The manufactured hate campaign against Chris Packham, long generated and encouraged by certain organisations in the shooting lobby and their friends in the Government and media, has recently escalated following Wild Justice’s successful legal challenge last week and has now resulted in chilling death threats towards Chris.
The dead crows hanging off his gate didn’t phase him, and his reaction to a penis drawn on a block of wood that was sent to him was genius – auctioning it on Ebay to raise funds for Wild Justice’s next legal challenge (this has currently raised £2,350.00 with six days left to bid)
However, in an exclusive interview in today’s Mirror, Chris talks about his fears for his family after receiving a number of ‘suspicious packages’, later opened by the Police and found to contain human excrement (see here for interview).
Then this morning, during an interview on Good Morning Britain where Chris was explaining the rationale behind Wild Justice’s legal challenge and calling out the fake news on it, he revealed that he’d received death threats last night. (Interview available on ITV catchup here for next seven days: starts at 53.07 mins).
The police are investigating.
Having seen the death threats, they are credible, disturbing and chilling.
Whatever your view on Chris, his campaigning, his ethics, his TV presenting, this level of abuse and threat is intolerable. The shooting organisations (and one in particular) busily whipping up the hate frenzy against Chris should be demonstrating some leadership and taking immediate steps to calm down their members and behave with civil discourse.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Some of these people involved in the killing of our wild life are unbelievably sick in the head. Society could well do without them.
I totally agree, NIgel. It is time for the Huntin’, Shootin’ and Fishin’ people to police their members and their employees. Human excrement is foul, but DNA can work out who it came from, The auctioning of the penis picture is genius, to raise funds for Wild Justice, But the death threats are beyond the pale. Unfortunately this is more common since the police have been starved of funds, due to ‘supposed’ Austerity. This Government is a farce.
That was also my first thought about the excrement. It’s a DNA ‘Gotcha’. Whoever sent it is really “in the poo”, as our Aussie cousins have it
Sadly that is reliant on the police actually sending it away to be tested. Even then, it will probably be deemed ‘inadmissible evidence’.
These criminals have the backing of the government in every which way.
Most gamekeepers treat the killing of wildlife as an unsavoury task that is just part of their job. However, there are probably some that actively enjoy it. We need to keep in mind that such individuals have just lost an outlet for their violent or destructive tendencies, and may be looking for a new one.
I find that comment, “Most gamekeepers treat the killing of wildlife as an unsavoury task”, hard to believe.
If they are not criminals themselves they turn a blind eye to the wildlife criminals. They are part of a small community and they know who’s doing the evil stuff.
Well said, Douglas.
I have had encounters with organisation lead hate from a blood sport.
I am a canoeist and my fellow participants have encountered the frenzy whipped up by the Angling Trust. They claim that canoeing is illegal on rivers in England. Their dim witted members can be quite intimidating at times.
Chris needs all the support we can muster, death threats are insidious. The threat itself is disturbing but these idiots may have guns!
I hope they are caught and brought to justice with a heavy penalty, no excuses.
No one has mentioned that the art work, kindly donated to Chris, from a few days ago looks remarkably like a pre-stone age club?
Doug
It would seem that his oft-times employer are not that bothered. I have just searched the BBC News web-site for Chris Packham and all you get are links to his programmes. I am sure Chris is feeling well-supported by them!
Also seeing that some farmers and estates are banning BTO surveys and ringing as they want nothing to do with any organised conservation activities. Again, one has to question their mental state.
This person more than likely holds a gun license. Somebody has deemed this person to be of sound mind to hold that license. This person walks around the countryside with a loaded gun, the gun licensing system subsidised by the tax payer is no longer fit for purpose, how long before we get another attrocity
Hey, you know what people. Many hunting and shooting people have had death threats over the years from hunt saboteurs, and supporters of LACS. Some comments here in the past have been suggestive of violence against followers of country sports. NONE of it is acceptable, Are you also going to condemn acts of violence against them which have happened?
Well I’m a supporter of LACS and certainly never made death threats to absolutely anyone. Please tell us why you make that claim, have you been able to identify anyone making such threats as a LACS member, I would love to know how you’ve managed that. Of course you could just be reverting to puerile smearing. For many years the image of the violent, threatening, extremist hunt sab held sway. The trouble for you now is that anyone can film what’s really going on and would you believe it what we’re seeing is hunt sabs and monitors being subjected to violence and harassment from hunt supporters. You can try and push the same old lies and playing the victim as much as you like all anybody needs to do is a bit of googling to see what’s really happening.
How dare you accuse me of peurile smearing Les. There has been plenty of evidence on video of violence and attacks from both sides. NONE OF IT IS ACCEPTABLE!! Is that clear enough for you, Les, of my stance on this matter? The majority of supporters from both sides DO NOT make death threats. You and I would be a part of that majority.
I can tell you why make that statement : because I have read threads and discussions from field sports and shooting people, some of whom I know personally. I’ve seen screenshots, seen threatening posts on social media. And what of the “Cecil the Lion” dentist? He was well known to have received such threats. Still no more acceptable than those made against Chris Packham…
As your final sentence suggests, I have done a lot of googling, I have seen what’s really happening. This is not pushing “the same old lies”, this is me, reacting to what I see, and what I know. And yes, I have personally witnessed harassment from hunt sabs too, so don’t try and tell me it’s all fabricated and all one sided, it isn’t…
“Playing the victim”? Really? Where and when have I ever done that? With respect, Les, might I suggest you take a step back and consider opposing views might be less one sided than you think? Them and us attitudes help nobody, and achieve nothing. And I can tell you, I do have the same kinds of discussions on fieldsports groups, though I sometimes wonder why I bother!
So I repeat my question, are you going to condemn acts of violence and intimidation against anyone, be they hunt supporters or those opposed to any form of hunting? I just have.
Violence breeds violence, threats beget threats. Personally I suspect it started with horsewhipping, real or threatened. Your opinion will differ.
Moving on, in the present, are the CA and the others acting on this in any way, other than statements?
Whoever coined the phrase nasty brigade got it spot on. They can walk around in their fancy clothing talking with marbles in their mouths but at the end of the day they are scum and this proves it
Some Hunt saboteurs are also quite nasty people. At the end of the day, some of them too are scum.
Chris, are you speaking from real life experience? Have you encountered hunt sabs being nasty to you? Are you a hunter?
Doug
I’m happy to contribute to a crowd funded collection towards a decent CCTV system for Chris and his family.
If the Hunting, Shooting, Fishing…. lobby choose not to shut this down and NOW, not only are they indicating responsibility, but they will lose total credibility.. What do they possibly hope to gain from this senseless, cruel, evil bullying. I so respect Chris for standing up to this horrendous intimidation… he does not deserve this!
Time to show your support for Chris. Sign the 38 degrees petition calling on the BBC NOT to sack him.
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/bbc-don-t-sack-chris-packham
Ruth, Mark, Chris – obviously this is a stressful time for you all. I’m sorry you are being put in such a frightening situation but your kindness shines through the vile threats of the wildlife killers in this country. Keep up the great work! Your success is exposing the true nature of these people.
I do not find the threats surprising. The wildlife killers have long believed that they can kill and persecute wildlife by whatever means they wish irrespective of the law. They have no respect at all for the law. Therefore, when these thugs threaten people they are not crossing the line into criminality. They were already on the wrong side of that line.
Chris Packam is the victim of established criminals who are now indulging in other crimes. That is how criminals develop. One crime leads to another.
It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. When one of the lowlifes is caught and prosecuted some very positive publicity will ensue.
You’d think fellow wildlife programme presenters would be speaking out against the threats and supporting Chris, his family, you and Mark. Where are they?
With or without them we can tell the BBC not to cave in to the thugs who are threatening Chris, his family, their animals and our wildlife. Please support Chris Packham by signing the 38 degrees petition to the BBC calling on it NOT to sack him.
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/bbc-don-t-sack-chris-packham
That’s good to see. Thanks.
Today Miles King wrote an interesting and relevant blog: https://anewnatureblog.com/2019/04/30/shooting-birds-and-biased-reporting-a-tale-of-two-bbc-presenters/
The fact that these thugs are only targeting Chris shows just how little they understand of what has actually happened. Chris was part of a movement, funded by many of us, which questioned the legality of General Licences. It’s Natural England who revoked them. Would they have done so if they were legally viable? No they wouldn’t – so why should Chris be singled out to be pilloried by these ignoramuses?
You would have thought that, by now, these morons would have twigged that carrying on as they do simply confirms their widely held stereotypical image of brainless, ignorant, sadistic nonentities.
Just pathetic what these scumbags are doing to Chris. One positive is the negative media attention the nasty brigade will attract from this – the tide is turning.