League Against Cruel Sports shows the death of a man caught in an animal snare.
The newly released League Against Cruel Sports video certainly aims to shock.
Starting out with a jogger challenging himself on a run through a sun-dappled woodland and a voiceover describing the exertions on his body, the video is akin to the aspirational advertisements favoured by the big sports brands.
But as quickly as you can say Bambi the mood switches and the jogger, played by actor Shaun McKee, runs into a wire snare positioned between two trees.
Ripping through his neck the wire first cuts and then slowly strangles him to death with the viewer left watching his body convulse and his eyes pop as the voiceover, delivered by the instantly recognisable tones of Peter Egan, describes his death in raw detail.
It’s not an easy watch, but it’s not supposed to be.
Warning: Some people may find the video above distressing
The animal rights charity commissioned director Paul Murphy to create the powerful film to portray the plight of a trapped animal.
It is campaigning for snare traps, like that – all be it on a smaller scale – used in the video, to be made illegal. It’s estimated the wire ligatures are killing an estimated 1.7 million animals a year - mainly it says by the shooting industry.
“The Silent Enemy is a stunning film which may cause a few people sleepless nights,” Chris Pitt, deputy director of campaigns at the League said.
“It’s the perfect charity campaign video. It lures you in, then hits you, leaving you with no alternative but to ‘get it’. It’s not preachy, it’s not wordy, it just does exactly what we needed it to do.
“Snaring is something that we believe should be banned, so we needed people to know about it. We called on Paul Murphy because he made a previous film ‘What If It Was You?’ for us, helping people understand what fox hunting really feels like - and that went viral.
“The Silent Enemy will do the same for snaring. It’s a fantastic film.”
Members of the public are urged to sign a new petition calling for a ban on snares in all parts of the UK.
