Here we go again…
A dead buzzard found in Stirlingshire in September had been illegally poisoned, according to Police Scotland. Three months on, they are now appealing for information.
The buzzard was found by a member of the public in the Sheriffmuir area, north of Bridge of Allan. The name of the poison used has not been revealed.
Adding this incident to the already swollen tally of illegally-killed birds found in 2013, it is abundantly clear that illegal poisoning is most definitely not decreasing, despite what the game-shooting industry would have you believe. We have calculated a 66% increase in poisoning crimes this year, and there are still a couple of weeks to go.
You might want to email the Environment Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, and ask him (a) why the police appeal for information is three months late, and (b) what else he proposes to do about this disgraceful situation seeing as illegal raptor poisoning in Scotland is back on the increase and current government measures to stop it are clearly not working.
Emails to: ministerforenvironment@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
News article here
Raptor Persecution UK 
Waiting with bated breath for the Ministers reply.
Appalling police performance.
I have emailed the Minister.
You know, Raptor persecution crimes must be one of the only crimes where the police don’t start to look for evidence immediately, why? Maybe a response from a Chief Constable who is genuinely keen to put a stop to wildlife crime can provide us with a genuine answer ! Any other crimes would receive far more attention from the start, witnesses would be sought, evidence would be gathered and assessed before it had time to lose it’s significance and the media would be involved to glean any public information available. It stinks from the very top down, delaying tactics, because that’s just what they are, can only be carried out with one aim in mind, to ensure that no prosecution will be forthcoming! Even if an occasional criminal Raptor persecutor does end up in court, the dismal poorly collected and prepared evidence presented is rarely if ever good enough to convict even in the most straightforward of cases.
Good luck with contacting the minister, he’s had ample time to do something meaningful about the problem already. He talks a good talk as do most ministers, but is he really earnest about it, and yet here we are again! Reported Raptor poisonings / persecution is on the increase, (I say reported because we all know it’s just the tip of the iceberg), and still no Vicarious Liability cases even remotely close to going to court.
We tweeted the Minister this morning and asked for his thoughts on the 66% rise in illegal raptor poisoning this year. He hasn’t responded. He has tweeted about the weather and a new tree-planting initiative though! Priorities?
Yes the weather will have some affect on wildlife persecution, it will hopefully help to keep the gamekeepers indoors longer, perhaps it will wash away some of the illegal poisons on the baits they’ve already set out to kill the Raptors. Maybe the tree planting will be on the grouse moor estates helping to reduce the amount of monocultured land available to Red Grouse!!! I doubt he’s even thinking about how he can help put a stop to the escalating problem of illegal wildlife persecution, let alone do something to ensure the police are aware of their duty to put every effort into bringing these wildlife persecuting criminals to real justice.
He may well be otherwise engaged – preparing his speech for when he attends the SGA’s AGM in March, perhaps?.
Will he be telling them that he has had enough and will be banning driven grouse shooting? Or will he be thanking them for all their hard work on PAW in the fight against raptor persecution?
I suppose he’ll be doing what all politicians do, he’ll bend with the wind. If he’s in a meeting with the SGA he’ll probably use the usual platitudes to let them think he’s on their side, but he also has to appear as if he’s a bit fed up with the way these rather obvious raptor persecutions are receiving so much attention lately, and that they really should do something about it as they are bad for his image and theirs.
Another sad story. You mention ‘illegal’ poisoning. Are there any ‘legal’ uses for poison in Scotland or the UK for controlling any kind of animal ‘pest’?
Yes, rodenticides.