A news article in today’s York Press reports that an un-named gamekeeper has been arrested over the alleged illegal use of cage traps.
North Yorks Police said a live buzzard was found caught inside a trap, which apparently was inside a pheasant pen (?!) in the Pickering area. The buzzard was released unharmed, and a second trap containing a live pigeon was found nearby.
The article can be read here. There’s no mention of who the gamekeeper is, nor the name of the estate/farm/land which was searched under a police warrant. There’s also no information about when these alleged incidents took place. No information is available on the North Yorks police website either.
A statement attributed to investigating police officer PC Stewart Ashton appears in the newspaper article:
“Police are receiving a growing amount of evidence that raptors are being routinely shot, trapped and poisoned by gamekeepers throughout the Ryedale area. This is just the latest incident in what appears to be a persistent breaking of the law by a significant number of gamekeepers. This is a hidden crime which usually goes unreported. Sadly, what we are seeing is just the tip of a very big iceberg“.
An earlier blog entry from March 2012 about a poisoned red kite found in this area can be read here. Again the story was published in the York Press but precious few details were released.
In May 2011, a gamekeeper from Ryedale was convicted of shooting a badger. David Stephen Welford pleaded guilty at Scarborough Magistrates Court and was fined £385 and ordered to pay £100 court costs. York Press news article here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
And gamekeepers wonder why so many of us loath them!
I believe that the landowners are the prime culprits.
I hope these comments reflect a new determination to take on these criminals. Their is no doubt that this part of the UK is a black hole for all raptor species.
It appears that all grouse moors are a black spot for raptors and wilcats pine martins, badgers etc. But while the currant MP in charge of DEFRA is in place nothing will change. It is well known that he is the gamekeepers friend.