Month: May 2013

7.3% conviction rate for raptor crime in Scotland

One of our regular features on this blog has been to look at the number of illegally killed eagles over a period of time, and to compare that figure with the corresponding number of prosecutions (current stats are 27 dead or ‘missing’ eagles in seven years vs zero prosecutions).

We thought it’d be interesting to take a wider view and calculate the number of confirmed raptor persecution incidents (all species, not just eagles) and compare those with the corresponding number of convictions.

A few caveats first:

1. Persecution figures are only based on data from 2003-2011 inclusive, because we haven’t yet seen the confirmed data from 2012. We could have used persecution data from 1989 but the corresponding conviction data are unavailable pre-2003. We used 2012 conviction data as these relate to crimes that took place as far back as 2009.

2. The persecution data include other birds (e.g. ravens) but not mammals.

3. Only ‘confirmed’ incidents are included in the analysis; we have not included ‘probable’ or ‘possible’ incidents.

4. The number of confirmed incidents refers to the number of individual birds found, as opposed to the actual number of incidents per se. We don’t have access to information that would inform whether an incident involved more than one individual bird so we treated them all as separate incidents. We don’t think this is an unreasonable approach – indeed it’s how prosecutors treat incidents of other crime when they decide on the number of charges to bring, e.g. prosecutors in the case against the alleged Boston bomber will treat each victim as a separate charge against the alleged bomber, the same with the alleged kidnapper and rapist in the recent Cleveland, Ohio case.

So here’s what we found:

Confirmed incidents of poisoning, shooting, trapping, nest destruction 2003-2011 = 450.

Successful prosecutions 2003-2012 = 33.

Number of unsolved persecution crimes 2003-2011 = 417.

The conviction rate for raptor persecution crime in Scotland is a shocking 7.3%.

Scottish birdfair: more revealing details emerge

Last week we blogged about the continuing controversy over RSPB Scotland’s decision to once again hold their Scottish Birdfair at Hopetoun House. In defence of their decision, RSPB Scotland made the following statement:

“In essence the Hopetoun House site is owned by an independent charity – and has been for many years“.

We argued that RSPB Scotland were being disingenuous by failing to mention that the Earl of Hopetoun is the Deputy Chairman of this ‘independent’ charity, the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust (HHPT) (see here).

Since then, we decided to look a bit closer at the stated independence of this charity. Thanks to Andy Wightman, we’ve obtained a copy of the HHPT’s most recent Consolidated Report and Accounts (dated 31 December 2011). It’s quite revealing.

The report lists the HHPT trustees. We already knew that the Earl of Hopetoun was the Deputy Chairman, but what we didn’t know is that the Earl, and his father, as well as being ex officio trustees, are also members of the Executive Committee, along with two of the other seven trustees.

So what? Well, according to this report, under the heading ‘Structure, Governance and Management’ (page 3):

“The Trust [HHPT] is controlled by a Board of Trustees which meets twice a year. The Executive Committee, which meets regularly, is responsible for the day to day running of the trust“.

It’s funny, but in everday use the term ‘independent’ is usually used to mean unconnected, autonomous, unallied, ‘free from all ties’. Does this term accurately reflect the relationship between the Hopetoun family (who own Leadhills Estate) and the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust (the management body of the Scottish Birdfair venue)?

For the benefit of the decision-makers at RSPB Scotland, a copy of the report is provided here:

HHPT CONS 2011 DRAFT 180412

By the way, at the end of last week’s article we said we’d soon be blogging again about Leadhills Estate and that readers should prepare to be shocked (or not). Just to clarify, today’s blog entry is not the article to which we referred. That one’s coming up soon…

The SGA’s solution to climate change?…..kill predators

channel 4 newsIf you missed Channel 4 News this evening you really should watch the playback clip below – it’s hilarious.

As part of a Channel 4 News series, Jon Snow has been reporting on a new report written by some of the country’s top scientists on how climate change is affecting wildlife and how it’s likely to affect it in the future if management regimes are not adapted to address the issue.

Amongst other interviews, Snow discusses the report with Des Thompson of SNH and Allan Hodgson, an SGA member from Tomatin. Des Thompson does well and gives a sensible and concise explanation of what’s been happening and how authoritative the report is, based on the research of hundreds of scientists. Unsurprisingly, Hodgson doesn’t seem to have comprehended the whole climate change thing at all, and instead he talks about the need for “more control of protected predators“. Eh?

Hodgson’s interview technique doesn’t have the polished finish of his media-savvy colleague Alex Hogg – he looks decidedly uncomfortable throughout and what’s his right hand doing? – but he does live up to the standard of intelligence we’ve come to expect from the SGA. It was a masterstroke of Channel 4 news to invite him on.

Watch the interview available here for the next seven days. The relevant clip is called Britain’s countryside in crisis – debate.

Sea eagle chicks hatched in Ireland – first for over 100 years!

An historic conservation success has been achieved in Ireland as two pairs of white-tailed eagles have produced chicks in the last week – the first for over 100 years!

The chicks are the result of a long-term project to reintroduce sea eagles to Ireland after they were ruthlessly persecuted to extinction in the early 20th century. Beginning in 2007, the Golden Eagle Trust, an Irish conservation charity, in collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, began to release young sea eagles that had been donated by the Norwegian government. One hundred sea eagles were released in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, between 2007-2011 (see photo).

Last year one pair successfully laid eggs but unfortunately they failed to hatch. This is quite common for young, inexperienced eagles and this year, along with another pair, they’ve managed to produce chicks.

The project has not been without problems – many of the birds were wing-tagged and radio-tagged to follow their movements from the release site and this revealed that a number of them became victims of poisoning, shooting and windfarm collision. Others fared better though and a number have been reported in Northern Ireland and further afield in Scotland.

Many many congratulations to Project Manager Dr Allan Mee and his colleagues at the Golden Eagle Trust. These people are making history, not just with the sea eagle reintroduction but with similar projects for golden eagles and red kites too; species that also became extinct in Ireland as a direct result of persecution.

Golden Eagle Trust press release here

More on convicted gamekeeper Petrie

Petrie's middenFollowing on from yesterday’s blog entry about the conviction of ‘qualified’ gamekeeper Brian Petrie (here), more information has emerged.

The estate where Petrie committed his crimes has been reported by the Herald (see here) as Logie Estate, near Forres. The Herald article says: “The estate was not aware of Petrie’s actions and had cooperated fully  in the SSPCA’s investigation“. We’ve been told by a local informant who wishes to remain anonymous that Petrie had previously operated a sporting lease (for pheasant shooting) on Logie Estate but apparently did not have the lease at the time his offences were commited. In other words, it seems he had no permission to be setting snares on Logie Estate at that time.

We asked yesterday whether Petrie was a member of the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association. A statement on the SGA website this morning suggests he was not (see here) and the SGA has strongly condemned his criminal activities (good). They also go on to try and justify the use of snares but clearly miss the point – yes of course if you remove predators then their prey will increase, probably to artificially-high levels – that’s primary school stuff – but the debate is not whether predators should be removed (that’s a whole other argument!) but it’s the way in which they’re removed, and the welfare implications, that are key. For those interested in the snaring debate we recommend OneKind’s SnareWatch web page here. This site includes some useful reports about the use of snares and also provides a facility for the public to report the illegal use of snares. We’d also point readers to our earlier blog entry about how to recognise an illegally-set snare here.

The next case against gamekeepers accused of alleged snare crimes will be heard at Dornoch Sheriff Court next Monday, which is another hearing in the case against three gamekeepers from the Morvich Estate in Sutherland (see here and here for previous blog entries).

‘Qualified’ gamekeeper convicted of snaring offences

petrie_web_2_full_widthA 66-year-old gamekeeper has today been convicted of snaring offences in Scotland.

Brian Petrie, of Woodhead, Dunphail, pled guilty to three charges including setting snares likely to cause unnecessary suffering by partially or wholly suspending animals, setting snares in a manner likely to be dragged, and failing to release or remove an animal from a snare, all contrary to the Wildlife & Countryside Act.

Petrie was fined £500 for each offence, totalling £1,500. Most importantly, his conviction should now preclude him from using a General Licence for five years (unless of course he uses the convenient get-out clause offered by SNH, in which someone convicted of a wildlife crime may still apply to use an individual licence!).

For the gruesome details of the case, read the SSPCA press release here. Congratulations to the SSPCA for yet another successful wildlife crime investigation and prosecution. Isn’t it about time the Scottish Government opened their consultation on increasing SSPCA powers – you know, the consultation that was promised back in 2010 during the WANE bill debates? Three years on and we’re still waiting…

What’s particularly interesting about this case is that it’s reported that Petrie had completed the new snaring training course one year prior to the offences. It’s a good example of how some gamekeepers continue to commit wildlife crime, even though they’re often portrayed as ‘professionals’ and in this case, ‘qualified’ to set snares. Is this snare training course simply a box-ticking exercise that provides an air of respectability to a practice that, on welfare grounds alone, should have been outlawed decades ago? It really doesn’t seem to matter what legislation is put in place, whether it be for snaring or other types of trapping, poisoning, shooting etc – a lot of gamekeepers continue to stick two fingers up to the law and to all of us.

The press release doesn’t reveal the location of Petrie’s crimes, although we have a fairly good idea that he was working on a particular estate. We’ll do some more digging on that and report back if we can verify our suspicions.

It would also be fascinating to know if Petrie was/is a member of the SGA. Shall we ask them? Emails to: info@scottishgamekeepers.co.uk

UPDATE 8th May: see here

Scottish Birdfair critic ‘misguided’, says RSPB

The controversy over the Scottish Birdfair venue (Hopetoun House) continues. If you’re new to this saga, click here and here for background.

Following the results of our research last year where we uncovered some interesting links between Hopetoun and Leadhills Estates (see here, here and here), it seems one of our blog readers has been sharing our results with the wider public, and by all accounts to good effect. In response, earlier this week RSPB Scotland sent the following letter to Birdfair exhibitors [thanks to the contributors who sent us copies of this letter] –

Dear Scottish Birdfair 2013 exhibitor,

We understand that some of you may have recently been contacted on social media channels about the 2013 Scottish Birdfair by a private individual who is concerned about our choice of venue at Hopetoun House. This individual, a Mr Ronnie Graham, believes that there is a link between the venue and Leadhills estate –  alleged to be involved in illegal crime against birds of prey.

We wanted to write to reassure you that contrary to this individual’s assertions, holding the Scottish Birdfair at Hopetoun House on 11-12th May does not give cover to alleged and convicted lawbreakers, nor does it signal any lacking of our commitment to tackle wrongdoing against birds without fear or favour.

In essence the Hopetoun House site is owned by an independent charity-and has been for many years. The farms beyond the house and grounds, together with land in Dumfries known as Leadhills is owned by the Earl of Hopetoun. The Earl has apparently let the sporting on the Leadhills (ie the shooting) to a third party on quite a long lease. This sporting group manage the ground and employ the keepers. The Leadhills has been a wildlife crime blackspot – and the RSPB has been at the forefront of exposing this, and continues to press for action to tackle this criminality.

We do not doubt for a minute that Ronnie Graham has strongly held and genuine views – views we share. But we think he is misguided in his target – which should be the sporting tenant at Leadhills and the enforcement of the law by the responsible authorities. We have discussed this with him several times but he is not open to persuasion. His current activities could even jeopardise what will be the biggest Scottish gathering of bird and wildlife enthusiasts which we need to harness to pressure Scottish Government to take more action for raptors. The forces ranged against birds of prey are no doubt laughing as we squabble amongst ourselves.

RSPB Scotland has been at the vanguard of trying to stop such crimes over the past century, and we are committed to continuing our resolute opposition to the despicable perpetrators of raptor crime. The director of RSPB Scotland, Stuart Housden OBE, expresses exactly this sentiment in a recent blog here.

If you have any concerns about the event in light of any contact that you have received from a such third party on this, or any other, issue, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With kind regards, The Scottish Birdfair Team.

James Reynolds

Head of Media and Communications

RSPB Scotland

An interesting letter, although the author doesn’t seem to know where Leadhills is (it’s in South Lanarkshire, not Dumfries) and he also appears to have forgotten to include one significant (inconvenient?) detail:  the letter says, “In essence, the Hopetoun House site is owned by an independent charity – and has been for many years“. Yes, but what teensy weensy yet crucial detail is missing from this statement? Could it be that the Earl of Hopetoun is the Deputy Chairman of that ‘independent’ charity (Hopetoun House Preservation Trust)? Look, it even says so on his Director’s biography on the Scottish Land and Estates page here. Isn’t it a bit disingenuous of RSPB to omit that detail?

We’ve been through the Hopetoun/Leadhills arguments many times before (see links above) and don’t intend to repeat them. We’ve laid out the evidence from our research and people can read it and make up their own minds about whether they think Hopetoun Estate is involved or not involved with the management of Leadhills Estate. The Earl is on record as saying Hopetoun Estate has ‘no role whatsoever’; we think differently and so it follows that we also think that the RSPB’s decision to hold the Scottish Birdfair at Hopetoun House is baffling, not least when you consider it’s the RSPB’s own Investigations Team who have spent years documenting dead birds and poisoned baits at Leadhills (see here); they’re probably as astonished as anyone about the venue choice.

The RSPB’s letter suggests that Ronnie Graham’s efforts are ‘misguided’. Rubbish! On the contrary, in our view it’s the RSPB decision-makers who have been misguided by choosing Hopetoun House as their Scottish Birdfair venue, not just once, but twice!

We’ll be blogging about Leadhills again in the not too distant future….prepare to be shocked, although you probably won’t be.

UPDATE 11th May 2013: Here is more information about the ‘independent’ charity to which the RSPB refer. It wouldn’t be our definition of ‘independent’.

Dead buzzard found with beak bound closed with twine

buzzard beak boundDerbyshire Constabulary are appealing for information about a dead buzzard that was found with twine forced through a hole in its beak to bind it shut.

The bird was found by a member of the public on April 11th on land near Turnditch. Police wildlife crime officers are working with the RSPB to investigate the circumstances of this bird’s death.

Wildlife Crime Officer PC Emerson Buckingham said: “This bird was most probably alive when it was attacked and may have starved to death as it would have been unable to eat or drink with its beak bound“.

Interestingly, Turnditch is just down the road from Idriedgehay and Kirk Ireton where a total of six buzzards were found poisoned in 2010 (see here).

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Buckingham on (Tel: 101) or the RSPB (Tel: 0845 466 3636).

Well done to Derbyshire Constabulary for the publicity on this disgraceful crime. Press release here.

Thanks to @HowardJones88 for passing on the link to us.