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Wildlife law in England and Wales is the law relating to the protection of wildlife in England and Wales. The law is "confusing" and "complicated", and contains "inconsistencies",〔Law Commission 2006, p.50.〕 and as of November 2013 the Law Commission has recently finished a consultation about the possibility of reform. Much of the existing law dates from pre-Victorian times when wildlife was viewed as a resource to be exploited by the landowner or occupier. It was normal to kill animals for fun; phrases such as "game" or "sporting rights" are revealing word-choices in this respect. Public opinion is now much more in the birds' and animals' favour than the landowners.〔Farm Law #189, p. 4.〕 In response to this there have been a substantial number of laws passed (often private members' bills) that aim to prevent cruelty or to protect particular species, but the approach has generally been piecemeal. ==Scope== A "wild bird" is: ..."Any bird of a species which is ordinarily resident in or is a visitor to the European territory of any member state in a wild state but does not include poultry or, except in sections 5 and 16, any game bird."〔Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 27〕 It is an offence to kill, injure, or take any wild bird, to have possession of a wild bird (alive or dead) or any part of a wild bird, to obstruct or prevent any wild bird from using its nest, to take or destroy a wild bird's egg, to have possession of a wild bird's egg or any part of an egg. It is also an offence to keep or confine a wild bird in a cage or other receptacle in which it cannot stretch its wings freely.〔Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 8.〕 A "game bird" is a pheasant, ptarmigan, partridge, or grouse (or moor or heath game).〔Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 27.〕 Historically the bustard was also a game bird but this has been hunted to extinction in the UK. A "specially protected wild animal" is: a badger, bat, wild cat, dolphin, dormouse, hedgehog, pine marten, otter, polecat, shrew or red squirrel.〔Law Commission 2006, p. 19.〕 The law defines certain other species as vermin and landowners are permitted (or, in the case of wild rabbits, are required) to cull them. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wildlife law in England and Wales」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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