Toxicology testing (by WIIS – Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme) has confirmed that a dead red kite that was found ‘recently’ near Thixendale, North Yorkshire was illegally poisoned with the banned pesticide Carbofuran, according to local raptor rehabilitator Jean Thorpe.
We haven’t been able to find any further information about this crime.
[The poisoned red kite. Photo from Jean Thorpe]
Raptor Persecution UK 
Do they know no limits, these criminals. Of course GCWT are stamping down on this sort of thing????? When?
Doug
They need a police “illegal pesticides” task force, turning up unannounced at farms / shooting estates and searching for these poisons. It should be a matter of routine for all farms / estates in a 10 mile radius of where a poisoned animal is found. They can do it for illegal cannabis farms – and they are far less dangerous than these stashes of poisons.
Good point well made.
What is the police view on this particular crime. Operation Owl was devised in North Yorkshire and then launched nationwide for precisely this type of issue.
They need a dose themselves, sickies and sad people, ignorant to the end, Kites very rarely seen in most of Cumbria, despite releases at Grizedale for 3 years, about 100 birds, where are they now, something is holding them back, I thought they would be well established by now, they will be though someday, the time will come.
The same here in the North East our population is not what it should be. Strangely we have grouse moors close by. I hope the time does come but sadly I’m not holding my breath.
Yeah same here in Falkirk, Central Scotland. There was a red kite release at Doune in 1996, less than twenty miles away. There’s a kite feeding centre there and once when I was speaking to one of the volunteers they told me in the early days the farm still ran a pheasant shoot as well as releasing red kites. The shoot came to end when some of the clients took pot shots at the kites claiming they had mistaken them for pheasant!! There’s no grouse shooting between Falkirk and Doune I believe, but there’s certainly plenty of pheasant shoots. If a kite is shot, trapped or poisoned in a wood isn’t there even less chance of its body being discovered than on a moor? I’d be amazed if there hasn’t been enough persecution to substantially reduce population growth and spread of these kites. Apparently every now and again one is seen flying over the Helix Project, that’s it. The extreme level of persecution kites receive up at the Black isle is probably over shadowing the severity of it elsewhere.
So we go on and on and on! There is no end to it, and NOT ONE person is ever prosecuted.
Yes, it is quite incredible. One could reasonably think that when similar events go on for years and years those who are tasked with pursuing the criminals would get lucky once in a while. However, the success rate is so low it is hard to explain why that is so.
Perhaps the criminals are very lucky people.
“Perhaps the criminals are very lucky people.”
No, they have friends in high places.
A government minister some years ago, told me that the pesticides were banned and therefore didn’t need to be made illegal. I wonder what his gamekeeper uses????
Doug
They will continue to do this because they know the odds are stacked in their favour. Their chances of being caught are minimal. They use small baits which may be easily carried by the potential victim to a supposedly safe place to feed, possibly on a different landowner’s ground. One only has to imagine what sort of evidence would be required, to bring a cast-iron case against a perpetrator, to appreciate what a massive problem this is – as shown by the unceasing onslaught on North Yorkshire’s Red Kites. Incidentally, this latest reported victim was found almost 50 miles distant from the infamous North Yorkshire kite killing zone in the Nidderdale AONB – demonstrating just how widespread a problem this is in this region.
Shortly after the reintroduction of red kites to Dumfrieshire, about 20years ago, a dead kite was found in Moniaive Primary School playground. My daughter told the local press about this illegal and irresponsible act. She Highlighted the danger to the public and especially the young children.
If I remember correctly, 4 out 6 birds released, disappeared, presumed dead (one confirmed as above).
Despite this the area has a thriving community of kites now.
Doug