The RSPCA’s concern about wild animals is based on how they are treated and whether human activity causes unnecessary suffering - rather than how many of a species there are.

This means our perspective is animal welfare rather than conservation of endangered species. Welfare and conservation often overlap though. For example, trapping may cause suffering but if it is indiscriminate it could also affect rare species. 

What are ‘wild animals’?

Broadly speaking, animals in their natural state that have not been domesticated are considered ‘wild’.

For our purposes, this includes non-domestic animals in captivity, whether kept as pets or for other reasons including entertainment, and those living free in the environment. We cover a huge number of species and individual animals – ranging from badgers in your garden to birds nesting on sea cliffs to pet iguanas and zoo elephants!