The RSPCA is appealing for information after the discovery of a dead Buzzard that had been tied, when alive, to the root of a tree.
A member of the public found the dead Buzzard on the afternoon of Tuesday 14 April 2026 in privately-owned woodland at Llanbrynmair, Powys, in mid-Wales.
Photos by RSPCA:
A blue rope had been tied around the Buzzard’s wing and tethered to the root of a tree.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Julia Dalgleish, who attended the scene, said:
“This buzzard had clearly been in distress. The rope was very twisted which suggests the bird had been struggling and twisting around this rope for some time and there was a reasonable amount of bird excrement around the root that also suggests a relatively lengthy time frame.
“One of its wings was distinctly damaged both in terms of the feathers as well as having a wound on it.
“The bird’s body condition also seemed to be quite low as there was very little muscle tissue around the breastplate area.
“There is no indication of why somebody had done this. We’re appealing for anyone with first hand information to get in touch to help us with our enquiries.
“Our Inspectorate Appeal Line can be reached on 0300 123 8018 and incident number 01776998 can be quoted.
“We would encourage everyone to show kindness to wildlife. We share our space with a variety of wild animals. Every kind of animal deserves our care and respect. All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it’s illegal – except under licence – to kill wild birds. However, if tied up whilst alive there may also be offences under the Animal Welfare Act“.
This location is not far from where 15 sacks of dead Pheasants, presumably shot, were found dumped in a river in 2023; nine of the bags were believed to have been thrown from a bridge near Glantwymyn, just along the A470 (see here).
Raptor Persecution UK 
God what sick inhman bxxxxxxxd!. I hope he’s found and I hope someone then [rest of comment deleted]
How totally bizarre. Whatever next?
The uutter cruelty
I think it would have been worthwhile to have forensically examined the bird (assuming it wasn’t). If any of the DNA cross-matches with past offenders, then it’s always worth a chat. If the DNA crops up again, then the police can have an even longer chat….
Appalling cruelty:-( Imagine what the perpetrator would do to a person:-(
Beyond sick , the mentality of somebody who could do this is Beyond comprehension sick soulless cruel and total scumbag of an individual. How do you tie a buzzard to a tree root in the first place caught in a trap maybe ??? Love to see this sicko caught you cruel twat .
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Caught in a (corvid type) cage trap then tied up somewhere on the territories of other pairs of buzzards or other raptors (goshawk?) to attract them into shotgun range is my best bet, though I know v little about that area. Variants on the above practice – often with poletraps strategically set nearby – were commonplace methods for many “vermin” species in ye olde history of gamekeeping. Does this sort of thing still happen now? Even with the easy use of Fox-Pro and other similar remote recorded-call devices at hand? I don’t know – but I wouldn’t bet against it. I would like to think that the police had invited a subject matter expert in to survey the scene to form an opinion, but it doesn’t sound like they did.
I bow to your superior knowledge on this one and am not surprised by it, the barbarity of the whole thing is sickening, made even worse of course by just leaving the bird to starve or otherwise die. Nothing deserves such a death, even the culprit, (although I might have to think twice) . On social media there are the usual apologists claiming the bird accidentally caught itself when it is clearly evident that no such thing happened, I find the apologists almost as repugnant as whoever committed this horrible crime, presumably to protect tame pheasants.
I could be wrong, which is why I wish there had been an expert (RSPB Investigations) called in to read the area for clues. One thing that did pique my suspicion is the photo suggests it’s right on the edge of a wood / forestry plantation. Perfect. The woodland edges, the rough ground, the broken down walls, the scrubby tree lines, the streams, rock piles and other features that put marks on the ground from a birds eye view are IMO the places where the bad stuff gets done most often/efficiently.
some people are so sick & cruel to animals in this case wildlife. They need to be caught ASAP & also tied to a tree and left to rot. xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx