STAFF at Slimbridge Wetland Centre were outraged at a trail hunt which took place on land near the site on Saturday, disturbing the birds who live there.

The centre is run by international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and is located on a A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), by the Severn Estuary, which is also a designated Special Protection Area, where the safeguarding of threatened birds is required by law.

A spokesman for the WWT said: “WWT does not allow hunting on any land we own. However, WWT doesn’t own the land at Slimbridge.

Although we manage it for wildlife, it is part of the Berkeley Estate and the Estate retains the right to hunt on it.

“Understandably, many people including Slimbridge staff and volunteers are concerned and even outraged at witnessing the Hunt on the reserve on Saturday 19 January.”

He added: “Our ideal outcome would be for the Berkeley Hunt to never enter the Slimbridge reserve.

“This weekend’s hunt caused a huge disturbance at a particularly crucial time of the year for wildlife and as a result we have insisted that the Berkeley Hunt think again about how they manage the hunt in this area.”

Dan Colburn Smith, who witnessed the incident whilst on a day out with his wife, posted images of the hunt on social media.

He wrote: “Really disgusted, was having a great day at Slimbridge WWT then suddenly the thousands of birds we were watching were scattered thanks to the local hunt.

“Bewick’s Swans, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin, Cranes and Widgeon absolutely panicked and flew out to the estuary. No Bewick’s Swans were calm enough to return by sunset to be fed at the centre.”

A spokeswoman for the police said: "We have received a report that a fox hunt took place in land off Newgrounds Lane in Gloucester at around 3.15pm on Saturday afternoon.

"The caller believed that this was part of the Berkeley Hunt.

“Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone who was in the area at the time or has information is asked to call 101 with incident 241 of 21 January 2019”.

In a statement, the Berkeley Hunt said: “The Berkeley Hunt met on Saturday 19th January 2019 near to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge and were trail-hunting throughout the day.

“At one point, some hounds deviated from the trail and followed a line into an area overlooked by birdwatching hides.

“The huntsman and one assistant quickly retrieved the hounds without incident, causing minimum disturbance, and we were pleased to see the birds quickly returning to their routine.

"We have since met with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and the Berkeley Estate and agreed measures that will minimise chances of the hunt encountering concentrated gatherings of wildfowl on the reserve”.