The Shadow Environment Minister, Elaine Murray MSP, has spoken out against illegal poisoning following the report yesterday that a poisoned red kite and raven had been discovered in her constituency.
The following statement has appeared today on her website:
Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray has hit out at the “shocking cruelty” of the poisoning of a red kite and raven in the hills near Durisdeer in Dumfries and Galloway.
The local MSP is warning of the impact on tourism in the area, as visitors to the Galloway Red Kite Trail have spent at least £21M in the region since 2004, with more than £2.6M spent by people who came specifically to see the kites.
Dumfriesshire MSP and Shadow Environment Minister Elaine Murray, who was involved in releasing some of the red kites in Dumfries and Galloway for the RSPB, said:
“This is an act of shocking cruelty that puts the very recovery of the red kite in Dumfries and Galloway at risk. Instances of poisoning like this are a double whammy because not only do they do potentially irreparable damage to our natural environment, but so much of our region’s tourism industry depends on wildlife that illegal killing of birds could have massive knock on consequences on our economy.
“This is a huge blow after the great news earlier this year that red kites have been bred in Nithsdale for the first time in 180 years. People come here to see the magnificent birds of prey in our countryside and it is selfish and barbaric to use illegal poisons to target them. The Police and RSPB Scotland have my full support in tracking down those responsible and I would urge anyone with information that could help to come forward”.
Elaine Murray MSP is no stranger to the fight against illegal raptor persecution, having played an important role during the debates on the WANE bill last year. She was also reported to have made several visits to raptor breeding sites earlier this year in the company of members from the local raptor study group.
Elaine Murray website here
Raptor Persecution UK 
Elaine has always been right behind raptor conservation..well done her. Now..what do the SNP Government have to say [and do!] about this…
Oh yes…and the Durisdeer area is no stranger to such incidents.
It’s absolutely brilliant that Elaine Murray MSP has come out and openly condemned this disgraceful act of illegal raptor persecution and highlighted the effect that his type of activity has, not only upon our natural heritage but on the local economy as a whole.
However, this does beg the question where are all the other MSP’s with statements condemning these atrocious actions? I thought we could have at least expected a comment from our Minister for the Environment Stewart Stevenson MSP
It does make me question just how seriously the government take these wildlife crimes when so few of our representatives are willing to speak up and openly condemn these responsible.
Jock