North Yorkshire Police are appealing for information 11 months after a red kite was found poisoned in Tadcaster. The RSPB has also put up a £1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and charge.
The dead bird (a three-year old believed to have been part of a breeding pair) was discovered by a member of the public at Toulston Polo Ground in October 2012. Toxicology results have revealed the bird had been poisoned with Carbofuran.
On the face of it, this looks like another farcical mishandling of a raptor persecution crime by the police, with an exceptionally long delay between the discovery of the victim and an appeal for information. However, rumours from colleagues in Yorkshire suggest that the initial testing (post-mortem) was not straightforward, leading to a prolonged delay. It is also rumoured that the bird was eventually submitted for toxicology analysis under a private submission co-funded by the Yorkshire Kite Group and the RSPB, leading to the detection of the banned poison Carbofuran.
The bird is believed to be the 20th poisoned red kite reported in North Yorkshire since 2000.
North Yorkshire police press release here
Raptor Persecution UK 
How impressive is this! An appeal for information almost a year after the bird was found dead! God help us. Do the police and RSPB really believe the trail scent will still be fresh enough to follow? I note the dead bird was found just 9 miles from the Red Kite release site at Harewood House – what a marvellous choice of area by someone – one of the most renowned ‘Black Hole’ counties for ‘disappearing’ birds of prey in England!
The police usually investigate themselves faster than this….except when it comes to complaints about lack of action re wildlife crime.
How sad, do the RSPB know there is a Black Hole county, even Black Hole counties, and the release site was obviously dangerous and deadly for this bird. A year after, what hope of find the killer/s…. too sad.
Harwood was a magnificent site for release. The owner is passionate about wildlife and his success should rub off on others but we live in a corrupt society where the greed of others make them good friends of the politicians. The Kites have influenced decent men to call their companies after the birds and even lead to the shirt of Leeds United to have Red Kite as a symbol for one season seen by millions on TV around the world. A shirt I still wear to this day. MOT
well said John, One voice, it only takes One voice. back that voice up and criticise those who break the law, not those who try and go against the grain
John and Merlin. I wasn’t cricising the Harewood Estate per se. I was criticising the release of Red Kites (or any other bird of prey) in a county with a dire record for bird of prey persecution, and a county which continues these killings to this day. To quote a shout from the rear of a hall in which I was personally giving a lecture on the merits of release – “Aye lad, you put ’em out and we’ll knock ’em out of the sky”. If the county is so good, why are there no nesting Hen Harriers on the Yorkshire Moors, and what happened to the female Eagle Owl which nested for ten years at Catterick, rearing 23 owlets successfully? And where have all these fledged youngsters gone? Answer – “into the Black Hole’!
That must include everywhere North of Derby then ?
Probaly true – and throw in Northern Ireland as well by the look of it!