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Gamekeeper run over and left with multiple broken bones while protecting wildlife from armed trespassers

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A gamekeeper was run over and suffered numerous broken bones after challenging armed trespassers in Hampshire. Nothing is worth risking your own life or health for. 

At the end of last week, NGO staff were informed of a terrible incident in Hampshire, whereby a keeper suffered serious injuries whilst attempting to stop suspected poachers.

The keeper involved spotted people armed with catapults at his workplace and, concerned for the welfare of the wildlife on the estate, he tackled them. This resulted in the keeper being run over and sustaining numerous broken bones including in both of his legs as well as ribs.

He remains in hospital, and the police are investigating the incident. Our thoughts are of course with the keeper in question, and we are sure you join us in wishing him a full and speedy recovery.
This incident serves as a reminder not just of the very real concerns that we all have about the prevalence of rural crime across the country but, also, the dangerous situations that keepers can often encounter whilst trying to protect wildlife and their places of work from criminals.
It is understood that the person challenged was armed with a catapult, which we are seeing used increasingly in acts of wildlife crime. We believe their popularity is not being helped by content on TikTok and other social media sites which promote their use.  
While rural crime is talked about increasingly often, the human cost is rarely mentioned. However, it isn’t just belongings and items of value at stake, but also peoples’ health and in some cases, their lives.
 
The NGO would like to take this opportunity to remind you all to please be careful. What we are all passionate about is not worth being critically injured or losing a life over.

Note to Editors:

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation: The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. The NGO defends and promotes gamekeeping and gamekeepers and works to ensure high standards throughout the profession. The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that keepering was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. Today, the organisation has are around 13,000 members.
www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk

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