Month: October 2018

Bob Elliot appointed new Director at OneKind

The Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind has played a blinder by appointing Bob Elliot as its new Director.

Bob has worked for the RSPB for the last 14 years, previously as Head of Investigations in Scotland and currently as Head of Investigations UK. He’s well known for his unflappable, good-humoured and straight-talking approach and his wide-ranging experience in the conservation sector will be of enormous benefit to OneKind as it steps up its campaigning efforts in the coming years.

Bob’s career in conservation has equipped him with many skills. Prior to joining the RSPB he worked as a Head Warden on the Farne Islands and then a number of jobs with National Trust Scotland as a ranger and then a manager, and then he managed the ranger service at Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. More recently he has been leading tours for Naturetrek inbetween his day job at the RSPB. He’s a first-rate naturalist, knows how to engage with the public either face to face, infront of the camera and in print, and, importantly, he knows the game-shooting industry only too well. This will be valuable experience later this autumn as OneKind, along with a wider coalition, will be launching a new project that focuses on grouse moor management, partly building on OneKind’s recent high profile campaign against the mass culling of mountain hares on driven grouse moors. Bob’s considerable expertise and well-honed partnership-working skills will help ensure this project is both effective and influential.

Bob starts his new role with OneKind on 15 October and we wish him the best of luck and look forward to a close collaboration.

Of course, OneKind’s gain is the RSPB’s loss and it’ll be interesting to see who now takes on the role of UK Head of Investigations.

Yorkshire police investigate suspicious death of buzzard found with head injuries

Press release from Humberside Police (2 Oct 2018):

BUZZARD FOUND DEAD WITH TRAP WOUNDS TO HEAD

We are investigating the suspicious death of a common buzzard found at the end of August in the western area of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

X-rays of the bird show that it has previously suffered shotgun injuries as three shotgun pellets were found embedded in the bird.  The shotgun pellets are not thought to have caused its death and when the bird was found it had recent injuries to its head consistent with being confined in a cage trap.

[Photos by Humberside Police]

Wildlife Crime Officer PC 1708 Ward said,

“However this bird met its end it has previously been shot. Raptor persecution is a National Wildlife Crime priority which we take very seriously. Whatever anyone’s feelings are towards birds of prey there is no excuse for this type of criminality.

It’s sad that such practices are still common place. Due to the nature of these crimes they are difficult to detect. If you have information about anyone persecuting birds of prey we want to know.

I can be contacted in confidence via 101 and your information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality“.

Anyone with information regarding the above incident should call us on the non-emergency number 101 quoting investigation number 16/99978/18 which is being dealt with by WCO PC 1529 Day.

The attached images may cause distress and are property of Humberside Police

Note to press: No one is available for interview regarding this news story.

END

There’s no detail about the location other than “the western area of the East Riding of Yorkshire“. Here’s a Google map showing East Riding:

UPDATE 20 February 2019: Buzzard shot and poisoned in East Yorkshire: police renew appeal for info (here)