Lancashire Police are appealing for information after the sudden ‘disappearance’ of a satellite-tagged hen harrier earlier this month.
This was posted on the Lancashire Rural Police Facebook page yesterday:
‘Following information being received that a sat tagged hen harrier had gone missing, and the tag suffering catastrophic failure, we have been working with our colleagues in the National Wildlife Crime Unit to try to locate the bird.
Today we have conducted a section 19 search, utilising tracking equipment, where the harrier was last known to be, this was in the Mallowdale area near to Kirkby Lonsdale.
Unfortunately we were not successful in locating the bird, which went missing over the 4th and 5th May, we are asking for anyone who has any information to contact Lancashire Police Rural Crime Task force via 101 or email RuralTaskForce@lancashire.police.uk and quote log number LC-20230516-0307‘.
There aren’t yet any further details about which hen harrier this is.
The harrier ‘disappeared’ the same day that the RSPB announced that 20 hen harriers had ‘vanished’ in the last year alone, most of them on grouse moors (here) and the day before Natural England described the mutilation of another hen harrier, whose leg and head had been ripped off whilst the bird was still alive (here).
The latest disappearance took place a week before the RSPB published a new scientific paper which confirms the ongoing and illegal killing of hen harriers on UK grouse moors (see here).
The latest ‘disappearance’ also coincided with Natural England’s announcement that the five-year hen harrier brood meddling ‘trial’ (conservation sham) is set to continue for a further five years (here), despite knowing that at least 92 hen harriers have been confirmed killed or have ‘disappeared’ since the ‘trial’ began in 2018 (here).
Now there’s yet another one to add to the list. This is the 8th hen harrier to ‘vanish’ since the start of this year, and it’s still only May.
How many more?
UPDATE 19th May 2023: The Forest of Bowland AONB posted the following on its website yesterday:
Yesterday, Lancashire Police’s Rural Crime Taskforce reported the disappearance of a satellite-tagged hen harrier in the Forest of Bowland AONB.
The bird went missing, with the tag suffering catastrophic failure, over 4th/ 5th May in Mallowdale, an area of moorland to the south of the village of Wray. The Rural Taskforce and National Wildlife Crime Unit have since carried out a search of the area but have been unsuccessful in locating the missing bird.
Lancashire Police have issued an appeal to the public for information. Please contact the Rural Crime Taskforce via 101 or email RuralTaskForce@lancashire.police.uk and quote log number LC-20230516-0307.
Elliott Lorimer, Forest of Bowland AONB Partnership Manager commented:
“The disappearance and failure of this satellite tagged Hen harrier is very concerning. The Forest of Bowland is often considered a stronghold for this protected species, with conservation efforts in the area aiding the recovery of this threatened bird. So, any loss in such circumstances is particularly upsetting. I would strongly urge members of the public to contact Lancashire Police if they have any information that could relate to the disappearance of this bird.”
ENDS
UPDATE 6th June 2023: The RSPB has just issued a press release about this hen harrier, which was named ‘Rush’ – see here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Yet another goes missing in an area owned by a grouse estate. In the past several birds have been lost in this area not that far as the harrier flies from the United Utilities estate that has done so much to aid Hen Harriers in England, it must be galling to all those whose hard work this insults. My guess is that no trace of the bird or its tag will be found, it will just be yet another of the disappeared presumed illegally killed. Each one of which is a nail in the coffin of DGS and its management, a time of reckoning is getter ever closer for the criminals and their horrible pastime predicated on crime.
NE Board agreed for HHAP to continue for 2 years.
No. NESAC advised the board that a further five years was warranted. The latest licence has only been issued for two yrs because that’s the longest period NE is allowed to do at a time.
WHAT EXACTLY WILL IT TAKE FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO SERIOUSLY ADDRESS THESE LEGITIMISED CRIMES? WHY IS THIS NOT IN MAINSTREAM NEWS? WHY IS IT ACCEPTABLE FOR GROUSE INDUSTRY TO JUST CARRY ON AND NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? HOW MANY MORE HAVE TO GO MISSING???
Why should they? They don’t do much about crime in general other than offer an incident number! Probably have to easy a time riding round in cars having time wasted by the likes of raptor persecution! Only sick people like to see prey species wiped out by too many predators unnaturally released into countryside!
Yes, the release of Pheasants should be banned immediately.
The only unnatural predators are people like you with your guns,poison and traps. Shame on you.
Mallowdale is up Roeburndale isn’t it?
Not close to Kirby Lonsdale.
Mallowdale is where 4 Hen harriers have gone missing in the past and each of the two ‘pairs’ were killed within days of each other. I hope they get strung up on Gallows Hill (1km away).
This is so very sad and upsetting.. Why and how is this allowed to be happening.
Very ‘influential powerful people’ are involved in this pastime! Which obviously has a sway in the downfall of the hen harrier.etc. And that is the sole reason why this is being swept under the carpet and not in the news as it should be… It angers me that the owners of these estates aren’t prosecuted and NAMED AND Shamed as well as their little puppets who are doing the despicable act of the killing! 😒
Well said prasad
Whilst the minister in charge of DEFRA (Richard Benyon) who owns shooting estates remains in place nothing will be done.
Richard Benyon is not in charge of DEFRA – just a junior Minister.
From all the information now being revealed, this would appear to be part of a crime epidemic associated with the systematic and organised persecution of Hen Harriers by some of those associated with game bird shooting, and in particular grouse shooting.
The reality is that when NE and the shooting industry hail the success of fledged chicks from the brood management program, then there are some within the shooting industry who see this increase in Hen Harrier numbers as an excuse to go out and persecute the Hen Harriers which dare to venture on their moors.
It demonstrates a complete failure of the brood management theory, which NE instigated to try and end the illegal persecution.
How much more evidence does the government need, in order to understand that the brood management program is now partly driving what appears to be the organised criminal persecution of Hen Harriers- birds are taken from their nests, reared, and then released back into the countryside to be shot by criminals. This appears to be the reality of what is happening.
Brood management could only ever work, if it also went hand in hand with other changes to the law to drive out the criminals from the countryside. This never happened.
It is very doubtful that the current political party in power at Westminster, with its entrenched links to vested interests in the countryside, will ever tackle this issue, and bring about the necessary to changes to bring the those responsible for raptor persecution to justice.
What happened in Dorset regarding the White Tailed eagles, should serve as a reminder to everyone of just where the truth really lies.
I really hope that at the next General Election- environment, climate change and wildlife are high on the agenda. This current Conservative government whilst making lots of promises on these fronts, have actually done very little to deliver on these promises.
It seems clear to me that driven grouse shooting in its current form needs to either be banned or reformed. Far too much of the nations moorland is being used for DGS. The amount of land used for DGS needs to be severely reduced, with shooting estates required to put a greater emphasise on walk up shooting, where clients ( if they can actually shoot well) may return home at the end of the day with tired legs and a brace of grouse!
I don’t know if others have noticed, but in recent years there seems to have been an expansion in the number of grouse butts up on the moors. This could suggest a number of things- is more moorland than previously being being shot over?. Has the number of shoot days and guns increased? Has the industry become much more commercialised?- with more fee paying clients delivered onto the moors in fleets of 4X4’s to walk a few yards to a grouse butt to then have numerous grouse driven towards them? Is this the business model adopted by most shooting estates?
If this is so, then this can only be achieved by ever increasing grouse numbers. These increased grouse numbers can only be achieved through intensive land management and removal of predators, which includes Hen Harriers!
Such intensive land management is not consistent with conservation and an increase in wildlife biodiversity and nature. It is therefore inconsistent with government targets on nature and biodiversity recovery, and something that even the most dimwitted politician should be able to recognise.
A large majority of the guys who shoot driven grouse couldn’t walk up onto the moor to save their life, some struggle the few yds from the 4×4 to the grouse butt, they are however quick at downing the champagne
Aye, very true. It’s pathetic to see the nose to tail convoys of Range Rovers, etc snaking their way up roads brutally imposed on beautiful valley sides, deposit their cargo who puff & wheeze a few yards to their butts, motorcade then parks up on nearby hardcore looking like an M & S carpark! It has been said (I agree) that the beaters have the best days for body & mind (& laughter). Guns too often anxious, bad tempered…too orientated around status & most don’t have the humble faculty of appreciating how lucky they are just to be there.