Essex Police’s Rural Engagement Team has been busy again.
Yesterday, with assistance from other agencies including the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Natural England they searched a farm in the Colchester area after the discovery of two poisoned red kites. Firearms and ‘other articles’ were seized and the investigation is ongoing.
The county of Essex is becoming a real hotspot for bird of prey persecution.
Other raptor persecution crimes in recent years include the suspected shooting of a peregrine in January 2024 (here), the shooting of a buzzard in December 2023 (here), the shooting of another buzzard in January 2023 (here), the shooting of a red kite in September 2022 (here), the shooting of another red kite in November 2021 (here), another red kite found dead in suspicious circumstances in November 2021 (here), the shooting of another three buzzards in 2020, one in Dec (here), one in September (here) and one in June (here), and the suspected shooting of a Hobby in August 2020 (here).
Raptor Persecution UK 
Why do they do this??? I don’t understand.Red Kites only eat carrion as far as I know.From experience, Sparrowhawks and Pergrines seem to prefer Wood Pigeons where I lived in Suffolk.
These people should have their gun licences taken away and Poisons should not be so easy to get hold of.⁹
“Why do they do this???” and “Red Kites only eat carrion as far as I know”
First, Red Kites do not only eat carrion. Red Kites will take live chicks, for example.
However, it isn’t just predation to which shooters object, the sight of a raptor can cause game birds to scatter, thereby upsetting the ‘trap’ being set by beaters.
Ah, so its the gamekeepers who are being persecuted by the birds of prey. Can’t believe I had it the wrong way around. Someone should set up a charitable foundation to protect the poor gamekeepers from those birds
They should be locked up for 6 months.its the only way they would listen..Why persecute these birds..its pure evil and it shows a lot of Malice…
The Kites may not have been the target they are however as are many birds scavengers so are in constant danger from these twisted people who I personally hope will be shunned by the law abiding who have to share the poisoned environment created. No doubt banned pesticides will again be involved its time the source of these was located.
Well done to all the agencies involved awful sad country we live in getting worse these scumbags should be put away for a long time poor birds I still haven’t got over the killing our 2 in lovely north Yorkshire national park!
I am beginning to think that when folk associated with shooting are caught never mind the slap in the wrist however gentle they should automatically be banned from having guns for life, no ifs buts or maybe. Perhaps then despite the piss poor detection and conviction rates for such crimes it will make culprits think twice
Note the point re target – it may also not be linked to shooting per se – kites are vulnerable to any use of poisons – as they were in the infamous Blackwater isle mass poisoning that was (said to be) targeting rooks/corvids damaging crops that a farming family member had taken illegal actions against. It may even be poor practice or illegal rodenticide use. Either way if firearms on properly due to suggestion of criminality they would be removed in any case – even if it doesn’t involve shooting per se. Of course it may be more sinister and it certainly has been sad to see this so close to Colchester.