This letter was published in the Yorkshire Post on Saturday:
From: Trevor Brockway, Upper Fant Road, Maidstone, Kent.
I HAVE just returned from a few days walking in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. While walking between Aysgarth and Hawes, I noticed many dead rabbits beside the track.
These were found 100-200 metres apart and did not look diseased. I then realised that I had not seen a single bird of prey on these grouse moors. I had seen many red kite, buzzard and kestrels on my journey from Kent. This aroused my suspicion that the rabbits were being used for bait to lure the birds down to be shot or perhaps the rabbits were poisoned. This would be a criminal act under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1982.
The following days were the same. While walking between Aysgarth and Askrigg and between West Burton and Horsehouse, there was not a single bird of prey.
I have since read two reports which say that the park is a hotspot for bird of prey persecution.
I am aware that grouse shooting brings in valuable income to the area, but so does tourism, such as recreational walking, etc. There should be a way to rear grouse but still protecting our beautiful birds. Also, talking to local people, it would appear that it is common knowledge that birds of prey are shot. Although this is only anecdotal, it is another indication that the law is being breached and the problem does exist. I will certainly not return to this area of the Dales until the persecution of birds is stopped, and would hope others would not visit.
I am sorry to be writing this letter but I feel so strongly about the issue and hope that it may go some way to stopping the illegal practice.
ENDS
Raptor Persecution UK 
Trevor – I endorse your sentiments 100%. Let’s use our online presences to start a boycott of the Yorkshire Dales while these illegal practices are still going largely unreported and completely unpunished. Additionally, revenue from tourism is more sustainable and is likely to be more widespread amongst the local community than revenue from driven grouse shooting.
best wishes
Colin Hyde
Same in the Peak District. I was out near Langsett last week, on a track near an active grouse moor. There were several dead rabbits along the track, no particular reason for them to be dead. I wondered about poisoning too.
See attached from last weeks Sunday Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rspb-chief-uk-national-parks-risk-losing-un-nature-reserve-status-over-wildlife-losses-kp9zvll0z
The situation is bad in England. In some respects it is even worse in Scotland, where keepers know that they will not be prosecuted, even if there is video evidence of the act of persecution, The second consideration of my petition on wildlife crime is to be on 4th April. I have submitted, and had accepted, 2 further documents which MSPs can consider. I believe that they are powerful, convincing, and will, if enacted, make a huge difference. In addition the government has indicated in relation to the Poustie recommendations that “It remains intention of the Scottish Government to take forward the necessary primary legislation during the current Parliamentary session.” Now I find that difficult to believe, but it does mean that MSPs will have available my petition which makes recommendations about sentencing for wildlife crime, now including vicarious liability, after one of my submissions. Will the corner start to be turned before Werritty reports? I hope so, but it is now in the hands of MSPs and the government to act. I remain hopeful that happier times may lie ahead for raptors in Scotland, at least.
I’m already happier, but there still remain many pitfalls, although I hope not to be the one to fall.
I feel exactly the same. We have been going to the Yorkshire Dales several times a year for over 20 years and yet we could count the number of times we have seen birds of prey on the fingers of one hand. I have also only every seen a fox once and there have been no signs of badgers at all.
I have challenged several game keepers over the years and have always met with a wall of denial. We are friendly with a number of wildlife supporting farmers who often comment on the sad fact that the limited wildlife seen in the Wensleydale area reflects the actions of the game keepers ( and maybe some farmers) in shooting and poisoning anything that threatens the grouse and pheasants.
We all know that these areas are devoid of raptors because of illegal destruction but people should be urged to get police involved to get these carcasses tested as a precaution.
However, the scattering of dead rabbits that were apparently healthy is symptomatic of H viral disease which is widespread, so I suspect that poisoning is not involved.
Better safe than sorry though so some should be tested.
If they were lures to keepers’ raptor shooting sites they would be well away from rights of way.
Keep up the pressure !
I’m from Yorkshire and I think it’s an absolute disgrace what is happening to these beautiful birds all because of grouse moor farms it is time something is done to stop all this raptor persecution it wouldn’t surprise me if the tourists stop coming then what going to happen I love Yorkshire but I’m shamed what certain people are doing to it’s wildlife come on Yorkshire let’s get this sorted so that everyone can enjoy my beautiful home county and not be the worst place in the uk for this shameful act
After a visit to Helmsley, North Yorkshire, last year, and travellling around the moors to the north and east of there, I vowed never to return to the area until Grouse shooting is a thing of the past. I found the situation heart-breaking, particularly when this is such a beautiful region otherwise. Helmsley itself would be such a delightful place if it wasn’t for the arrogant shooters hanging around inside and outside the pubs/hotels in the town of an evening. Such a shame. It seems the locals aren’t happy about it but are held to ransome by the landowners.
I endorse the shock this walker felt on finding a landscape bereft of birds of prey, and strewn with carcases of rabbits, perhaps laced with deadly poison, which would badly affect many wild creatures forgaging for food. Sixty years ago, when I was a teenager, I skipped school and went for a day out on the Campsie Hills/Fells, not far from Glasgow, and on the site of an old volcano, Dumgoyne Hill, I found a dead Kestrel, with no visible signs of what had caused its death. Later in the month of that disturbing excursion, I read in the Sunday Post, about walkers finding eggs displayed on open moorland, and about the death of some their dogs, which obviously had eaten such objects. It turned out later, that the poison was identified as strychnine. That event inducted me into becoming a supporter of wildlife conservation, and a determined campaigner against blood sports.
As time went on, and more and more people took to the hills for recreation, evidence mounted of the gross persecution of raptors and various mammals that may affect grouse numbers. Public opinion on blood sports became more focused, and various organisations arose to contend with fox and deer hunters with hounds, and the “homely and dedicated” gamekeeper image suffered a severe tarnishing. Today, we have a strong counter force as to how our landscape is being managed as game shooting estates, and assuming a challengeable reputation as being integral to the rural economy. This impetus has become international with many countries producing organisations to save the environment, and animal welfare. On Euronews recently, it was reported that the Far Right in Spain was coming down heavy on the Catalonian independence movement, especially the latter’s interest in banning bullfights and hunting. Other countries are beginning to produce similar humane interest groups, to take on the “traditional sports” characters, who have held sway over their respective landscapes, as places where all sorts of killing wild animals is allowed.
Similar reports of such skullduggery against creatures that have every right to exist, and not be suppressed as a form of vermin, should be taken more seriously by our Government. The very word “vermin” should be used cautiously, and it is a word that should be struck from the lexicons of all languages, as it oft-times is used as a form of despisement for humans and animals, that have no justification for being so described. The Dales of Yorkshire and the heather moors of Scotland, can without such excessive practices to sustain the “industry” of game bird shooting. Now is the time for the tourist, the rambler, the bird spotter, the sensible and restrained hunter, and others of a more humane way of seeking the sheer pleasure of being outdoors, to dominate how our landscape is managed. We first must produce more politicians who are not biddable to their party’s closeness to the blood sports enthusiasts, and who will take the proverbial bull by the horns, and remove forever, the taint of such atrocious behaviour to innocent creatures like the Mountain Hare. I think Rabbie Burns had something to say about such conduct, and that was a long time ago, in his poems and songs!
Very well put Sir , every thing I wanted to say , thankyou.
I don’t suppose that this man from Kent, you or your blinkered readers might consider that the dead rabbits have died of rabbit haemorrhagic disease – nasty but simply nothing to do with gamekeepers. Google it.
No…next question
Justin S O
You make a fair point, although written with unneccessary hostility.
However, given the location and the long long long long long history of confirmed bird of prey persecution in the Yorkshire Dales, and it’s undeniable link to gamekeepers, it’s easy to understand why Trevor Brockway drew the conclusion he did, especially given the lack of raptors observed during his visit. I’m not sure the dearth of raptors can be attributed to viral haemorrhagic disease.
The only person who seems blinkered here is you, if you can’t understand why people might seek to explain the undeniable and unlawful persecution of raptors in this region. From the ignorant tone of your post, I can guarantee that you don’t exercise such hostility towards the actual culprits, do you?
I once spent a fair amount of time in Yorkshire and I have to say I’ve seen more birds of prey at my local Tesco – a male kestrel on the edge of the carpark – than I ever saw on the moors, same goes for the Forest of Bowland. In fact saw precious little wildlife of any sort. Grouse moors are an enforced blandness on a landscape that should be ecologically, aesthetically and economically far more varied and healthy than they are. We’ve been robbed.
Seeing raptors isn’t the prime reason for a holiday, but if the landowners seek to exterminate them, I’m not spending my money in the YDNP. Though it remains an otherwise attractive area. I do hope the Park authorities are aware of this.
It might not be a bad idea if and when readers discover suspicious rabbit carcasses, to record photographically their location and then to take one or more away for testing.
These scumbag landowners are not very good at accepting evidence at the best of times and will easily claim that a lot of rabbit carcasses, however neatly spaced, is evidence of nothing at all or many possible circumstances and phenomena.
With a toxicity report from a recognised lab and proof of location, such denials are would be less credible and should surely count as evidence of law breaking.
Of course, as somebody above remarked, even when presented with video evidence, these shites will shrug and claim nothing is proven, so precisely how they would react to proof that rabbit cadavers have been poisoned is anybody’s guess. But nothing ventured nothing gained I guess.
I spend My whole week in the Dales working , I’m crazy about wildlife and Raptors are an absolute life long passion , people that know me well think I have won the lottery , but truth be known every day it tainted , My eyes scan the sky’s in disbelief hoping for a glimpse , a keeper told me the other day there are no more curlews ,apparently the Buzzards have killed them all , so I showed him photos of curlew I had just taken on his drive he shrugged his shoulders and laughed , Every bird that gets shot is another nail in there coffin , I cannot believe they haven’t got the common sense , to leave them alone, Our time will come and it wont be long , Keep the Faith.
We have momentum and we will win. Simple as that!
Only a complete ban on driven game shooting will eliminate this horrendous slaughter of our wildlife. It’s money talking, purely and simply, and it needs to be shut up.
I agree. There’s no middle ground with the criminal classes. They will never uphold their end of any negotiation, they’ve proved it many times. A complete ban on this primitive activity is the only way. However, a plan is needed for going forward when it happens, because whether we like it or not, the moorland environment only exists in it’s present state, because of their activities. I reckon it would resort to woodland or scrub pretty quickly if they were stopped from burning or otherwise regenerating heather. As far as I’m aware, it is quite an unnatural environment and if we want to keep it, it will need some kind of management.
I have in a sense a vested interest here as for I spent 50 of my 67 years in North Yorkshire and indeed only moved here to Wales 14 months ago. Yes North Yorkshire is a hotbed of endemic raptor persecution with the Dales, North York moors and Nidderdale AONB particular blackspots ( bandit country as we used to call it) there are some notorious estates with equally notorious managers and/or gamekeepers. Things need to change and indeed are changing but we also need to remember that National Parks and AONBs own almost nothing and have relatively little influence on the game shooting cabal that is the real problem, what influence they have is certainly on “our” side and public pressure will help that.
Yet in all those years I spent birding in the YDNP and Nidderdale AONB were not entirely raptor free, with 18 species of raptor seen many of them regularly. The real problem is not just widespread casual persecution but the prevention of successful breeding. Its over 20 years since a Peregrine pair bred successfully on a grouse moor, 2007 since harriers attempted in the Nidderdale AONB ( last success 2005), in many areas there are no more Buzzards than there were 20 years ago, away from large forestry blocks on the NYM Goshawks are no longer regular or provenly breeding, Short eared Owls are much scarcer than they used to be, Kites are regular in the uplands but not as breeders( Many must surely be illegally killed). Those things starting to improve will be a measure of the beginning of real change, which cannot come too soon for many of us.
As someone who lives and works in the dales near to the area you mention, I must disagree with you I’m afraid. I have to connection with the shooting industry, and I am a farmer. I graze my sheep on the edge of a shooting moor and earlier this spring I stopped and watched over the dale for a while and saw a buzzard, a pair of kestrels and several ravens. Barn owls are again becoming more commonplace thankfully and also possible to see the odd harrier and occasionally a kite. To accuse people of posioning rabbits and leaving them lying around is foolhardy. Many a walker’s dog would be killed, and that isn’t the case. But then, what would I know about anything, I’m just a farmer who lives here?
There are endless cases of poisoned baits being used against predators, including successful prosecutions, yet you seem to imply that this couldn’t possibly happen. Don’t follow that logic, really…
I am not disagreeing with what you say but Barn Owls don’t take grouse any grouse predators or for that matter pheasant predators are much less common than they should be, as of course are Ravens. I doubt the harrier, Red Kite, Peregrine or Ravens would be tolerated as breeders on a game estate and all the evidence supports that. What we are talking about is a full complement of what should be there. I can remember a time in the late 80s and 90s when keepers and estate owners always pointed out the Merlins, which was great but they were the only raptors present. They still got rid of the rest and by and large still do. I agree with you about dead rabbits next to rights of way, but poison baits are sadly not unknown on some game estates in the Dales. As a local farmer you probably know, at least by reputation, some of those offending estates/keepers we are alluding to. I also value what you are saying and welcome your comments here.
I was walking in the Dales last week and I too saw a surprising number of dead rabbits, many freshly dead. The thought that they might be poisoned bait to kill raptors did cross my mind but I thought it unlikely as they were so close to the footpaths. Also, if a rabbit is going to be laced with poison it would most likely be shot or snared first. The ones I saw definitely hadn’t been shot and there were no obvious signs that they had been snared. On balance I think rabbit haemorrhagic disease is the most likely explanation.
I’m pleased to say I heard goshawk calling but I’m not saying where for obvious reasons. Not that I think my withholding of the location will do any good in the long run but I’m not going to make life easier for the criminals.