I’ve always loved wildlife, spending time in green spaces and losing myself in the things I see is cathartic for me in a way that few other things are. I’m certainly no twitcher and more often than not when I visit new habitats such as wetlands or forests, the things I see and hear are a source of (quite pleasing) confusion and a lot of learning when I finally arrive home.
Over the course of 2020, much like many others I came to rely on these green spaces and the wildlife that lives in them. It led to me wanting to learn more, to see more...
New optics were the order of the day and (if my budget would allow) even a trail camera for my garden. Like many people in search of new, better equipment my first stops were online, YouTube and Google. I was prepared to put in the research to make sure I got the best equipment possible within my budget.
But in doing that, I came across something I wasn’t prepared for...
Many of the reviews and marketing content I saw was created by members of the hunting community, not just individuals without any affiliation to these big brands they were reviewing, but shockingly, also a lot of the brands themselves.
I remember feeling shocked, offended and even angry. I just wanted to enjoy seeing things better, I had no desire to blow them up for pleasure, to trap them, poison them or mount their heads above my fireplace.
Any keen naturalist, especially birdwatchers will be all too familiar with the issue of guns, hunting, trapping and the array of other illegal persecution methods our wildlife is subjected to. Certainly if you spend time on social media, connecting and engaging with likeminded people you will come across campaigns and messages from those looking to raise awareness for wildlife justice.
However in my naivety it’s not something I ever expected to come across while shopping for a spotting scope and a trail camera. After further research into the brands whose products I was thinking of buying it became clear that many of them market such products to people whose ethics are the polar opposites of my own.
Do I want to buy my gear from these companies..? Not at all but another part of gave a sigh and accepted that, to learn more about optics and to choose the right ones for me, I’d have little choice.
Then, reassuringly I came to realise I wasn’t alone in feeling that way...
In late December 2020 Lucy McRobert, the author of the fantastic 365 Days Wild, campaigner and a fellow nature lover shared details of a report via social media by the Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA) entitled ‘Shooting Wildlife III: Who makes your binoculars, spotting scopes and optics?’.
The report covers the 30 most popular optics brands available in the UK and looks closely at how ethical their environmental credentials and links with military and pro-gun groups really are.
The findings are sobering, 90% of them have connections to hunting in some form with only Canon, Opticron and Olympus found to have none at all.
Well I had found the brands I wanted to give my money to, but what about the rest..?
Ethics are a big part of my decision to buy anything, from the food in my kitchen to the clothes on my back and clearly I’m not alone in feeling that way. The big name optics brands seem to have slipped through the net for too long and finally, the conversation is starting to happen. The more people join in, the more things will change.
You can find more details about cruelty free optics along with the three Reports created by the ECRA on their website here.
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