
Topics covered include:
- Fox restraints and best practice
- The legislation which underpins snaring
- The snaring code of practice for England and Wales
- GWCT research and development of the Humane Cable Restraint
- The practical use of restraints in the field
- Agreement on international humane trapping standards and fox restraints
- Humane dispatch of foxes and release of non-targets animals
Corvid cage trapping best practice
- GWCT research on the predation impacts of corvids
- Legal framework and the general/individual licences
- Corvid control in practice
- Welfare of decoys and trapped birds
Tunnel trapping best practice
- Legal framework surrounding the use of cage and spring traps
- Trap options from 1st April 2020
- Minimising risk to non-target animals
- Humane dispatch of target species