The lockdown could be exploited to persecute wildlife away from the watchful eye of the public, conservationists warn. Wild animals are enjoying deserted streets, beaches and the countryside as air and car traffic has fallen dramatically.
But Moorland Monitors, a group which documents wildlife crimes, fears incidents are going unreported with monitoring difficult to carry out under Covid-19 restrictions.
It comes after an endangered red squirrel was found in a trap by a dog walker near Morpeth, Northumberland. Follow all coronavirus updates here on our live blog There are believed to be as few as 15,000 red squirrels left in England.