A total of 12 red kites and four buzzards have now been retrieved in the Ross-shire Massacre – one of the worst mass poisoning incidents to have been uncovered in recent years.
The victims have all been recovered from a very small area near Conon Bridge in the Highlands. They include breeding adults and juvenile birds – the impact of these deaths on the already-struggling Black Isle red kite population will be significant.
This mass poisoning comes on the back of the news that reported poisoning incidents in Scotland in 2013 doubled from 2012 figures. Other types of persecution were also reported, including shooting, trapping, nest-tree felling and birds that were trapped and then beaten to death.
We await the Scottish Government’s response to this latest outrage with great interest.
The RSPB has put up a £5K reward for information leading to a successful conviction.
Previous blogs on the Ross-shire Massacre here, here, here and here.
Photo of red kites at Gigrin Farm, Wales, by David Bowman.
Raptor Persecution UK 
The scum that did this must be caught and jailed, if the authorities can’t find these culprits from such a small area, then there truly is no hope.
It truly makes my blood boil how this population of Red Kites, are slowly being driven to extinction by the selfish attitudes of the land owners and their gamekeeper servants. Something should have been done long ago, after all the killing has been going on, on an industrial scale, since the re-introduction.
Sounds like a very targetted and organized crime to kill so many birds in such a short space of time. Authorities need to now lockdown the area until the investigation starts to come up with results that can nail the scum responsible for an act that may well threaten the future of these iconic birds across Northern Scotland
I sometimes wonder if “contract killers” are brought in.
The kites are used to being ground fed, so it would be very easy for someone to put out poisoned baits in a small area and get a large number of victims.
I dread going on this site! My life has been devoted to saving wildlife, animal welfare and an assortment of human charities to lessening hunger and suffering, along with the conservation of rainforests, the oceans etc. I like to think that my donations, signing of petitions and protests make some difference.
However, on my own doorstep, for hundreds of years, a huge area of the Scottish landscape is being “managed” to ensure that a bird of prey and certain mammals cleansing is ongoing every day of the year, year after year, to ensure that target numbers of game birds will be available for industrial size killing, as a “sport”. My idea of sport was when I ran up and down Rugby fields or lifted record poundage weights in powerlifting, or watched my pals play football/tennis/bowls etc. Good healthy real sport that did not involve killing. Yet, here we have a system that appears to be protected by whatever hierarchy runs this poor wee country, for the benefit of blood sports. Some of these pretendy sports people have had their shooting interest inculcated when attending the dreadful schools for creating toffs what hunt, and our Royal Family.
If I were a Chief Constable or the Environment Minister, I would be falling on my sword, out of disgracefully failing to come up with a solution to this insult to law and order, and to the valiant efforts of decent and humane people, who wish to transform Scotland once again, into having noble birds of prey in its skies. I bet if a group got together and raided these shooting estates, and did damage to their infrastructures, it would be sought out pretty quickly, and summarily incarcerated for a good period of time. However, decent people would never take the law into their own hands, but would follow, as the RSPB and SSPCA are doing, the rule of law.
A line should now be drawn, and from now on those who want to maintain the policy of restoring Scotland’s wildlife, should launch and national petition to force Government into taking more forceful steps to control and eradicate what is going on on the Scottish landscape, with regard to the illegal killing of wildlife. I sign petitions every day to stop bears, wolves, elephants, tigers, etc being killed in other countries, and many of them do work, but the ones that do not come from countries whose governments are chummy with the perpetrators. There are several good petition sites that would delight in launching a well put together petition that could go international. Surely, the public is not going to continue to believe that gamekeepers and shooting estates have created a wonderful countryside for us, and that their “industry” saves the Scottish economy by bringing in millions of pounds. Inevitably, the land will come under public ownership, and it will be used more imaginatively by creating real jobs, and in turning the deserts out there into more vibrant areas for wildlife and respectful people.
We live in hope Mr Hart!