Remember that gas gun we blogged about at the end of May, positioned on the Broomhead Estate in the Peak District National Park, booming away across the grouse moor and undoubtedly disturbing birds in an area designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)?
Guess what? It’s still there.
Here are some more recent pictures:
Ironically, the response from the authorities (South Yorkshire Police, Peak District National Park Authority, Natural England) to this suspected wildlife crime has been a deafening silence.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Why is it still there? I ask not the landlords or the keepers, but the photographer.
Please don’t blame the photographer! We’re grateful that s/he is documenting this and allowing us to post the images. Your question should be directed at South Yorkshire Police, Peak District National Park Authority and Natural England, all of whom have been notified.
At least just turn the gas bottle to ‘off’.
Vigilantism would be a tempting option for many but wouldn’t really be the answer to this type of ‘raptor control’.
Still awaiting replies from PDNPA and Natural England ……. had a terse reply from Sth Yorks Police telling me off for contacting the Ch Super ………. still awaiting update which was promised.
Some day these jobs worths might realise they work for us!
The Police? Not in my lifetime
Me too!
All of us !!!
Why ARE the authorities so feeble? Can anyone provide an actual answer to that question? It’s bad enough the police behaving in such a clandestine manner, but why the National Park Authority and Natural England? Even the strongest responses from RSPB are weak and over-cautiously worded. In Scotland it isn’t much better, with Scottish Natural Heritage’s pathetic pandering to landowners and politicians, more or less ignoring the opinion of we lesser mortals. What on earth is going on?
Jack Snipe: It’s called ‘corruption’! It beggars belief that the authorities in the U.K. can lecture other countries like Afghanistan and Nigeria on the subject, yet our ‘ruling’ classes, our lawmakers, our lawyers and our law enforcers are just as corrupt themselves! A terse reply from S.Yorks Police for contacting their Chief Super! What a load of bollocks! I know from my time in the Met that these ‘Senior Officers’ in the ‘shires’ believed themselves to be god (small g) but it’s about time that this particular one got off his f’king arse and did his job and banged a few of his officers’ heads together! Not in love with the S.Yorks Police from my times ‘helping them out’ during the Miners Strike. Their senior management then were a bunch of wankers from what I could see – seems nothings changed! Off topic: I was a ‘Tory’ voter until I went on those detachments – I have never voted for them since and nor will I ever again!
In the Mid nineties and in 2003 we had gas guns placed firstly near a goshawk nest, in a small valley where harriers were displaying in and finally on a moor a nesting male harrier was hunting or at least flying over to get to his hunting range. In all cases on SSSIs we were told by NE at the time that because they had no dispensation to use them the owners were breaking the law. After words from NE in the first and last cases the gas guns were (a) removed but the Gos deserted and ( b) turned off when NE inspected back on afterwards and strangely removed by persons unknown (not estate employees) soon after. The harriers nested elsewhere successfully and it did not affect the hunting harrier.
There’s a Wildlife Crime Unit in South Yorkshire. Why isn’t it on the case? Perhaps some letters to the Yorkshire media would help.
Am I alone in finding it very strange that the gun is draped in a camouflage net (although the cylinder is not). Any ideas why this should be so?
Yes John, it is so others cannot find it easily and take what they feel might be appropriate action, as described in the case above.