Police are appealing for information following the discovery of a shot dead buzzard in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
The corpse was discovered by a member of the public about half a kilometre east of Ward’s Cottage, Gartocharn at around 2.15pm on Wednesday 5th August. It was found with a bullet wound in its chest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Strange the police can tell us where this crime happened but not when it happens on a grouse moor?
I am open to being corrected.
I am now going to forward all news like this to the Environmental Minister who doesn’t know what ‘zero tolerance’ actually means but uses it because it sounds good in press releases.
Ah, now i see the update for yesterday. Only 4 months late.
RPS, any chance of a name and shame list for the wildlife offences for each estate. I am very impressed with the ones for Glenogil and other lists for the Angus glens.
Quite often in cases like this, the corpse is removed from the scene it was killed by the person responsible and dumped elsewhere, so it’s often difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly where the shooting took place. All the police have given here is the location the corpse was found. Until we know more details then we shouldn’t make assumptions.
If it had a transmitter maybe as in the recent eagle case but otherwise what evidence do you have for ‘Quite often in cases like this’. Sounds like a smoke-screen.
Stuart’s point is valid, there have been examples of this (the sat-tagged eagle that moved overnight, with two broken legs, from Millden Estate to a lay-by in Aberdeenshire; 4 poisoned raptors (buzzards & sparrowhawks) in a bag dumped in a lay-by in Midlothian). However, the frequency of this practice is unknown so suggesting it happens ‘quite often’ is speculative. It’s more commonly known with badgers – illegally killed and then dumped on the road to look like road kill.
I’ve noticed recently some of the road kill on the A75 and A709 has been looking a lot less crow-y and pheasant-y than normal. Sadly though they are too laminated and in places that I’d consider too dangerous to get out and inspect in detail.
Maybe it is time to recall all shotguns and shooting licenses until such a time as positive linkages can be made with owners. I mean, I like a bit of walk up grouse and pheasant shooting as much as the next woman, but it just isn’t worth it. And I struggle to see why gamekeepers and farmers need guns anyway, not like there are bear, wolf, or leopard roaming British countryside (more is the pity). Well, maybe for deer culling since about 75% of the national deer herd need culled, but apart from that specific circumstance (and I’m not even sure on that, must be other ways to do it), de-arm them and shut down the industry. It is over.
Utterly devastated by all the reports of the illegal murder of our beautiful raptors.
It is well past time that Gamekeepers were just a part of history. Then we would all enjoy more Eagles, Buzzards, Red Kites, Hen Harriers, Wildcats, Pine Martins, Mountain Hares, Foxes etc. etc. Plus no more muirburn to blight our hills.
If it is indeed a bullet wound rather than a shotgun pellet, then there may be the chance of a match to a rifle, and from there, an owner?
You need the bullet and the rifle to compare it to. On such a small target a rifle bullet is likely to be a through-and-through and lost somewhere on the moor. Even if it wasn’t, a warrant would be required for any rifle to compare it to and you’d need to have some other evidence first in order to get a warrant.
Not too far from the new-ish RSPB reserve at Loch Lomond. It could simply be a disgruntled random person that has killed the bird, or farmer or landowner, or pheasant breeder, but it could easily be a reprisal attack against the RSPB. Does anyone know if there is any suggestion of an anti-RSPB stance by the criminal?