Baiting the Trap: One Man's Secret Battle to Save Our Wildlife Book

In Baiting the Trap, Tony Saunders shows how he has made his childhood passion for wildlife into an enviably boys-own career saving animals and birds in undercover operations even an SAS serviceman could be proud of. As Chief Inspector of the RSPCA's Special Operations Unit, Saunders not only investigates crimes against animals--from badger baiting to ivory smuggling--he infiltrates the horrific underworld of people who make their living from animal cruelty, passing as one of them. From the very first time he goes undercover, posing as a buyer for a badger-baiting terrier, it is clear that his job will present heart-stopping moments. So proud is the vendor of his beast's killing prowess that he refuses to let Saunders take the dog without first seeing it in action on a small kitten--mercifully saved when he realises the kids will be upset if their new pet goes missing. From such beginnings Saunders progresses to more ambitious operations, finding his nemesis in a man named Verrill, a gamekeeper who arranges badger kills for sport. Though at times, confronted with so much cruelty, Saunders wonders if his efforts are mere "scratching the surface of the surface, but the only other option is to turn your back and pretend it doesn't happen". And even if it is only a fraction of the many, many animals at risk which are saved, "it makes all the difference in the world to them".- -Rebecca JohnsonRead More