King’s speech fails wildlife as illegal snares exposed on elite estate

The king failed to mention a ban on the use of snares during his weird annual speech on Wednesday 13 May 2026. Along with a shit load of other animal rights omitted, this comes despite widespread expectations that the government would finally ban the cruel traps.

The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) recently released footage of illegal snaring on the historic Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. The video shows a wire snare set at the entrance of a badger sett with an adorable badger cub appearing just inches from the lethal device.

More broken promises for our wildlife

The king’s speech didn’t include the Animal Welfare (Snares) Bill, despite Labour’s bullshit manifesto pledging to protect our wildlife. Wildlife charity Born Free laments the lack of wildlife commitments, calling the government’s silence a ‘troubling retreat’ from what Starmer promised. But what can we expect from a dickhead who got into power with ten pledges that turned out to be total and utter lies?

The RSPCA also weighed in, noting that the ban on snare, alongside the one on trail hunting, wasn’t contained within this year’s legislative agenda. This omission ignores the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Animal Welfare Strategy from December 2025, which explicitly committed to banning snare traps in England.

Scotland and Wales have already banned the fucked-up traps, but it remains legal in England. The hunting industry still continues to use snares for ‘predator control’, which is total and utter bullshit. They’re frequently found in breach of welfare codes.

Illegal activity on the Welbeck Estate

The footage obtained by the HSA on Welbeck Estate shows very clear proof of illegal activity. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 clearly states that it is a criminal offense to set a snare which intends to cause bodily injury to badgers. And having one mere inches from a sett full of cubs definitely suggests fatal intentions.

The snare was found reset near an active sett and it showed recent signs of a struggle in the dirt. Blood-stained soil doesn’t exactly scream innocence from the Welbeck Estate. Wildlife presenter Chris Packham branded the scene ‘savage’ and called for an immediate ban to crush the ‘widespread illegal activity’.

Welbeck is a sprawling 1,500-acre estate owned by William Parente, who once served as the high sheriff of Nottingham. Ironic. The estate hosts frequent bird shoots, massacring pheasants and partridges, and these activities usually lead to the deaths of non-target species.

In other words, they use the guise of shooting birds to ‘accidentally’ murder innocent mammals such as foxes. What is it with rich people and this need for blood?

Toxic trash near tourist hotspots

In addition to these illegal snares, the HSA discovered boxes full of poison and dead rats littered all over the woods. These were located just a few hundred metres from Creswell Crags, a popular tourist attraction.

The irresponsible use of poisons poses such a major environmental risk. How long is it before a beloved family pet stumbles across the site and dies? And if a predator eats one of those poison rats, they can easily spread the poison through the food chain. But something tells me that may be the point.

The hunting industry has faced repeat convictions for these shitty practices. A court convicted a Shropshire gamekeeper of using toxic bait to target predators in 2022.

A HSA spokesperson said the shooting industry will ‘always prioritise their hideous blood sports’ over the environment. With the Labour party and the king refusing to provide the promised legislative follow-through, how many more animals will suffer and die before this brutal practice is finally shut down?

Featured images via Hunt Saboteurs Association/Facebook