This is the story that just won’t go away.
This morning we reported that a 13th dead red kite had been found (see here).
Now, a 14th red kite has been uncovered in the Ross-shire Massacre, bringing the total of confirmed dead birds to 18 (14 red kites & 4 buzzards). We fully expect this figure to rise again.
As the death toll grows, so does the reward fund, reflecting the public’s increasing frustration and anger. If you’d like to donate, please click HERE.
Previous blogs on the Ross-shire Massacre here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
I understand that David Cameron is a very very keen shooter, along with many of his cabinet colleagues. That’s why nothing happens to prevent these crimes. The BBC, not wanting to offend the establishment, never produces television programmes featuring the illegal persecution of raptors in Britain. The English hen harrier produced no young in 2013, for the first time in over fifty years. They are being driven to extinction on the red grouse moors of England, and by degree, in Scotland. Yet there is no media coverage of the story – because the establishment want it kept quiet.
Still no comment from Paul Wheelhouse? his silence is deafening. Is there no progress in this despicable crime?
On the BBC Scottish news today, A gamekeeper was asking that access to the countryside should be restricted to protect endangered species. May I suggest that the biggest danger to protected (and other) species are the gamekeepers themselves.
Also, of course, they would love to have less people roaming the hills, less chance of any illegal activities being seen.
With this massacre, the government can no longer pretend that raptor poisoning is decreasing, which they were so proud to announce a couple of years ago!
Still nothing from Wheelhouse. We’ll be blogging more about that soon.
In the meantime, here’s the article in the Scotsman about SGA Chairman Alex Hogg suggesting that access to the countryside should be restricted to help wildlife. You couldn’t make it up:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/close-scottish-mountains-to-hillwalkers-1-3368610
You couldn’t make it up but Alex Hogg does with regularity, I’m sure his nose used to be much shorter !!!
Any hills they closed or tried to close would be wide open for Gamekeepers to do whatever they wanted. Raptors would be persecuted along with all other wildlife that was not wanted. Think if this were to be allowed, Mountaineers would have to adapt to methods used by walkers in England a long time ago. I am on about a mass trespass. How would Mr Hogg and his members cope with a few thousand hillwakers tramping all over their hills. I think Mr Hogg needs to be very careful what he does, it could have unexpected results.
Oh yes ……… the biggest areas of suspicion are where landowners do no want the public to have access.
Wheelhouse and his ilk are a major part of the problem.
Hard to believe that so many birds could be poisoned in such a small area and the landowner not seen anything
Hope these people are caught before it’s too late again
This indiscriminate use of poison to kill animals and birds of prey is widespread. Your dog or child could be poisoned because it is usually deposited in a dead rabbit. It’s all down to profit – gamekeepers optimising the best conditions for red grouse so they can be shot by millionaires and the well-off. Red kites don’t even prey on red grouse chicks. They are mostly scavengers. I’ve a couple of poems about kites on my blog.