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Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
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Version Superseded: 30/01/2001
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Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 9 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 25 December 2024. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
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9 Protection of certain wild animals.E+W+S
(1)Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person intentionally kills, injures or takes any wild animal included in Schedule 5, he shall be guilty of an offence.
(2)Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person has in his possession or control any live or dead wild animal included in Schedule 5 or any part of, or anything derived from, such an animal, he shall be guilty of an offence.
(3)A person shall not be guilty of an offence under subsection (2) if he shows that—
(a)the animal had not been killed or taken, or had been killed or taken otherwise than in contravention of the relevant provisions; or
(b)the animal or other thing in his possession or control had been sold (whether to him or any other person) otherwise than in contravention of those provisions;
and in this subsection “the relevant provisions” means the provisions of this Part and of the M1Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act 1975.
(4)Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person intentionally—
(a)damages or destroys, or obstructs access to, any structure or place which any wild animal included in Schedule 5 uses for shelter or protection; or
(b)disturbs any such animal while it is occupying a structure or place which it uses for that purpose,
he shall be guilty of an offence.
(5)Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person—
(a)sells, offers or exposes for sale, or has in his possession or transports for the purpose of sale, any live or dead wild animal included in Schedule 5, or any part of, or anything derived from, such an animal; or
(b)publishes or causes to be published any advertisement likely to be understood as conveying that he buys or sells, or intends to buy or sell, any of those things,
he shall be guilty of an offence.
(6)In any proceedings for an offence under subsection (1), (2) or (5)(a), the animal in question shall be presumed to have been a wild animal unless the contrary is shown.
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