One year ago, almost to the day, a significant haul of pre-prepared poisoned baits (36 in total) was discovered in two game bags that were hidden in woodland next to a grouse moor on Leadhills Estate. The 36 chopped up pieces of meat had been liberally sprinkled with the deadly banned poison, Carbofuran.
We blogged about this discovery in June 2013 (see here). We were highly critical of the police, who had failed to issue any press statement whatsoever, despite the proximity of the poisoned stash to a public caravan park (see photo, which we took in Feb this year). NB: This caravan park has no connection whatsoever to the Leadhills (Hopetoun) Estate.
We were also critical of the police investigation, which included arriving on scene in marked police vehicles, thus notifying any poisoner(s) of their presence and allowing the poisoner(s) valuable time to hide any remaining evidence. We also criticised their failure to conduct a police search of the adjacent moor for any evidence of baits that had already been set out. Their failure to conduct an immediate search was particularly stupid given (a) the known history of poisoning incidents in this area and (b) the knowledge that one of the two game bags was only half full of baits.
In November 2013 we blogged about the high probability that a prosecution would not be forthcoming in this case (see here).
Today, we have just read a SASA report that confirms our suspicions. This incident is recorded as:
“No suspect identified. Case now closed“.
The Untouchables get away with committing a serious wildlife crime, again….
Raptor Persecution UK 
Thank goodness this bait was found. I hope the perpetrator is caught and gets the book thrown at them! Just shocking!
Ali Latham
I would like to point out that the caravan. Park in this report has nothing to do with leadhills estate or the game keepers
I would like it noted that the caravan park has no connection to houpetoun estate or the game keepers.
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks for your comment Rena. We will add a sentence in the post to make sure this statement is clearly understood.
Thank you.
i wonder if we would see ‘case closed’ if someone was to starve a mink for a week then let it loose in a release pen on the Leadhills Estate? Something tells me the constabulary would be a lot more vigorous in their investigation.
Judge probably into Grouse shooting. Shame on the Scottish legal system.
Did we ever expect any other outcome where the police and Red Grouse shooting estates are concerned. Until the SSPCA are allowed to become involved and the courts are prepared to do the job they are paid to do, regardless of who owns the estate, then the shooting estate owners and their gamekeepers will always come out on top and the Raptors will continue to suffer and decline.
Good information suggests SSPCA consultation due out ‘this month’.
What is also interesting is that the police approach to visiting and searching property when some chavs on the local housing estate are suspected of having drugs in the house is rather different. They turn up mob handed in the early hours and approach the house with stealth before battering the door down and pulling everyone out of bed before cuffing them. Not so for Mr rich landowner. Oh no they make as much noise as they can on approach, probably asking permission to go on his land beforehand. This of course is all done at a respectable time so that Mr rich landowner doesn’t have to suffer the indignity of having his grouse and asparagus go cold on the plate. Even in the rare cases that a posecution is actually persued, Mr rich landowner is allowed to nominate one of his serfs, known as a gamekeeper, to take his place in court. Ah well such is life.
And this incident will not go in the governments wildlife crime report.
It might do this year. We understand that the PAW Scotland poisoning maps (2013 map due any day) will now include other types of persecution, not just poisoned birds. So, poisoned baits should be included, as should incidents involving shooting & trapping.
That is indeed good news.
I wrote to Wheelhouse on why poisoned bait was not included in the government figures and i highlighted the case you blogged about of a large amount of bait found with a rotten buzzard nearby on 3 May 2012 in the Borders.
https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/rspb-scotland-publishes-2012-persecution-report/
It was also highlighted in the RSPB raptor persecution report 2012.
Click to access the-illegal-killing-of-birds-of-prey-in-scotland-2012.pdf
I wrote to ask why their claim to RP readers that raptors weren’t involved was contradicted by the RSPB report.
I didn’t even get a reply.
Surely there is enough on this estate to shut it down
40+ recorded incidents between 2003-2013 – you’d have thought so, wouldn’t you?
Friends in high places again!