Category: 2014 persecution incidents

Ross-shire Massacre: death toll rises to 16

A total of 12 red kites and four buzzards have now been retrieved in the Ross-shire Massacre – one of the worst mass poisoning incidents to have been uncovered in recent years.

The victims have all been recovered from a very small area near Conon Bridge in the Highlands. They include breeding adults and juvenile birds – the impact of these deaths on the already-struggling Black Isle red kite population will be significant.

This mass poisoning comes on the back of the news that reported poisoning incidents in Scotland in 2013 doubled from 2012 figures. Other types of persecution were also reported, including shooting, trapping, nest-tree felling and birds that were trapped and then beaten to death.

We await the Scottish Government’s response to this latest outrage with great interest.

The RSPB has put up a £5K reward for information leading to a successful conviction.

Previous blogs on the Ross-shire Massacre here, here, here and here.

Photo of red kites at Gigrin Farm, Wales, by David Bowman.

 

Death toll rises again in Ross-shire massacre as £5k reward offered

The death toll in what we are calling the Ross-shire Massacre has risen again today with the discovery of another poisoned raptor. Today’s dead red kite is the 10th to be discovered in the last fortnight in a small area in Conon Bridge, along with four buzzards, bringing the total found to date to fourteen.

RSPB Scotland is offering a £5,000 reward for any information that leads to a successful conviction. Their money is probably quite safe.

Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association, Alex Hogg, has put out the following statement:

“The discovery of so many birds in one area is unprecedented and alarming“.

He’s either deliberately lying to make out that the mass killing of raptors in one area has never happened before or he has a very short memory:

In 2004, a gamekeeper on the Barns Estate in the Scottish Borders was convicted of poisoning 20 raptors (18 buzzards, 1 goshawk and 1 tawny owl). 25 dead raptors had been discovered but five were too badly decomposed to establish their cause of death (see here).

In 2013, gamekeeper Colin Burne was convicted of killing seven buzzards at the Whinfell Plantation, Penrith, Cumbria. A total of 12 dead birds had been found but five were too badly decomposed to establish their cause of death (see here).

This year, there is an on-going court case against a gamekeeper from the Stody Estate, Norfolk, after the discovery of 16 dead raptors (14 buzzards, 1 sparrowhawk and 1 tawny owl). Allen Lambert has admitted to storing two banned pesticides but he has denied killing the raptors. His trial begins in May (see here).

So far from this current incident being ‘unprecedented’, there are examples dating from 10 years ago right up to the present day of multiple dead raptors being found in a single incident – a telling indictment of just how little progress has been made in addressing this disgusting crime.

There’s also a statement on the SGA facebook page that includes this:

“Articles in the Telegraph and Herald this week indicated, through research, that there is little or no shooting interests in the area” [Conon Bridge, Ross-shire, where the latest atrocity is gradually being revealed].

That’s also inaccurate. There may not be a driven grouse moor in the immediate area but there certainly are shooting interests…

Photo of red kites at Gigrin Farm, Wales, by David Bowman.

Previous blogs on the Ross-shire Massacre here, here and here.

Ross-shire raptor death toll rises to 13….and counting

In what looks increasingly to be a mass poisoning incident, the number of dead raptors found in the Conon Bridge /Muir of Ord area has now reached 13, including at least 9 red kites, according to RSPB Scotland’s Director.

It’s not over by a long way…

Previous blogs here and here

UPDATE 1300hrs: Police Scotland has confirmed the first six of these birds to be tested (so far) have come back as positive for having been poisoned.

 

Ross-shire raptor death toll rises to 11….and counting

The incident we blogged about two days ago concerning the discovery of five dead red kites and two buzzards in Ross-shire, north Scotland (see here) has just got a lot worse.

The current figure is 11 corpses, according to the BBC, and we suspect more may yet to be found.

We know that at least eight of these corpses are red kites.

This is the worst single persecution incident to have been discovered for several years. Poisoning is strongly suspected.

More on this soon.

Red kite photo by Mali Halls.

 

Six dead raptors found in suspicious circumstances in Ross-shire

Five red kites and a buzzard have been found dead in suspicious circumstances in Ross-shire in the last week.

The birds were reportedly found at different but nearby locations in the Conon Bridge and Muir of Ord area between 18-24 March 2014.

Police Scotland say it is currently unclear how the birds died but it was likely the deaths involved “some form of criminality”.

A local source has told us that poisoning is suspected, although toxicology results are not yet available to confirm this.

This is a surprisingly fast response from Police Scotland. Anyone with information about these dead birds is encouraged to contact the police on Tel: 101.

BBC news article here

Photo of a red kite by Mali Halls

Two more raptors shot dead in Norfolk

Norfolk is becoming quite the raptor persecution hotspot….

Norfolk Constabulary are investigating two separate persecution incidents following the discovery of a dead sparrowhawk and a dying buzzard in February.

The sparrowhawk was found with gunshot injuries on 16th February  by walkers on the Brisley Road in Whissonsett, near Fakenham.

One week later walkers heard shooting in Narford Wood near Swaffham and found the dying buzzard which had been shot.

Any information, please call Norfolk Constabulary on 101.

News article from EDP24 here.

Facebook braggers get caught out

dead sparSome people are just very, very stupid.

A couple of days ago someone called Steve R Godfrey posted a picture of a dead sparrowhawk on a private Facebook forum called Forester’s Hunting Community. This group is for those interested in air rifles and shooting. He included the following statement with his photograph:

“This was stalking my friends racing pigeons. He asked for my services“.

In response, many, many group members wrote of their utter disgust and outrage at the inference that Godfrey had killed this bird. The group’s moderators banned Godfrey from the group and reported him to the police.

An update on the group’s Facebook page yesterday stated that Derbyshire police were actively investigating the incident following the high number of complaints that had been received from the shooting community.

Steve R Godfrey’s Facebook account appears to have vanished.

Kudos to the members of the Forester’s Hunting Community for reporting him and to Derbyshire Constabulary for following up.

neknominateAnother investigation has been launched after a video of a man slitting a deer’s throat and drinking its blood was posted on Facebook last month. The ‘stunt’ was allegedly part of the ‘neknominate’ craze where someone drinks alcohol, performs a stunt and then nominates someone else to take part. The video was posted by someone called Shaun Wilson from Newcastle. An article in the Newcastle Chronicle (see here) suggests that the person in the video is a gamekeeper and that he has been suspended from his position on a Northumberland estate.

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation has confirmed that the gamekeeper is one of their members and they have apparently launched a disciplinary investigation. A committee hearing next month will decide whether the man’s actions are ‘relevant to gamekeeping and whether he has damaged the reputation or profession of gamekeeping’. Don’t hold your breath – this is the same organisation that thinks a conviction for possession of a banned poison is not enough to warrant expulsion from the organisation because ‘it’s not a wildlife crime’ (see here).

Shot peregrine found dead near pheasant pen in Yetminster

From Lauren Jean on Twitter (@lau1180) –

This peregrine was found shot dead near a pheasant pen close to Millennium Woods near Yetminster, Dorset. The discovery has been reported to the police and the RSPB.

perg shot Yetminster March 2014

First Irish-bred sea eagle shot & killed

One of two Irish-bred white-tailed sea eagles, hatched last year for the first time in over 100 years, has been shot and killed.

The nine-month old bird was found in a remote part of Tipperary with 40-50 shot gun pellets in its body.

A post mortem revealed that the pellets had broken one of the bird’s legs and wing but the bird had survived for several weeks before succumbing to its injuries.

What an absolutely tragic and shocking outcome, highlighting once again that the disgraceful illegal persecution of raptors continues unabated in these isles.

See here for the report in the Irish Times to read the response of the Minister and the Irish White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction team.

We’re absolutely gutted for them.

The photograph shows Project Manager Allan Mee with one of the first sea eagle chicks donated to the project by Norway in 2007.

Further coverage

Golden Eagle Trust press release here

Independent Ireland article here

BBC news article here

RTE News & audio here

Buzzard shot & critically injured in North Yorkshire

North Yorks Police logoA critically-injured buzzard has been euthanised after being found shot earlier this month.

The buzzard was found on Friday 14th February (Valentine’s Day) on Brownmoor Lane in Huby, near Easingwold in North Yorkshire. It had five shot gun pellets in its body and one had shattered its wing.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for information and can be contacted by phone or email (see here for press release and contact details).

Well done to them for a timely and informative press release (published within 7 days of the injured bird being discovered).