Category: News

“Licensing of Scottish grouse moors is needed now: it cannot wait five years”

Duncan Orr Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB Scotland has written an opinion piece published today in The Scotsman:

Duncan’s article relates to the still-awaited Government response to the Werritty Review (apparently now due ‘in the autumn’ but don’t hold your breath). For new blog readers, the Werritty Review was commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2017 to assess the sustainability of grouse moor management and it reported in November 2019. The group unanimously recommended that grouse moors should be licensed but only if, within five years, there is no measured improvement in the conservation prospects of key bird of prey populations (see here).

Here are a couple of extracts from Duncan’s article:

‘In December 2019 the independent Grouse Moor Management Review Group, chaired by Professor Alan Werritty, made recommendations as to how Scottish grouse moors might be managed “sustainably and within the law”. The Werritty Review was prompted by relentless illegal persecution of birds of prey. It followed the publication of a damning report by Scottish Natural Heritage that analysed the fate of satellite-tagged golden eagles between 2004 and 2016. The report revealed that a third of the 131 tracked birds disappeared in illegal or suspicious circumstances, predominantly on land managed for grouse shooting. Since only a small proportion of the golden eagle population was monitored, the true number of birds killed was likely higher‘.

and

‘RSPB Scotland supports the Group’s recommendations; but we do not accept the need for a five-year delay before licensing is considered. Licensing must be progressed as soon as possible. Grouse shooting businesses have had many decades to get their house in order and have patently failed to adapt to the laws of the land and to modern expectations. A five-year delay would likely mean up to ten years before a licensing system could be practically implemented. We need an immediate and significant change to deliver environmentally sustainable grouse moor management practices; any delay puts the future of Scotland’s spectacular birds of prey at prolonged risk from illegal behaviours; and hinders Scotland’s attempts to use nature-based solutions to tackle the climate crisis‘.

To read the full article please click here

UPDATE 26 July 2020: More hysterical scaremongering over proposed grouse moor licensing (here)

Three gamekeepers suspended from Queen’s grouse moor after wildlife crime investigation

Following the news that a goshawk was recently trapped and apparently killed by a masked individual on the Queen’s grouse moor in North Yorkshire (see here and here), the Yorkshire Post is claiming that three gamekeepers were suspended.

According to the article, the Head gamekeeper and two underkeepers were suspended after being interviewed by North Yorkshire Police in relation to the alleged killing of the goshawk. Two have since been reinstated while the third one has been allowed to resign, and apparently allowed to work his notice period before he went!

The police investigation continues as officers await forensic results from items seized during a search of the estate.

Full article in the Yorkshire Post available here

UPDATE 21st July 2020: An article in The Independent names BH Sporting as the agents managing the land on behalf of the Duchy of Lancaster (here).

Channel 4 News does Langholm buyout

Alex Thomson, Chief Correspondent at Channel 4 News is on a bit of a roll.

In May he did a cracking report on the illegal persecution of birds of prey on grouse moors across North Yorkshire (see here).

Yesterday he did a cracking report about why the Langholm community is having to raise £6 million to turn a knackered grouse moor in to a nature reserve.

You can watch the seven minute film here and it really is worth your time.

Here’s how Alex describes the film on the Channel 4 News website:

‘You could call it a highly ambitious grassroots project – a group of Scottish villagers in Dumfries and Galloway is hoping to raise more than six million pounds to turn the UK’s most famous grouse moor into a new ten thousand acre nature reserve.

The land currently belongs to the Duke of Buccleuch, the second largest private landowner in Britain.

This scheme has revealed how far the vestiges of feudal land ownership are still very much alive today‘.

Once you’ve watched the film, which features a cameo role for land reform campaigner and Scottish Greens MSP Andy Wightman, you might want to have a read of this blog (here) written by Andy back in 2014. It puts the current situation into context, somewhat.

Regular blog readers will already know about the Langholm Initiative’s crowdfunding campaign to try and raise the money to buy this tiny piece of Buccleuch’s massive estate (e.g. see here, here, here, here, here and here). There was also an interesting article published in The National last month by Dr Lesley Riddoch (see here).

If you want to contribute to the crowdfunder please click here.

Wildlife killed in illegally-set trap and snares in south Scotland

Press release from Scottish SPCA (17 July 2020)

Scottish SPCA raise concerns after animals die suffering in illegal snares and traps

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after being alerted to deceased animals caught in illegal snares and traps over the last month.

The Society’s special investigations unit was alerted to two incidents of badgers in illegal snares in North Lanarkshire since 5 July and a hare was discovered trapped in a spring trap in the Pentland Hills on 18 June.

From 2018 to 2019, the charity dealt with almost 60 incidents involving animals caught in snares and traps. The majority of these animals were dead on arrival.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity supports an outright ban on all snares due to the level of suffering an animal is caused.

The snares that killed the badgers were illegal as both had been set on a fence line. This is unlawful due to the risk of an animal trapped being wholly or partially suspended which can lead to severe unnecessary suffering. The snares also did not have a ‘stop’ which does not allow the device to tighten after a certain point. All snares are legally required to have an identification tag but this was absent on both devices. The snare in Motherwell was made out of nylon which is an illegal material for use in snares.

The hare was caught in an outdated spring trap which became illegal for use on non-target animals in April 2020. Trap operators should be aware of the recent change in legislation that dictates which traps are legal and which traps are no longer approved. This particular trap was unapproved and was not legal in the circumstances in which it was used.

Scottish SPCA special investigations inspector, who cannot be named due to undercover operations, said:

“Snare and trap operators must check on the device every 24-hours and this was not the case in these incidents.

These animals were caused unimaginable physical and mental anguish being caught in these traps. The creatures will have experienced slow and agonising deaths. The level of suffering they would have felt is unimaginable.

The badger in Airdrie had been dead for two or three months and in Motherwell, the animal had been deceased for over 24 hours.

The badgers must have passed under the fence and become caught in the snare. One under its front legs and the other around its neck. Both animals must have panicked and this caused the snare to constrict them further and further.

The hare was found in the Pentland Hills near Balerno trapped by its front leg. By the time we found it, the leg had almost been severed due to the amount of struggle and fight put up by the animal.

These areas are popular with dog walkers so we would ask that anyone with pets in the areas are vigilant. Snares and traps are indiscriminate and domestic animals such as dogs and cats can also be caught in them. It is illegal for anyone to tamper with a legally set snare or trap so we would ask the public not to attempt this. If someone suspects a device is set illegally then they should contact us immediately.

We’ve been working closely with our partners at Police Scotland on these wildlife crimes and both agencies are keen to find those responsible.

We’d also like to thank the owners of the land in Airdrie, Premier Woodlands, who have been fully cooperative and are keen to find those responsible.

If anyone has any information on whoever may have set these snares or traps or if anyone finds what they believe to be an illegal item, we would urge them to phone our animal helpline immediately on 03000 999 999. All calls can be treated confidentially.”

ENDS

Queen’s North Yorkshire grouse moor named at centre of police investigation

Further to last week’s news that North Yorkshire Police were appealing for information after the alleged killing of a goshawk that was caught inside a trap on a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park (see here), the location has now been revealed to be one of the Queen’s grouse moors, part of the Duchy of Lancaster, according to an article in The Times today.

It’s reported that ‘the Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the British sovereign, under the title the Duke of Lancaster. It covers more than 44,000 acres of rural and urban holdings, including several thousand acres of moorland‘.

The video footage of the goshawk caught in the trap is described:

‘A man approaches a large cage trap set up by a brook on the moors. He fills the trap with live jackdaws, apparently as bait, and leaves. When a man is filmed opening the trap a day later, a goshawk has entered the trap.

He uses a pole or hook to hold the goshawk as he enters the trap. For a moment it struggles and flaps but after a few seconds falls still, apparently dead. The man puts the goshawk into a bag and leaves, throwing a carcass of one of the jackdaws into the brook as he goes. The goshawk killed five of the birds, Inspector Matt Hagen, head of North Yorkshire Police Rural Task Force told The Times.’

North Yorkshire Police have searched part of the estate under warrant and interviewed three individuals under caution. The investigation is ongoing.

We understand there is a sporting agent on this estate and it’s a name we’ve heard many times before.

This isn’t the first time that a royal estate has been at the centre of a police investigation about goshawks – see here for a very mysterious story from the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk a couple of years ago.

North Yorkshire Police search for illegal poisons in Nidderdale

North Yorkshire Police made quite a statement on Friday morning when at least 10 marked police vehicles descended upon Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale, along with forensic-suited poisons experts from Natural England. When asked by local residents what they were doing, the police replied they were conducting searches in relation to the illegal killing of birds of prey in the area.

North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force tweeted about it yesterday:

This is a very good example of proactive policing. The Nidderdale AONB is one of the UK’s most notorious hotspots for illegal raptor persecution, particularly on many of its driven grouse moors e.g. see here for a recent damning report published by the local AONB authority and for just a small sample of reported persecution crimes in recent years see here, here, here, here, here, here, here here, here, here, here, here and here.

During lockdown, the police were appealing for information about two separate illegal poisoning incidents in the area, involving two dogs (here) and a buzzard (here) and it’s believed Friday’s search may have been in relation to these most recent incidents.

Illegal poisoning happens with such frequency in this area that the specific concoction used has even been named the ‘Nidderdale Cocktail’ (Bendiocarb, Carbofuran, Isofenphos, and Chloralose). Bendiocarb is licenced for use in England as an ingredient in a number of insect control products but should not be released into an environment where wildlife could come into contact with them. Carbofuran, Isofenphos and Chloralose are all banned substances which should not be used under any circumstances.

In the police’s tweet, they mention searches ‘under S19 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981’. This refers to Section 19 of the Act, entitled ‘Enforcement’ and allows officers to enter private land, without a warrant, to conduct searches where there is reasonable suspicion that an individual is committing or has committed an offence:

North Yorkshire Police haven’t revealed whether anything was found, and nor would we expect them to at this early stage, but the fact they turned up in force, accompanied by Natural England staff who have expertise in poison storage, labelling and identification, and that they weren’t shy about telling local shoppers why they were there, sends a very clear message to the Nidderdale raptor killers.

Well done, North Yorkshire Police & Natural England. More of this, please.

Hen Harrier Day Wales – archived video available to watch now

Well done Ian Cooper (Mountain Escapes) for hosting today’s inaugural Hen Harrier Day Wales, ably assisted by Alan Davies (Birdwatching Trips).

This event was supposed to have taken place at a venue in Snowdonia but obviously covid19 put paid to that, but Ian and co have worked hard to bring the event online and it was live-streamed on Facebook this afternoon from 12-4pm.

The speakers included Iolo Williams, Dr Cathleen Thomas, Alan Davies, Ruth Tingay, Rob Taylor, Dan Rouse and Chris Packham.

For those who missed it, the archive video is now available to watch (and you don’t need a Facebook account to access it). Just click on the video below.

UK Hen Harrier Day will be an online event on Saturday 8 August 2020 – to find more details please visit the website here

Hen Harrier Day Wales – livestreaming online Saturday 18 July 2020

The first ever Hen Harrier Day Wales takes place tomorrow (Saturday, 18 July 2020) and will be live-streamed on Facebook from 12 – 4pm.

Hosted by two outdoor companies, Mountain Escapes & Julian Cartright Mountain Adventures, this is the first of two online Hen Harrier Day events this year, with a UK-wide event taking place in three weeks time on Saturday 8 August. More info to follow on that one.

Hen Harrier Day Wales has the following line-up:

  • 12.00-12.05 Introduction
  • 12.05-12.30. Iolo Williams. The history of Hen Harriers in Wales, recolonisation and persecution.
  • 12.50-13.05. Dr Cathleen Thomas. Join us to find out more about the RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE project, which ran from 2014 to 2020. We’ll tell you a bit more about our work in Wales, and our hopes for the future of Welsh hen harriers.
  • 13.15-13.30. Alan Davies. The magical experience of watching Hen Harriers on Welsh moorlands, a sight which everybody should have the chance to see. He will then move on to highlight the terrible persecution of these spectacular birds and will wrap up with how we can all help Hen Harriers by spreading the word about these fantastic endangered birds.
  • 13.40-13.55. Dr Ruth Tingay. Topic to be confirmed.
  • 14.05-14.20. Rob Taylor. Topic to be confirmed.
  • 14.30-14.45. Dan Rouse. Young people and Hen harriers: what has been achieved and what people can work towards doing if they want to get involved in helping hen harriers.
  • 15.00-15.45. Chris Packham. Topic to be confirmed.
  • 16.00. Thanks/ Close.

For further information about Hen Harrier Day Wales, please visit the web page here

For a bit more background, there is also this blog (here) by Alan Davies and this blog (here) from RSPB Wales.

[Chris Packham with an illegally-killed hen harrier – full story here – photo by Ruth Tingay]

 

Police appeal after goshawk killed on grouse-shooting estate in North York Moors National Park

Press release from North Yorkshire Police (15 July 2020)

Police appeal for information after goshawk killed near Goathland

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information about an incident in which a goshawk appeared to be killed after becoming caught in a cage trap.

Video footage, which was passed on to North Yorkshire Police, shows the bird becoming caught in the trap in the early hours of 2 May 2020. Shortly afterwards, an individual with their face obscured is seen entering the trap and appears to deliberately kill the bird before removing the body in a bag.

The trap was located on Howl Dale Moor near Goathland in the North York Moors National Park.

[The goshawk trapped inside the cage trap prior to being killed, photo via North Yorkshire Police]

North Yorkshire Police Wildlife Crime Officer, Jeremy Walmsley, is urging anyone with information to come forward:

”The goshawk is one of the most protected species of bird in the UK and it is extremely distressing that an individual would choose to kill any bird of prey. I appeal to anyone with information about this horrific crime to get in touch with the police and help us to find the person responsible for the death of this magnificent bird.

We see far too many incidents of birds of prey killed or injured in North Yorkshire and as a police force we are doing all we can to put a stop to this inhumane and callous crime.”

Andy Wilson, Chief Executive of the North York Moors National Park Authority said:

“We are deeply saddened to hear about this incident. Goshawks were persecuted to extinction in the UK in the late 19th century and, despite an improvement in numbers, persecution and habitat loss remain a constant threat to their survival.

Killing or injuring a bird of prey is illegal, cruel and must be prosecuted wherever possible. We are working alongside the police to support them in their investigations and we would strongly urge any witnesses or anyone who has any information to come forward. With your help the offender(s) can be brought to justice.”

A cage trap can be used to catch certain species of birds and is designed to trap birds alive and unharmed, in case of any non-target species becoming caught. Any non-target birds, such as birds of prey, should be released as soon as possible after being caught. Killing a bird of prey is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

If you have any information which could help this investigation, please call 101 quoting reference: 12200073462 or if you wish to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

UPDATE 20 July 2020: Queen’s grouse moor named at centre of wildlife crime investigation in North Yorkshire (here)

Conservationists fear for safety of Bearded Vulture on notorious Peak District grouse moors

The young Bearded Vulture that has been roosting in the Peak District National Park is causing concern for conservationists who fear for its safety on the notorious grouse moors.

[The young Bearded Vulture, photo by William Bowell]

It just happens to have chosen to hang out in ‘one of the worst 10km squares for raptor persecution in the UK’ according to Mark Thomas of RSPB Investigations (e.g. see here) and there are fears that it could be targeted by ruthless gamekeepers in the run up to the start of the grouse shooting season on 12 August.

Only last month police appealed for information after the discovery of a dying buzzard found inside the National Park (see here). It had suffered horrific gunshot injuries and a post-mortem revealed it had previously been shot but had survived those earlier injuries.

[The vulture has been roosting at an old raven nest site, photo by Tim Birch]

Tim Birch from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been quoted in a number of media articles (e.g. here and here):

It “couldn’t have come to a worse spot in terms of bird of prey persecution” amid fears the vulture could be poisoned or shot. “I don’t think people realise it’s happening in the national park. The bearded vulture is of international importance, so if anything happened to that bird it would bring into sharp focus what is happening here.”

It’s a pretty shocking indictment when a rare bird of prey shows up inside one the country’s most famous national parks and the big story is whether it’ll be left alone or killed.

Fortunately, so far it’s been left alone, presumably because so many birdwatchers have been flocking to see it.

[Birdwatchers viewing the Bearded Vulture, photo by Indy Kiemel Greene]

UPDATE 16th October 2020: Bearded vulture flies out of UK (here)