PAW Ireland App
This Wildlife Crime Reporting App allows users to:
- Easily find the correct contact details to report suspicious activity on the whole island of Ireland
- Easily record and email a suspected wildlife crime report on the spot or later when back at home
- Find contact details for who to call if there is an injured wild animal at the site
- Find contact details for wildlife crime enforcement agencies
The PAW Ireland App will help minimise cruelty, torture and killing of innocent wildlife. Wildlife crime needs to stop. Wild animals need our protection.
Wildlife crime is any act that contravenes current legislation governing the protection of wild animals and plants. It can involve anything from poisoning an eagle to damaging the environment on which wildlife depend.
If you witness suspicious activity, you can report it by:
- scanning the appropriate QR code below to download the App to your phone
- using the web application HERE
- using contact details on the ‘Reporting‘ page
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| Donate to the App | Scan to Download App – ANDROID phone | Scan to Download App – APPLE phone |
Maintaining the PAW Ireland App costs €2,500 per year, we are extremely grateful for any donations towards the cost of the App
PAW Ireland does not get to see, make a judgement, hold a view or investigate any reports sent from the App
Who is PAW Ireland?
PAW Ireland is a forum of statutory agencies, non-statutory agencies and interested parties with the common goal of combating wildlife crime through publicity, education and campaigning. Members are listed on the PAW page and include organisations from these sectors: Hunting, Conservation, Land Management, Welfare, and Enforcement
Can I report a suspected wildlife crime without using the App or contacting PAW Ireland?
Yes. You can report a suspected incident to the NPWS or Gardai independent of the App as has always been the case. Please DON’T contact PAW Ireland to report a suspicious incident. The app merely facilitates the reporting by providing easy access to the contact numbers you need and providing structure for submitting an email report by prompting you for information that will be helpful to the authorities for investigation purposes.
Is PAW Ireland against legal hunting or licensed hunters?
No. PAW Ireland is solely interested in highlighting CRIMINAL activities
What happens if someone makes a false claim about me?
Anyone who knowingly makes a false report or statement to show that an offence has been committed and thereby causes the time of the Garda Síochána to be wastefully employed shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to fines or imprisonment under the Criminal Law Act
What if I’m not sure this is a crime
Report anyway; this App is for you to report suspected incidents. It is for the NPWS/Gardai to decide whether to investigate further and ultimately only a judge can decide if it is a crime
Where is the data stored?
The only data stored by the App is stored in the cloud
Who has access to my data?
No one has access to your personal data other than the NPWS or Gardai – whichever you submitted your report or phone call to.
Authorised Member of PAW Ireland has access to the DATE, 10km2 LOCATION, and INCIDENT TYPE in order to facilitate the info being displayed on www.wildlifecrime.ie
Where does the report go?
NPWS or Gardai – whichever you submitted your report to, or made your phone call to
Will I be informed if a prosecution is being pursued?
We can’t say – it’s up to the NPWS or Gardai to contact you if they need more information from you
How do I follow up on my report?
You can contact the agency you reported the incident to, either by the phone or email address you used before
Can I get in trouble for reporting?
No, not if your concern is genuine then reporting a suspected wildlife crime incident is of great help to the authorities. However, knowingly making a false claim could constitute an offence under the Criminal Law Act.
Where can I get more info on wildlife crimes
www.wildlifecrime.ie and from making enquiries to the NPWS or Gardai
What is the exact wording of the relevant legislation?
Links to legislation protecting wildlife can be found on the Legislation page
Is there anything else I can do to prevent this crime from happening again?
That depends on the incident, raising public awareness of the issue is a good way to tackle all types of wildlife crime.
I have a wildlife casualty that was involved in a wildlife crime and it’s still alive, what do I do?
Call the nearest vet or rehabilitator on Irish Wildlife Matters, DO NOT TRY TO FREE THE ANIMAL if it is trapped. Also, report the incident to the NPWS and/or Gardai
Who will take care of the animal now?
The vet or rehabilitator will take care of the animal and release it recovers enough to be returned to the wild.
If I find a dead animal at the scene should I remove it in case it gets predated upon?
No. Do NOT interfere with a potential crime scene, if advised by NPWS or the Gardai you may possibly cover the animal, but the animal may have toxic substances on it, so handling it could be extremely dangerous
Assessing whether a criminal offence has taken place may not always be straight forward, other possibilities such as natural deaths, predation and legal hunting should be considered.
If you come across a wildlife crime scene or a dead bird or object that may be related to a wildlife crime, every piece of information is – or might be – important, but it needs to be recorded properly and accurately for the authorities to have a chance of prosecuting an offender.
Before you do anything else, it essential that:
| You do NOT put yourself in danger by approaching anyone you suspect of committing a crime – they may be violent and/or aggressive. | |
| You do NOT touch any dead birds or animals. They may be poisoned baits or victims of poisoning. Many poisons (e.g. Carbofuran) are extremely dangerous to us as well as wildlife in even very small amounts and can be absorbed through the skin. | |
| You do NOT disturb the scene by walking around unnecessarily – small pieces of evidence (cigarette ends, footprints, the marks left by a spade etc) may be lost or trampled into the mud or grass. | |
| You do NOT move any items at the scene – unless asked to do so or an animal or human”s welfare is/may be compromised by leaving it at the scene. | |
| You do NOT mark the site (e.g. with a white plastic bag) Although being able to see a marker from a distance might sound like a good idea, it will also alert an offender that someone has been at the site and they might go back and remove evidence. | |
| You do NOT do anything illegal yourself – leave crime to the criminals! |
Once sure that it is safe to do so:
| Record the date and time | |
| Record the transport Do this as soon as possible, as suspects can be traced from the registration number Photograph/write down any vehicle registration numbers that are or might be related to the incident. It is legal to record a registration number if you suspect that the vehicle has been or may be used in a crime. |
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| Record the person Recording the offender’s face is important of course, but their clothing, the bags they’re carrying, the equipment they’re using are all important too. |
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| Record the scene Take photographs or video of the scene using a mobile phone or camera etc (or make as accurate a sketch as possible). If possible try to cover any items, perhaps with vegetation, to make them safe; but make sure you don’t disturb the crime scene in the process! If photographing an object, try to put something beside it for scale (e.g. a coin or notebook) providing it won’t disturb the crime scene. |
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| Record the location It is particularly important to record locations accurately (apps that provide GPS data are available for most smartphones) In an urban area note the address or a description of the location. In the countryside take wide-angle photographs of any landmarks; a tree, a distinctive fence line, a hill. |
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| Even if in doubt take a photograph and email it to the National Parks and Wildlife Service natureconservation@housing. |
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If you SUSPECT a wildlife crime is/has taken place – REPORT IT
Click on the Reporting a Wildlife Crime page for details
Real time analytics available
Click HERE to view suspicious incident reports submitted by App or web app users
