Sacha Dench: ‘Human Swan’ wins 2026 RSPB medal for lead ammunition ban

During her Flight of the Swans expedition, Sacha Dench crossed 11 countries, raising awareness about lead poisoning and safer ammunition alternatives. For Sacha Dench, conservation has rarely meant standing at a distance. Known as the ‘Human Swan’ for flying alongside migrating birds in a paramotor, the Dartmoor-based conservationist has spent years taking difficult environmental issues into the field, often meeting the people at the centre of them. Her latest campaign has helped turn a long-running debate over lead ammunition into a landmark change for wildlife, states an online report by Mid-Devon Advertiser.A prestigious recognitionAccording to October 2026 report, Dench has been named among the recipients of the 2026 RSPB Medal, the organisation’s most prestigious honour. The award recognises the collective efforts of the Lead Ammunition Collective, which campaigned for decades to phase out most lead ammunition in England, Scotland and Wales, adds the report.The legislation marks a significant moment for bird conservation, with the restrictions expected to prevent thousands of tonnes of lead from entering the countryside each year. The medal places Dench alongside previous reci...