Yet another red kite has been illegally killed in North-east England.
The body of the latest victim was discovered in Chopwell Wood, west of Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, over the Easter weekend. It had been shot.
For those of you who read Mick Render’s poignant guest blog on Mark Avery’s website last week (here), this news will come as no surprise.
Further details of the latest fatality here.
Red kite photo by David Tomlinson
Raptor Persecution UK 
Have Friends of Red Kites been informed?
Yes, by the looks of the article in the Northern Echo, FoRK are the ones who’ve put out the press release. Good for them.
It is high time all shot is marked with smart water or some other scheme at time of purchase and registered against the purchaser’s details, making it possible to track who the bastards are.
Simon, I had been wondering how it might be possible to mark shot with individual/purchaser details.
No reason not to do such then, except the likes of Liz Truss would doubtless object-time for the tories to go.
Red Kites are magnificent birds and a real pleasure to see. These morons who kill them are worst than scum. Maybe someone in the game shooting industry can tell me what harm do these birds do?
They’ve got hooked beaks and talons so the idiots in the game killing industry hate them!!! Some sort of moronic Victorian throwback.
This was most probably not shot by the game shooting industry as there are none around this area. Most likely just some local idiot who thought it might be fun to have a shot at it. Unless it was shot a way off and survived for a while. It is suspected however to be one of a breeding pair in the woods it was found. Further checks on the area will confirm this in the next week or so.
Sadly the days of arseholes with guns, air rifles taking pot shots for fun aren’t over yet. When blasting away at as many birds as possible for ‘sport’ is seen as legitimate in some circumstances it can’t help quash this opportunistic type of killing. Surprise, surprise the SGA opposed, unsuccessfully, plans to get air rifles licensed in Scotland. In spite of the general mayhem they’ve caused including the death of a small boy SGA felt it was a bureaucratic restriction on personal freedom. Calling them Victorian is kind, medieval is more accurate.
Can I add that the cause of death has not been established the kite certainly had two gunshot wounds but this has not been verified as the cause of death. The matter is still being dealt with by Northumbria Police.
Does it matter if the gunshots caused death or not? It seems academic.
Too many fools around with guns, whether their shot actually kills the target or wounds it, and the bird dies later of some mysterious disease.
I agree entirely Marian It is a disgraceful willful act of murder whatever caused the final death