Channel 4 News aired an exclusive seven-minute report this evening about raptor persecution on gamebird shooting estates across the UK.
Fronted by Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson, this was a pre-cursor to the publication tomorrow of the RSPB’s latest Birdcrime report (2022) and the film featured two case studies that are included in that report – the illegal shooting of a hen harrier found dead on the Knarsdale Estate in Northumberland earlier this year, and the illegal poisoning of a red kite and a white-tailed eagle found on a pheasant shoot in West Sussex in October 2021. A beater’s gundog also died from the same poison, on the same estate, within a few days.
I’ll be writing in detail about both these cases and others, once Birdcrime has been published. There’s a lot to say.
In the meantime, I thoroughly recommend you watch the Channel 4 report here:
Raptor Persecution UK 
Thanks Ruth….
“incapable of powered flight” and “shot and wounded elsewhere” come to mind.
Hmmm… how the excuses cross lips so readily.
And thanks to Alex Thomson – we once had a mutual friend (a neighbour of mine), the historian Ewen Green, and met at his funeral.
Well done Channel 4, I don’t think the BBC would have tackled it like that, probably dressed it up on Countryfile to avoid upsetting vested interests.
Frank Gardner did a very good two part piece on BBC Springwatch, one of them also with the RSPB Investigators at Geltsdale. The “big secret” that was once hiding in plain sight, is now very much out there in the public sphere via internet & social media, and I don’t think it can be effectively stifled anymore. To me the vested interests are noticeably weakening in ability to influence the mass media, but still strongly influence politicians and especially Westminster machinery.
That estates where these crimes take place refuse to be interviewed (xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx) and then release a pallid statement that nobody but nobody believes says it all. Licensing cannot come soon enough, if that fails ban their sad little sports.
As we’ve said before, impromptu “doorstep” journalism is urgently required – [Ed: I can’t publish the rest of your comment as it’s potentially libellous. If you phrase it more generally I can publish it]
[Ed: sorry, spaghnum morose, this will still cause legal difficulties]
Apologies to Spaghnum, I didn’t know about the Frank Gardener piece. I don’t normally watch Springwatch or Autumnwatch, nothing against Chris Packham (of course) but the rest of it is not for me.
No bother, was just a recommendation really. The Guardian also did a very good podcast not long ago called “Killing the Skydancer”.
Alex Thomson is a hero. One of the very few journalists ready to tell it like it is about raptor persecution on grouse moors. Well done Channel 4.
So, given the content of this video, together with the comprehensive graphic information in Birdcrime 2022, how do the likes of Bonner, Cunliffe-Lister et al explain how the evidence flies in the face of their ridiculous assertions regarding raptor persecution?
I fully agree with Alister’s comments above regarding Alex Thomson. Great to have him on our side. Tell it like it is!