A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the ‘disappearance’ of five more satellite-tagged hen harriers that had all vanished, in suspicious circumstances, on moorland in northern England between August and December 2022 (see here).
A week later I blogged about how Natural England and the Moorland Association had remained silent about those latest disappearances (see here).
This morning, the RSPB has issued a press statement about a further 21 hen harriers, as follows:
RARE BIRD OF PREY FOUND MUTLILATED AS 20 OTHER INDIVIDUALS GO MISSING
One of the UK’s rarest birds of prey, a Hen Harrier, has been found dead and its body mutilated. Twenty other harriers, including 15 birds that were part of satellite-tagged tracking projects, have also disappeared across Northern England in the past year.
Hen Harriers are on the red list of birds of conservation concern in the UK, with the last national survey in 2016 recording 545 pairs in the UK – a decline of 13% since 2010. In England there were 34 successful nests in 2022, despite enough habitat and food to support over 300 pairs. In 2019, the Government’s own study found illegal killing to be the main factor limiting the recovery of the UK Hen Harrier population.
The story began in April 2022 when an RSPB satellite-tagged Hen Harrier named Pegasus vanished whilst on Birkdale – an area of driven grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park on the North Yorkshire/Cumbria border. This was followed shortly after by the discovery of a dead Hen Harrier in the same area – a Natural England tagged bird called Free. The bird was missing its head and leg, which had held a metal ring for identification. Expert veterinary assessment concluded the bird has been killed through traumatic removal of its head and leg, whilst alive – consistent with persecution. A month later, another hen harrier, NE tagged bird Harvey, vanished in this area. The police carried out a search warrant in connection with the incidents, but the ensuing investigation has failed to lead to charges.
However, since the investigation ended a further four satellite-tagged Hen Harriers (one from a RSPB project and three from a Natural England one) have disappeared in this same area, managed for driven grouse shooting.
During autumn 2022, two additional RSPB tagged birds vanished in Cumbria and Durham, both also on grouse moors.
These nine birds are separate to another seven Natural England satellite-tagged Hen Harriers recorded as missing, fate unknown, over the past year.
Finally, also in the past year, five (un-tagged) breeding male Hen Harriers have vanished, including two in the Peak District National Park in 2022 and, in April this year, one in Durham and two from the RSPB’s Geltsdale Nature Reserve in Cumbria: both these birds had active nests which have now been abandoned, one containing three cold eggs. Male harriers are known to hunt away from their nest sites, and this is not the first time that adult male harriers with active nests have vanished from Geltsdale in recent years.
All 21 birds were reported at the time by the RSPB and Natural England to the Police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Commenting on the situation, the RSPB’s conservation director Katie-Jo Luxton said, “These 21 birds represent a significant proportion of the existing English Hen Harrier population. The Government’s own study found illegal killing to be the main reason preventing the recovery of this species, and these recent events indicate that the situation has yet to improve for this rare and beautiful bird.”
Natural England Strategy Director John Holmes said: “We are sickened by this evidence of persecution, which remains a serious issue and needs more focus and action from the police, businesses, landowners, and game management interests. Natural England will continue to work with partners on Hen Harrier recovery, and direct our resources towards science, monitoring, enforcement, and conservation management. We will continue all efforts to track down tags that stop transmitting, as our dedicated staff did in the case of Free, and to support the police in their role of bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice“
ENDS
There’s quite a lot to digest in this press release and I’m short on time today, but what is immediately obvious is the clear escalation in persecution incidents, and that they are all linked to driven grouse moors. North Yorkshire, and particularly the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is once again at the centre of the criminality.
The unspeakable barbarity inflicted on Hen Harrier ‘Free’, whose head and leg was ripped off while the bird was still alive, is shocking, but not at all surprising, especially given what we know happened to hen harrier ‘Asta’ (see here). I’ll write more about ‘Free’ shortly.
The RSPB has helpfully provided the following table showing the hen harriers confirmed as persecuted or missing between April 2022-April 2023:
I will need to go through this table and work out which of these harriers are already included in the 82 that we know have been confirmed as illegally killed or missing in suspicious circumstances since 2018 – see here. There will definitely be more to add to that shameful running total.
With this blatant, ongoing, and widespread criminal persecution, Natural England’s recent decision to extend its ‘partnership’ with the grouse shooting industry as part of the ludicrous hen harrier brood meddling scheme, warrants further scrutiny. I’ll come back to that.
UPDATE 6th May 2023: Post mortem reveals hen harrier’s cause of death was ‘head being twisted and pulled off while the body was held tightly’ (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
The people that make and enforce our laws that are supposed to protect our precious wildlife, are simply protecting the shooting organisations, and are being paid for nothing. Why is this allowed to go on? BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WE RELY ON TO PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE!!!!!
Completely agree
Spot on Ray ,I have had the same dialogue with my MP over fox hunting STILL carrying on regardless of the dubious law of 2004, the marauding yobs and their entourage of thugs xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
I think Natural England’s Strategy Director John Holmes needs to have a strong word or two with Natural England’s Chair, Tony Juniper!
I have looked again at the RSPB raptor persecution map hub. Whilst I am pleased that the RSPB have gone public about this latest disaster to the existence of the Hen Harrier in the UK I do wish that they would update this potentially important source of information. The hub has not been updated since 2021, only 3 years after it was launched. Better to close it down if the information within is worse than that of NE.
What will it take for the NE Strategy Director to admit their Strategy isn’t working and never will? What is the point of all of the expense of brood meddling and monitoring on the handful of “good guy” and “good guy on this one species while-being-scrutinised” Estates when the birds fly next door to the real “big daddy” estates and are promptly and efficiently bumped off? The only point I can see is the figures can be manipulated to look like something good is happening for a short while. I say, keep the fieldwork monitors – let them carry on tagging & locating birds as this is important, but ditch the brood-meddling thing completely and put that money into a team of real investigators, working with the police with upgraded approved legal powers of access & surveillance . In my world, these investigators would be scrupulously independent and impartial, not make friends with any owners, agents, keepers, nor announce their presence to anyone on the Estates, or have cups of tea with the keepers, nor to ask to use Estate roads or borrow Estates vehicles. Not to park up in obvious places or have their vehicles well known by the keepering grapevine. They would spend the bulk of their time hiding (yes, being cold & soggy) in ditches and behind walls, or creeping about using the best camera and thermal imaging equipment available. But for once our government’s regulatory body would be doing its job – and not putting the onus unfairly on the police ( who have no real knowledge, basic field skills, no time & manpower, and often no enthusiasm to offend people they work with on general rural crime) or leaving it to charities like the RSPB with overstretched investigation teams. I really hope something like this will come about when we get a new government, as it certainly won’t happen before then.
The only 2 possible changes I can see is a different government, as you say, or King Charles making some sort of statement on the matter. Ruth does a great job, far better than could be hoped, but the RSPB could do far more within its charter. Something is needed to get the media to change their tune. At the moment, they are worse than NE, if that is possible to imagine.
The pushback in Scotland, in anything related to necessary measures in the climate emergency or wildlife protection, is tremendous.
Well said, spaghnum morose.
I broadly agree, but NE and presumably JNNC staff need permission of owners to legally be on private land. My own view is that “Open Access” should apply to paid working as well as unpaid visitors. Policing is a different question,given this is crime it is within their remit we need committed officers AND superiors who take wildlife crime seriously, with consequences if they don’t. The penalties despite increases are piss poor higher penalties would help such crimes go up the priority ladder. We need a new government, I suspect then that BM will be got rid of but not until.
What sickens me is not just the horrible barbarity of individual crimes but that there is not only no or little condemnation by shooting organisations but utterly no attempt by them to put their house in order by either expelling individuals or estates they know are almost certainly involved, nor any information given by them to law enforcement. the latter to me makes them all guilty by association.
Then there is the information itself, data released should include a precise last fix or the identity of the estate where this is not advisable. Not only might this put more eyes and ears to the appropriate ground but also increase pressure, even peer pressure to tow a the line and stay within the law as the DGS lobby hide behind this degree of imprecise data or anonymity. Even then this will not stop until their so called sport is stopped.
I have looked for but cannot find the rspb table above. I would have hoped that it would be available either in an investigations blog or as part of a press release. I’d like to peruse it myself to try to compare with Ruth’s excellent listing. Is it available to the public? Does anyone know? The RSPB could do so much more in keeping it’s members, and the press, informed. This could assist in getting more politicians onside and leap prevent the grouse shooting industry from using its PR clout. The UK media are aware already of the situation but it is too lazy and uncaring to change at present.
This problem just keeps happening when is it going to be stopped once and for all goverment need to step in and enforce the law as at the moment its a joke
Whoever enforces the law still has the quite legitimate problem of a need for evidence against specific individual criminals.
The world would be so much better off without the human race, sad but true
Thank Heavens for RPUK and its dedicated workers and contributors. Every day, I am online reading about what is going on world-wide with regard to humane issues, as are many millions of others, as witnessed by the responses to appeals and petitions to be signed. Many are seeing how interconnected animal welfare, conservation of species and protection of the environment are, and the lack of concern by governments is having on the Earth’s climate, oceans, forests, freshwater sources, soils, biodiversity and essential crop variation. Yet, here we are allowing what has become a deleterious and cruel practice, with regard to driven grouse shooting. The comments found on RPUK website are educational in that they show the intelligent and humane response to a vile and exterminating management of huge swathes of our upland areas, which has become supported tentacle-fashion, by strategic individuals in politics, Government bodies, police, justiciary and whatever/whomsoever else is required to keep the rural anachronistic status quo of blood sports. The laws we have to protect beleaguered species are very rarely used to give salutary prison sentences or massive fines.
The solution is to have a complete revolution in how we should be playing our part in the world effort to restore woodlands, conserve species and stop the pollution of the environment. Like many, I heft off donations to many charities, and often find that good results have come about, but here in my own country, courageous efforts to save wildlife, like the Hen Harriers, is being thwarted by well-entrenched organisations and characters, who have become embedded like tumours in the systems necessary for saving our part of the Earth’s natural world. We must muster more and more dedicated support from all walks of British life, and have an Armageddon time for those who would have us witness a perpetual slaughter of wildlife, and deterioration of the natural environment that is essential for biodiversity.
Ministers pretend that increased numbers of chicks fledged is success but this shows that this ‘success’ is illusory since there is a high probability that the birds will be bumped off in the months following fledging.
How many of those who sit on committees and groups such as the RSPB are also closely connected to landed “gentry”, directly by family or marriage, or by business, or propinquity?
Is there any evidence for this Antoine? The RSPB Investigations Team works really hard trying to bring people to court. I think as an organisation they are doing everything they can. It is mainly the fact that it is very difficult to prove the cases, they are a charity and it takes considerable expense.
Easy answer would be to close down the estates where the birds disappeared for 10 years to allow the bird population to recover naturally. That would send the required message home forcefully enough and at the same time it would put the gamekeepers responsible for the deaths out of work, which would be a fair exchange for their illegal and reprehensible actions.
There’ some really sick puppies out there.
Rather than just moan about these horrific crimes, I email my MP, asking why nothing further is done to address this legitimised crime. It’s a waste of time, because my MP is a tory, but I hold her accountable.
One of the biggest problems is these horrific crimes rarely get mentioned on mainstream news, to put proper pressure on authorities to act properly. So what on earth possesses the RSPB to release this info day after local elections and day before coronation, when it will struggle to compete for mainstream coverage. Thank god for Raptor persecution and Chris Packham, because our wildlife bodies appear to be almost inept at addressing this issue properly.
Fair comment, although this news only came out BECAUSE of the RSPB – NE hasn’t published it, and neither have the police.
I just don’t understand why there isn’t mainstream outrage over these onging crimes. It’s happening time after time, and the frequent lack of or delayed requests for information relating to crimes gives the impression some police and authorities – Nat Eng etc don’t want these investigated. Why aren’t requests for info made immediately if reasonably clear a crime may have been committed?
The beeb reported the post-mortem/necropsy results on Friday. To some extent, the beeb article was more explicit.
“A post-mortem examination concluded the mutilated bird had died by having its head pulled off while it was still alive.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-65494829
Results from local elections may have overshadowed the report.
The beeb are duty-bound to be ‘balanced’.
The Moorland Association’s mouthpiece seemingly has scant regard of science, the physical robustness of employed technology,, and possibly imagines unlikely scenarios.
Just my tuppence worth.
“Rather than just moan about these horrific crimes, I email my MP, asking why nothing further is done to address this legitimised crime. It’s a waste of time, because my MP is a tory, but I hold her accountable.”
Well done! Quite right, too.
I find it useful to copy complaints to my MP, to the local press! It brings a whole new perspective to the situation… and provides an opportunity to follow-up in a public way, if the recipient is reluctant to engage:-)
Just what will it take before the senior management in Natural England and DEFRA realise that some of “their partners” are leading them a merry dance when it comes to Hen Harrier conservation.
The fact that some of these crimes have occurred in the area around Birkdale, which is a very remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, a place where the nations wildlife should be protected and free from from persecution is absolutely shocking.
It would be interesting to know who owns and manages the grouse moors in this area.
Needless to say, if the UK government is serious about nature and Hen Harrier conservation, then I would suggest that there now needs to be a complete review on how the nations National Parks are managed and policed.
If the grouse shooting estates can’t get their act together and stop this criminal behaviour, (which is something up till now they seem completely incapable of) then I can see no alternative other than to completely ban game shooting in the National Parks, and conservation work within the National Parks can be funded and managed in another way.
These crimes have to be stopped.
As Spaghnum correctly points out the current methods adopted by the police are neither bringing offenders to justice nor deterring the offences from happening. The policing model used to deter and detect wildlife crimes when it comes to birds of prey is simply not working.
This needs to be addressed as priority, and is perhaps something which HMIC should be seriously looking at when it visits those police forces in the areas where raptor crimes are occurring.
I would also suggest that within the NWCU, a special task force should be set up, with the skills to carry out covert observation work. This task force could then be deployed to areas where the crimes are being committed to gather the evidence to bring the offenders to justice. (If a change in the law is needed to facilitate this, then this should be a priority for the government. No excuses, the government were quick enough to pass new legislation to restrict peoples rights to protest, when those protests cause disruption or what is deemed to be a public nuisance. If there is a will, then there is a way.)
What is also very apparent is that these satellite tagged birds are either disappearing or being killed in some very remote areas which are managed for grouse shooting. The scarcity of the population in these areas should mean that those with the means and motivation to carry out these crimes is limited to a handful of individuals. Individuals who probably could be identified, and whose identification is probably well known to the other residents in the area. It seems very clear that the current threshold to secure a conviction is being hindered by the very high bar set for the prosecution process. I am sure the criminals are very aware of this, and are thus fully able to exploit the situation to their advantage. I wouldn’t suggest a change in the burden of proof, but it does suggest that when it comes to raptor persecution, then dealing with matter through the civil courts with it’s lower burden of proof, may well be the way forward. The proposed grouse moor licensing being introduced in Scotland, should be extended right across the UK.
It really is time there was some grown up out of the box thinking when it comes to dealing with wildlife and in particular raptor crimes. It is a problem which can be solved, but something which I doubt the current crop of politicians or landowners really want to address.
At a time of climate change and extinction crisis, this is something which really isn’t acceptable. Nature has enough difficulties to face without the added burden of criminal persecution.
“if the UK government is serious about nature and Hen Harrier conservation, then I would suggest that there now needs to be a complete review on how the nations National Parks are managed and policed.”
But there is: we were ALL invited to comment and makes suggestions on the review last year.
This is an email I have sent to Natural England as I am so angry at what is being allowed to happen to our precious bird of prey:
“I feel compelled to send this email as I believe that you are not doing enough to stop the illegal killing of our birds of prey. It is obvious to anyone observing the issue that it is the owners of the Grouse Moors and their gamekeeper employees that are actively involved in the killings. You should be working with the police to prosecute ALL those responsible. It is a nonsense to try and pin the crimes solely on the gamekeeper employees when you know who they work for and whose bidding they are doing.
These Grouse Moor owners are making a mockery of the law, pretending to work in partnership with you and various conservation agencies, whilst killing as many perceived “threats” to their lucrative and unnatural shooting businesses as they wish to. You are a government organisation and yet you appear to be TOOTHLESS and USELESS to take adequate action in this matter. Where is your dedication and resolve to stop these heinous cruel crimes? This issue has been going on for a long time now and is getting worse. Your current tactics are not working and need re-thinking. Please act now to stop the persecution of our precious raptors.”
Well done, Jane! Actions speak louder than moans…
I suggest you copy your email to whichever local media you see fit…. and to your local MP, Councillors etc…