Press release from Gloucestershire Constabulary (3 April 2024):
POLICE APPEAL FOR INFORMATION AFTER A GOSHAWK WAS SHOT AND KILLED NEAR THE FOREST OF DEAN
Police are appealing for information after a protected bird of prey was shot and killed in the Forest of Dean last month.
Officers were called by a member of public who found the body of a Goshawk near Kempley on the morning of Tuesday 27 February.
An X-ray of the Goshawk, which had been ringed, showed an air rifle pellet had broken the bird’s hip leading to its death.
The Rural crime team said: “Goshawks are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which means it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird.
“This sort of offence is taken seriously and if anyone has any information we would be keen to hear from them.
“If you have any information please Contact Gloucestershire Police Rural Crime Team on 101.”
Enquiries are ongoing and investigating officers are asking anyone with information on the incident to please get in contact.
Information can be submitted by completing the following form online: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/
Alternatively, you can call 101 and quote the same incident number or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
UPDATE 4 March 2024 from Amanda Grey:
“I’m the person who found this bird. This info isn’t actually correct. The air rifle pellet is in the right wing, however, the left leg was also found to be dislocated/calcified and according to the vet, probably happened at the same time due to impact. The bird was severely underweight and most likely starved to death due to its injuries. We know from the ringing data that this was a two year old male bird. As someone involved in wildlife rescue, I arranged the x-ray and then reported it when we saw the results. I monitor goshawks locally for BTO ringers and I also run Forest of Dean Wildlife Transport Volunteers. The bird was left in my garden, presumably by someone who knows what I do but who didn’t want to get involved. I am as frustrated as everyone else at how long it has taken for this press release to go out“.
Raptor Persecution UK 
No it isn’t taken seriously and it never will be as long as shooting parties continue. I would like to see them banned for the protection of the birds of prey and to hell with the gamekeepers, royalty and their employ – they’ve brought it on themselves and I have no sympathy.
Totally agree.I wonder if this was a one -off pellet, or one from a cartridge. How close to a shooting estate?
Cannot imagine why anyone in their right mind would shoot such a rare bird, it’s a shocker.
Licencing of shooting estates with public, or authorised random rights of access must be the answer. Relatively small fines for gamekeepers in any event would be petrol money for the estate owner. Better to pay £500.00 and maintain a top shoot than to allow birds of prey to run wild.
Otherwise how could this ever end……….
all firearms should be microchips. Let us see who and where does this dreadfully selfish stuff.
they need isolating.
“all firearms should be microchips”
Microchips do nothing, they are passive devices. You do know that, don’t you?
clearly no.
but whatever can trace where a given firearm may be. Transponder ?
if possible.
A transponder receives a radio signal and emits a different signal in response. The response may contain location information but the transponder has to be within range of both a live transmitter and a live receiver, first in order to respond, and second so the response can be captured. It could, however, be easily disabled by any criminal.
There are a few technologies which contain location information, directly or indirectly, all with various advantages and disadvantages… distances covered, whether they just record privately, etc
Geolocators used for bird tracking use day length for calibration, but simply storing guns in the dark would destroy that.
Transmitting GPS/Galileo data – and/or using the Argos system – would, I suspect, open up firearm locations to the criminal community… and any criminal intent on using firearms to illegally kill wildlife would likely disable any such device first. Hence the tag, famously found wrapped in lead (which was overkill, by the way. Any Faraday cage would work – ask a shoplifter.)
it was an air rifle pellet, which means it was probably some brain dead person with nothing better to do but take a pot shot. Not an excuse, but unlikely to be anyone from the game shooting fraternity. As an air gun owner I know how dangerous they are and should be treated with the same respect as all firearms. I wonder if they should be registered along with other guns. I would support it.
the culprit could still be a gamekeeper, the air rifle is a silent weapon which would be the perfect tool where there may be members of the public roaming about
I agree, Air rifles are dangerous. Many years ago when I was in junior school, my best friend was killed by a pellet through the eye.
I have never touched a firearm of any sort, because of that occurrence.
many pneumatic Air Rifles can be modified to exceed the legal limit, A fire arms cert is needed, couple this with a thermal scope and it becomes the ideal weapon for some brain dead member of the shooting fraternity for getting close enough to a Gos and playing the part of wannabe keeper, we live in one of the most nature deprived countries in the world and yet we still have idiots shooting and poisoning a predator whose main prey items are Corvids, Squirrels and Rats. you can’t make it up
You make a very good point. I believe it is high time the firearms legislation regarding air weapons was completely overhauled so that owning an air weapon was treated with a similar seriousness to owning a shotgun or Sect1 firearm. This would require the owners of air weapons to have a firearms certificate, store the weapons in a gun cabinet etc. It should be a criminal offence to posses an air weapon without a firearms certificate.
I would also suggest that offences committed with air weapons should be treated with a similar gravity to offences committed with shotguns or Sect 1 firearms- For example – possession of a loaded air weapon in a public place without lawful authority should no longer be a summary offence but one tried in the Crown courts and carry a mandatory prison sentence, trespassing on land with an air weapon should also carry similar punishments to trespassing with a shotgun or Sect 1 firearm.
It is one thing to own an air gun to shoot tin cans in the back yard, but something completely different when the owner of such a weapon goes out into the countryside to shoot wildlife.
As other commentators have alluded to, there are far too many irresponsible people who think it is acceptable to dress up in camouflage, go into their local woods and shoot wildlife, often with zero knowledge of what they are shooting or how their activity effects the balance of nature.
As this report highlights, the Goshawk which was shot appears not to have died instantly, but appears to have suffered agonising injuries and a slow painful death due to starvation. Air weapons are often totally inappropriate weapons with which to shoot wildlife as I suspect more often than not the creature being shot doesn’t die instantly but suffers a slow agonising death caused by the injuries it received. Such actions should never be acceptable in a civilised society.
Update now added to foot of blog.
i agree with everyone especially country born n bred there is no place for this behavior. Sad sick world we live in .
You only have to see the content of the airgun magazines to see the mentality of some of these people. They get dressed up in camo and think they’re in the SAS and heaven help the wild life.
A wonder of nature, some may say one of God’s creations laid low by some vile shithead, paid bye some fucktard in an ivory tower. Because we are talking about the rich, the privileged that pay shitheads like this to kill anything that might spoil their fun.