How the BBC got it wrong with pheasants

FieldsportsChannel Podcast, episode 153

The BBC’s scriptwriters gave Sir David Attenborough duff information on pheasants. The BBC’s 2026 wildlife series Secret Garden claimed pheasants eat vast numbers of insects, reptiles and amphibians every day, with no evidence to back it up. The reverse is true. Best-practice gamebird releasing achieves a biodiversity gain, which is the subject of Game for Nature, a new report by GWCT. CEO Nick von Westenholz and director of advisory Roger Draycott discuss its findings with Charlie in the Carter Jonas Game Fair Theatre.

For more about the report, visit GWCT.org.uk/news/news/2026/september/new-report-reveals-benefits-to-biodiversity-of-gamebird-releasing/ 

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