Last week I blogged about an appeal for information that had been posted on North Yorkshire Police’s Facebook page, in relation to ‘the suspected shooting of a buzzard‘ near Goathland on 2nd May 2025 (see here).
I’d noted that the appeal was quite vague. It wasn’t clear if the appeal was a result of a witness report of someone seen shooting towards a buzzard or whether a corpse had been found and was awaiting post mortem.
I’ve since been informed by a reliable local source that a dead buzzard had been found and an x-ray revealed it had been shot.
Having a corpse with shot in it is a confirmed shooting, not a suspected shooting.
Without seeing the x-ray it’s not possible for us to determine if it had been shot close to where the body was discovered (e.g. if its wing bones had been shattered by the shot then it’s unlikely to have been able to fly any distance) so it may have been shot near Goathland or it may have been shot elsewhere and just succumbed to its injuries close to the Duchy of Lancaster grouse moor.
It’s obviously pure coincidence that the grouse moors near to Goathland just happen to be a raptor persecution hotspot.
It’s pointless asking North Yorkshire Police for further information about this buzzard – they routinely refuse to answer such requests.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Hello there,
As a well-known and well respected ‘Raptor Persecution’ organisation, you would be well within your rights to ask for a meeting with an inspector overseeing the Rural Crime Unit.
The police are within their rights to withhold information if there is a reason to do so…but, in this particular case I cannot see that this is so ( obviously names must not be disclosed).
Goodwill has been shown on your side aka. the Sky Dancing event where a financial appeal was launched to train a rural crime detection dog.
A great amount can be ascertained from the forensic examination of an avian corpse, including human DNA (even if the bird had been buried).
Stand your ground, and your worth!
Regards,
Lynda Kay Robinson
I am very disappointed to read this somewhat dismissive report regarding the Goathland buzzard. Living in this village in such a beautiful part of the country is severely tarnished by the constant loss of so much of our wildlife. On the very rare occasions I see birds of prey, I am resigned to the fact they won’t have long to live if they linger near the moorland. We have had meetings in the village regarding raptor persecution and with North Yorkshire Police attending. They seemed sympathetic to the situation and implied determination to address the problem, so I am confused and disappointed if their attitude has changed.
Well at least they – the Police – gave you a bit of pleasant eyewash, and perhaps to be fair some sincerity from some officers. I know of an officer from a Rural police team elsewhere that has said all of that and then the next day chatted amicably with keepers (who have been the subject of much RSPB/ Police scrutiny) on a farmwatch night and commented to the effect that “this is a beautiful place because of the shooting estates & keepers”. Which is telling of the tension and divided loyalties that rural police teams are under, and illustrates why local rural police teams are not the right people for this job. The killing of a raptors for grouse production is an incredibly local thing on the one hand, but on the other – the motive force for it is national and international in origin.
Would people living in the relevant area complain to the Force’s PCC over this?
It’s such a beautiful part of the country and the local people are obviously passionate like we all are about their wildlife and birds of prey I hope they get the help they need from rural task force of north Yorkshire police ban grouse shooting and let’s hope there’s an end to all this unnecessary slaughter and peace be restored to the countryside.