The month of May was occupied by two important campaigns; we encouraged the public to respond to the call to views on the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, urging The Scottish Government to consign snare traps to history, and we were gearing up for the launch of our exciting new campaign with a coalition of animal welfare groups to Unbound the Greyhound.

Last month also saw our patron and friend, Chris Packham, be victorious in his libel case against Country Squire Magazine following a series of defamatory articles. Despite the successful outcome of this trial on May 25th, unfortunately it remains that Chris endures venomous vocal - and sometimes violent - harassment for being a passionate protector of wildlife and campaigner for animal rights. We proudly stand with Chris.

Campaign launch: it's time to Unbound the Greyhound

We are thrilled to announce that we have joined forces with 8 other incredible animal welfare organisations to launch our new campaign to phase out greyhound racing in Scotland.

The Unbound the Greyhound campaign arose from our coalition partner, Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE), who launched the initial petition which has been under consideration by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee (RAI).

This campaign is calling on people to sign an open letter to the Scottish Government, appealing for them to bring an end to dog racing in Scotland – an industry that is plagued with injuries, doping, and even deaths.

Please do take a moment to add your signature to the open letter and look out for updates on this campaign in your inbox, our socials media and across city centres.

Sign the open letter

SnareWatch update

Throughout May, six incidents of snare traps were reported to our SnareWatch website.

Once such report that we featured in a blog, was the tragic case of a beloved cat who was left fighting for his life since returning home with a large, painful wound to the abdomen inflicted by a snare.

Media in May

Of the animal welfare news in the media last month, a noteworthy announcement was that of our work with the Scottish Companion Animal Welfare Group (SCAWG) to promote the vital services on offer to help struggling pet owners and keep them with their companion through the cost-of-living crisis, as covered by Third Force News.

Our calls for the Scottish Government to ban the manufacture, sale and use of snares in Scotland was covered in a Scotsman article on the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill.

Team OneKind takes on running challenge to help animals

On the last weekend of May, six of our wonderful supporters faced either the full or half marathon challenges at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival to fundraise for OneKind. Collectively, they have raised a whopping £1,800 which will help to fund our campaigns and investigations to protect animals from cruelty.

We are incredible grateful and proud of all the runners for combining a personal achievement with doing something to fundraise for the welfare of animals.

If you’re a keen runner and would like to support our work, you can register now for the Edinburgh Marathon Festival taking place next year and choose your preferred distance; full marathon, half, 10k or 5k.

Or, if you’re more of a stroller than a sprinter, you can step up for animals by taking on the Kiltwalk this year. There are still three more of these fun walking events taking place this year; Aberdeen in June, Dundee in August and Edinburgh in September. By registering your place through OneKind, you will get a discounted joining fee, receive fundraising tips and a T-shirt to wear on the day.

Thanks to you, we won two grants!

We are elated to announce that we won two grants in May – all thanks to our wonderful supporters who voted for us, of which we are incredibly appreciative.

We placed first in the My Favourite Voucher Codes May poll, winning a donation of 20% of their profits of the month and we also won the £250 giveaway from My Giving Circle for #GivingTuesday.

These funds will go directly into our work to create a kinder world for animals.