Two buzzards have been found shot dead in separate incidents in North Yorkshire.
One was found with shot gun injuries near East Lutton and the other one was found with shot gun injuries at Sutton Bank top near Helmsley in the North York Moors National Park.
Information and photos from Jean Thorpe (Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre).
No further details available but hopefully North Yorkshire Police will issue a press release soon.
If you have any info please contact Police Wildlife Crime Officer Jez Walmsley: jeremy.walmsley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
Raptor Persecution UK 
And they want licenses so they can do this legally?
North Yorkshire……..again!
Sadly buzzards are shot on a regular basis and buried before people find them, catching the people who are doing it is the problem.
It really is time to ban the casual ownership of shotguns. There is no reason why any farmer should have one: we don’t have any dangerous wildlife in this country. It is a hangover from a past that should have no part of our future.
I generally disagree that there is anything wrong with shotgun ownership, and moreover that there is anything ‘casual’ about shotgun ownership – getting one is a robust process which you may or may not be familiar with. it is wrong to categorise farmers as ‘problem’ shotgun users as on balance, they are not. What we really need to do is move away from a criticism of shooting in general to an argument that puts a gaping chasm between those who abide by the law and those who do not. Within the current system we are in, similar to any other area of crime, we need to work harder to make our enforcement of the law as comprehensive and wide ranging as allowed by the relevant laws.
No such thing as a “good” hunter….they are all sick. The “gaping chasm” you mention would be ideal to dump them in.
I have to say that I am not particularly bothered whether the North Yorkshire police issue a timely press statement or not. That is not the relevant measurement of their effectiveness.
I am particularly interested in whether they have the capability and the inclination to arrest people with guns breaking the law.
A press release from the police will generate far greater press interest and publicity about the case and the quicker the call for help the better people’s memories will be so I think RPS is right to hope they issue a press release soon. That will all help with investigations but, as you say, it will be interesting to find out their capability and inclination to arrest the culprit.
The chances of there being any arrests for an unwitnessed shooting are essentially nil. there is no evidence tying a culprit to the offence that is more than circumstantial without that or a confession. Even the stupidest gun holder will not do that. So the police press statement will generate some publicity to show this is something they will follow up and is not a victimless crime. It is in a small way a deterrent. both of these areas are pheasant shooting areas.
What is is with North Yorkshire? They should shut the whole game keeping community down in that county.
We need cameras on the birds not trackers.
Every time this blatant cruelty happens call in all the gun licenses in the area for six months, soon put a stop to it.
The whole problem Js is the mindset that people feel the need to fire guns and kill things be it farmer or game keeper . There is absolutely no circumstance where killing an animal makes any situation better,nature manages very well and has done so for thousands of years, it is us who have buggered everything up and we try to sort it by shooting things. In my late teens I was mad keen on shooting , but it was wrong then and the idiots (gamekeepers) that I mixed with were wrong as well . I however quickly grew out of it , those who continue this are just wee boys trying to prove they are big tough men , they are anything but.
Paul
Whilst I agree that it is very difficult to investigate and convict a person responsible for shooting birds of prey ,it can be done.
Below is a link I found relating to one such recent case investigated by the SSPCA.
https://www.scottishspca.org/newsroom/latest-news/farmer-convicted-of-shooting-buzzard/
I wouldn’t write of cases before they are investigated, this allows some organisations including some police forces to give up before even trying.
Surely another reason why SSPCA should be given increased powers?
No need to reiterate this, but yet again we see only the tip of the iceberg.
What hope do Red Kites have when they try to colonise this area? These two were not even that close to the grouse moor killing grounds.
Pretty sure there’s a horrendous amount of buzzard persecution going on. The pheasant folk don’t like them either and then there are the lovely pigeon fanciers plus any idiot with an airgun that a buzzard provides a nice big target for. Been in touch with someone setting camera traps to try and find red squirrels. In spite of doing everything they can to make them inconspicuous to at least one camera has been vandalised along with several squirrel feeders. There’s a lot of poaching and illegal wildlife killing going on in the same areas (as well as pheasant shooting) – be bloody amazed if BOPs aren’t being routinely killed there even here a good way from the grouse moors. Definitely fewer buzzards than there used to be. I think in some respects that persecution in woods is even easier to hide than it is on the moors