Category: News

RSPB news black out on hen harrier persecution? This can’t be right

hh LAURIE CAMPBELLIf we’ve interpreted this correctly, there’s something very odd going on with the RSPB this year.

Two days ago, RSPB Conservation Director Martin Harper wrote a blog entitled ‘Thoughts on this year’s hen harrier breeding season‘ (see here).

Much of the content isn’t new – it’s just reiterating the RSPB’s supportive position of DEFRA’s Hen Harrier Inaction Plan and Martin’s desire to see an improvement in hen harrier breeding success this year. However, there are a few additional sentences in this article, relating to the RSPB’s planned media strategy, that really require close attention and, hopefully, some clarification:

“To ensure focus remains on the conservation outcome we want, we won’t be providing day by day updates on the breeding season. Instead, we’ll provide a mid-season update on 6 June and then let everyone know how the season has gone in late August with a detailed update“.

Eh?

Does this mean that if hen harriers are persecuted during this year’s breeding season, we might hear about it on 6th June (although the news could easily be suppressed by the police if the persecution incidents happen just before 6th June – live investigation and all that) but if it happens after 6th June we won’t find out about it until ‘late August’?

If that’s the case, it’s an extraordinary move by the RSPB. It’s like telling the criminals, ‘Wait until after 6th June to bump off the harriers because there won’t be any publicity about it until late August’.

Nobody expects a ‘day by date update’ from the RSPB – we’ve never had that before and we wouldn’t expect it this year, but what we would expect is to be told, in a timely manner, if hen harriers have ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances from active breeding sites, or if they’ve been found killed. That’s what the RSPB did last year, so why is this year so different?

Imagine this scenario. There are 20 breeding pairs of hen harriers across northern England this year (yes, hard to believe). What if one harrier got shot each week during the season. We might hear about the first three or four deaths on 6th June, but then nothing of the other 16 until late August?

How does a news black out “ensure focus remains on the conservation outcome we want“? It makes no sense at all, other than to give the grouse-shooting industry a PR-disaster-free ride in the run up to the Inglorious 12th. How is that in the interests of conservation?

And assuming the RSPB will again be involved in this year’s Hen Harrier Day (7th August 2016), are they really going to turn up with nothing to tell us?

Do they really want us to instead rely on the media propaganda that will inevitably be churned out by You Forgot the Birds throughout the season?

If our interpretation of Martin’s statement is correct, then it sounds very much to us like the RSPB has been knobbled.

What we should expect is a clarifying statement from Martin, something along the lines of ‘If you don’t hear from us during the breeding season, take that as no news is good news’.

It would be an absolute disgrace if hen harriers are persecuted this year and the RSPB stays quiet.

Please, Martin, tell us we’ve misunderstood.

Please sign this e-petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting HERE

UPDATE 15.05hrs: Martin Harper replies & says no media black out – see here.

Cairngorms National Park Authority responds to death of hen harrier ‘Lad’

HH Lad July 2015 Dave PullanFollowing on from yesterday’s news about the discovery of a dead hen harrier (suspected shot) on a grouse moor within the Cairngorms National Park (see here), Grant Moir, CEO of the Cairngorms National Park Authority has issued a statement (see here).

We’ve reproduced it here:

“It appears likely from the post-mortem carried out by SRUC that a tagged hen harrier has been shot in the National Park. It is a disgrace that there are still people who think shooting a hen harrier is acceptable in the 21st century.

Millions of people visit this incredible Park every year with 12 per cent of visitors coming here for wildlife watching earning millions for the local economy. 43 per cent of people in the Park are employed in tourism and every illegal raptor crime adversely affects this area and Scotland’s reputation. The National Park Authority will work with all our partners to try and ensure that raptor crime is a thing of the past and that populations and ranges recover in the Park.”

END

Good on the CNPA for issuing a statement (that’s more than the Environment Minister seems to have done), and this statement is marginally better than the one it issued nine days ago in response to questions about mountain hare massacres taking place on grouse moors within the National Park (see here), but once again it mostly just reads as empty rhetoric.

Pay attention to that last line: “The National Park Authority will work with all our partners to try and ensure that raptor crime is a thing of the past and that populations and ranges recover in the Park“. It’s all very well saying they’ll ‘work with partners’, but how, exactly, will that translate in to action?

The CNPA has talked a lot about partnership working and action, especially to address the issue of illegal raptor persecution on grouse moors within the Park, which it recognises as “threatening to undermine the reputation of the National Park as a high quality wildlife tourism destination” (see here).

For example, in 2013, a new, five-year ‘action plan’ was launched which aimed to ‘restore the full community of raptor species’ and one of the action points was for the SGA and SLE ‘to trial innovative techniques to increase raptor populations’ (see here). How’s that going? Anyone seen an increase in raptor populations? No, of course not. What we’ve actually seen is a long-term decrease of some raptors on grouse moors within the Park: the local hen harrier population has crashed (see here) as has the local peregrine population (see here) and there is no indication that these declines are about to be reversed.

Last year the CNPA hosted a high-level meeting with the Environment Minister and landowners, in which it was stated in a post-meeting CNPA press statement, “Among the topics discussed was raptor persecution and conservation, with a recognition of the progress made in recent years…” (see here).

What progress is that, then?

The last line of the CNPA’s latest statement in response to the death of hen harrier ‘Lad’ could translate as follows: ‘We’re not happy about this, it casts us in a bad light, we wish it would stop but we’re hopeless and helpless to bring about change’.

We’re not. Please sign the e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting HERE.

Photo of hen harrier ‘Lad’ by Dave Pullan

Hen harrier ‘Lad’ found dead on moor in Cairngorms National Park – suspected shot

Lad HHA young satellite tagged hen harrier named ‘Lad’ has been found dead on moorland in the Cairngorms National Park.

He fledged from a nest on an unnamed estate, also within the Park, in 2015, and was sat tagged as part of the RSPB’s Life+ Hen Harrier Project, where his movements were tracked until early September 2015, when he was found dead on moorland ‘near Newtonmore’. Full details can be read here.

The post-mortem results read as follows:

“The skin was split open on the left side of the neck parallel with the jugular groove. There was haemorrhage in the subcutaneous tissues in this area and a horizontal split in the trachea. There was damage to three feathers of the right wing consisting of a single groove mark perpendicular to the shaft of each feather.”

It goes on:

“Despite the failure to identify metallic fragments within the carcase the appearance of the damage to the wing feathers is consistent with damage caused by shooting. The injury to the neck could be explained by a shot gun pellet passing straight through the soft tissue of the neck. Both injuries could have brought the bird down and proved fatal.”

There’s lots of moorland ‘near Newtonmore’, and lots of it is intensively managed driven grouse moor, as can be seen in this photo taken in the area in July 2015 (photo by Andy Amphlett)

Burning Loch Cuaich 1 - Copy

The name of the estate where Lad’s corpse was discovered has not been given, but if you look at Andy Wightman’s excellent website Who Owns Scotland you’ll see a number of moorland estates that could all be described as being ‘near Newtonmore’. These include:

Pitmain Estate

Glen Banchor & Stone Estate

Cluny Estate

Drumochter & Ralia Estate

Etteridge, Phones & Cuiach Estate

Lynaberack Estate

So, was Lad, a young hen harrier just weeks out of the nest, shot dead on a driven grouse moor within the Cairngorms National Park? The post mortem report suggests he was, although it isn’t wholly conclusive and no doubt, no doubt at all, the grouse-shooting industry will pounce on this as ‘inconclusive evidence’. And if this was the first time it had ever happened to a hen harrier on a grouse moor, we might just give them the benefit of the doubt.

The thing is, as you all know, this isn’t a one-off. This hen harrier is the latest in a long, long miserable history of hen harrier persecution on driven grouse moors. To add further insult to injury, it happened inside the Cairngorms National Park, that so-called ‘jewel’ of Scotland.

In response, you might want to do the following:

  1. Sign this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting HERE
  2. Email Environment Minister Dr Aileen McLeod and ask her how the Government intends to respond to this latest crime. She may not be in post after the May election but no matter, if she isn’t, the next Minister will still have to reply. Be in no doubt, your emails to the Minister do have an impact. Emails to: ministerforenvironment@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
  3. Email Hamish Trench, Conservation Director of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, and ask him how the CNPA intends to act on this news. Emails to: hamishtrench@cairngorms.co.uk

UPDATE 23rd March 2016: Cairngorms National Park Authority responds here

New paper on environmental impacts of driven grouse shooting

A new scientific paper has just been published that drives another nail in to the coffin of driven grouse moor management in its current form.

Published yesterday in the scientific journal Ibis, this is a free access paper which means everyone can read it without having to pay high subscription fees:

Thompson, P.S., Douglas, D.J.T., Hoccom, D.G., Knott, J., Roos, S. and Wilson, J.D. (2016). Environmental impacts of high-output driven shooting of Red Grouse. Ibis 158: 446-452.

This paper provides a timely and succinct review of the damage caused by various aspects of intensive grouse moor management, including predator control, heather burning and the medication of red grouse to prevent disease. It’s well written, well referenced and well worth a few minutes of your time.

The authors argue that grouse moor management could contribute a lot to upland conservation but not in its current form. They say that for this to happen, “a fundamental shift in behaviours and practices would be needed, informed by evidence, supported by public policy, and led by landowners committed to a sustainable future for grouse shooting”.

IMG_5393 (2) - Copy

This paper is another damning indictment of the current intensification of grouse moor management and is authored by some well-respected scientists from the RSPB. It’s interesting then, that the RSPB’s Conservation Director Martin Harper is still advocating ‘constructive’ dialogue (see his blog from this morning here) with an industry that has proven, time and time again, that it is unwilling or incapable of change.

Sometimes (often) dialogue can be a good strategy, and it’s certainly where you should start, but there comes a time when you have to recognise that behind-the-scenes dialogue isn’t working. A good example of this can be seen with the Scottish beaver fiasco, where the RZSS has been engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to work out a plan for managing the beavers on Tayside, but this morning has sent a damning open letter to Environment Minister Dr Aileen McLeod, accusing her of dragging her feet at potentially enormous cost to the beavers (see here).

The dialogue about the mis-management of upland grouse moors has been going on for years, and especially the impact of this mis-management on the conservation of hen harriers (remember the six-year chat that ended in failure?). The RSPB walked away from that; how long before they join those of us whose patience ran out a long time ago and call for a ban on driven grouse shooting?

Please sign the latest e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting HERE

Photograph of an intensively-managed driven grouse moor on Donside (RPS).

NEW e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting

The admirable and irrepressible Mark Avery has launched a new e-petition (his third on this subject) calling on the Westminster Government to ban driven grouse shooting.

The petition needs to reach 10,000 signatures to trigger a written response from the Govt, and 100,000 signatures to trigger a parliamentary debate (but only if the Govt’s petition committee deems it appropriate!).

The first e-petition reached 22,399 signatures in 11 months. The second e-petition reached 33,655 in six months (the Govt shortened the time e-petitions could run from 12 to 6 months).

What will it be this time? Well that very much depends on you!

If you want to put an end to the mass slaughter of wildlife on driven grouse moors (and we’re not just talking about the ‘sport’ shooting of red grouse, we’re talking about all the other species that are killed, some legally and others illegally, because they’re inconvenient to the grouse moor manager – species like mountain hares, foxes, stoats, weasels, crows, and of course, the shooting, trapping and poisoning of birds of prey like the hen harrier, golden eagle, red kite, peregrine, buzzard etc), then please sign the petition and share it widely with your friends, family, colleagues, social media contacts etc.

PLEASE SIGN HERE

Please note, as it’s a Govt e-petition it’s only open to UK citizens.

Let’s put an end to obscene bloodbaths like this.

Queen’s Balmoral Estate accused of mountain hare massacre

Following on from last weekend’s news of the mass slaughter of mountain hares on grouse moors in the Cairngorms National Park (see here and here), today sees an accusation that hares have also been massacred on Balmoral Estate, the Queen’s royal residence within the Park.

According to the article written by journalist Rob Edwards (here), two culls involving three estates were witnessed towards the end of February, one of which was said to have killed 500 hares.

The Royal household has apparently not responded to requests to comment, but others have. The article has several quotes from interested parties including one from Bill Lobban, vice-convenor of Highland Council who said:

“People who visit our national parks do so for many different reasons but I would suggest that few, if any, do so to witness slaughter on the scale that has been evidenced recently“.

Indeed.

News of recent mountain hare massacres are undoubtedly a PR disaster for the grouse-shooting industry. It’s very, very hard to defend and justify this level of slaughter (some of us say it’s wholly indefensible and unjustifiable) but bless them, the landowners’ lobby group Scottish Land & Estates is trying it’s best to explain. There’s an hilariously desperate blog on their Gift of Grouse website (here) which claims hare slaughtering is done in ‘accordance with best practice’ (eh?!) and is ‘informed and balanced’ (yes, really). It’s also claimed that hare populations are ‘assessed’ prior to the cull, although so far we haven’t seen any population figures either pre or post-slaughter, we’re just expected to take their word that these massacres are sustainable. Strange, isn’t it, that SNH and other scientific bodies have for years acknowledged the difficulties of accurately assessing mountain hare population densities, and yet these Gift of Grouse gamekeepers claim to have it sussed.

Here’s one for you anagram fans: Gift of Grouse = To fog figures.

Talking of PR disasters, this week was Scottish Tourism Week and was promoted on Twitter using the hashtag #STW2016. Many businesses within the tourism sector have been tweeting about what they have to offer to visiting tourists so we and some friends thought we’d join in and show visitors some images of dead wildlife, such as heaps of shot hares and some poisoned red kites, peregrines, buzzards and eagles. It was pretty effective. Lots of people who were previously oblivious to what goes on behind the scenes on some Scottish sporting estates were re-tweeting these photographs and expressing their outrage.

eagle

This didn’t go unnoticed by the game-shooting industry and the Head of Shooting at the Countryside Alliance accused us of being ‘bigots’ (eh?) and the CEO of Scottish Land & Estates accused us of being ‘distasteful’ (no Doug, what’s distasteful is what some of your member estates do to our wildlife). Amusingly, a Police Chief Superintendent re-tweeted one of our photos of a poisoned golden eagle. We asked the Countryside Alliance bloke and SLE’s CEO if they were going to accuse the Police Chief Super of being a ‘distasteful bigot’. The response? Silence from the Countryside Alliance and SLE’s CEO blocked us!

Increase in raptor persecution crimes in 2015

The Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW Scotland) has just published the ‘official’ 2015 raptor persecution data, including their annual persecution hotspot maps.

The PAW Scotland press release can be read here and the hotspot maps can be accessed here.

20 crimes against birds of prey were recorded in 2015, which is an increase on the 18 recorded in 2014. The 2015 crimes included six poisoning incidents, five shootings, five disturbance incidents, three trapping or attempted trapping offences and one case of chick theft. The victims included red kite, peregrine, buzzard, goshawk, osprey and hen harrier. Surprisingly, golden eagle isn’t included in the list. We’ll discuss that below.

Having read the press release and looked at the hotspot maps, four things jumped out at us.

First is the increase in recorded raptor persecution incidents in 2015. It’s only a slight increase, from 18 to 20 recorded crimes, but nevertheless it is still an increase. This is important to note, especially in light of a recent statement made by Tim (Kim) Baynes of the Scottish Moorland Group (funded by the landowners’ lobby group Scottish Land & Estates). In December 2015, in response to the publication of the RSPB’s 20-year raptor persecution review, Kim said this:

“Bird of prey deaths……have fallen dramatically over the last five years in particular“.

At the time, Kim didn’t back up this claim with any evidence and as the 2015 data have now been published, it’s clear why he didn’t. Basically, the evidence wasn’t there. As Head of RSPB Scotland’s Investigation team Ian Thomson says in the latest PAW Scotland press release:

“These latest figures make it readily apparent that claims of a decline in the illegal killing of raptors are wholly without foundation“.

This time, Kim isn’t claiming that there has been a decline but he still tries to diminish the problem by saying “annual variations [in the number of reported persecution crimes] are now very small“. Another way of putting it, Kim, would be to say that no progress has been made!

The second thing to jump out at us is perhaps the most concerning of all, and that’s the withholding of data relating to a quarter of the recorded 2015 crimes. If you read the PAW Scotland press release, you’ll notice the following caveat written in the ‘Notes to Editors’ section:

‘Further details of 5 of the 20 bird of prey crimes recorded in 2015 are currently withheld for police operational reasons. It has therefore not been possible to include the locations of these incidents on the hotspot maps‘.

So here’s one of the maps purporting to show all types of raptor persecution crimes recorded over a three-year period in Scotland (2013-2015). Only it doesn’t show them all, as 25% are missing. Not only are 25% missing, but also missing are details of poisoned baits (no victims present) that were recorded during this period – for some reason they’ve been placed on a separate map. So when you look at this map, ignore the misleading title. It isn’t a map of ‘All Recorded Bird of Prey Crimes Scotland – 2013-2015’, it’s a map of SOME Recorded Bird of Prey Crimes 2013-2015, just the ones we’re allowed to know about.

ALL Raptor crimes 2013 to 2015

The purpose of publishing these annual hotspot maps and their associated data is, according to the PAW Scotland website, ‘to allow all the partner organisations to enter into meaningful discussions and work together to eradicate bad or illegal practices in Scotland‘. Presumably, because the maps and data are also placed in the public domain, the purpose is also to increase transparency and thus public confidence. What is the point of publishing a proportion of the data and withholding the rest? It just makes a mockery of the whole process. Why bother publishing at all?

The caveat in the ‘Notes to Editors’ section goes on to say:

‘The [withheld] incidents are, however, included in the figures provided in the summary tables accompanying the maps. The maps and background data will be updated, where possible, in future publications‘.

Sounds promising, but when you actually look at the summary tables you find large sections still marked as ‘withheld’:

Confirmed poisonings 2015

ALL raptor crimes 2015

These ‘withheld’ incidents, shrouded in secrecy, make it virtually impossible to cross reference known reported persecution crimes with those being touted as the ‘officially recorded’ crimes, which closes off any opportunity to scrutinise these ‘official’ data to ensure that incidents have not been ‘missed’ or ‘forgotten’ (we’re being kind). In other words, we are expected to accept and trust the ‘official’ data from Police Scotland as being accurate. Sorry, but having seen Police Scotland’s shambolic handling of some wildlife crime incidents we have limited confidence in their ability, either intentionally or unintentionally, to get this right.

This leads us nicely on to the third thing to jump out at us. As mentioned above, we were surprised not to see golden eagle listed as one of the 2015 victims. According to our sources, a traditional golden eagle eyrie was burnt out in 2015 – we blogged about it here. Why wasn’t this incident included in the 2015 PAW data? Or was it included and it was categorised in the ‘withheld’ category? Who knows. Do you see what we mean about the difficulty of cross-referencing known incidents?

The fourth thing to jump out was an entry in Table 5c (see above). The second line down tells us that a red kite was poisoned in Tayside in January 2015. That’s news to us. Does anybody remember seeing anything in the media about this crime? Any appeal for information? Any warning to the public that deadly poison was being used in the area? No, thought not.

The reticence of the police to publicise some of these crimes is deeply concerning, and especially when that suppression extends to details of crimes in ‘official’ reports that are supposed to demonstrate openness and transparency. Ask yourselves, in whose interest is it to keep these crimes under wraps?

Ross-shire Massacre: two years on

nothingSo, it’s been two years since 22 dead birds of prey were discovered in a small area around Conon Bridge in the Highlands. It was one of the most significant illegal raptor persecution crimes ever uncovered in the UK.

Are we any closer to finding the culprit(s)? Of course not. Here’s what we do know:

  1. 22 dead raptors (16 red kites + 6 buzzards) were found in the same small area over a period of weeks in March/April 2014.
  2. Sixteen of those raptors were later confirmed poisoned: 12 red kites + 4 buzzards.
  3. No cause of death has been given for the other six victims.
  4. The poison used was a banned substance.
  5. Nobody has been arrested.
  6. Nobody has been charged.
  7. Nobody has been convicted.

According to a ridiculous Police Scotland press statement, these birds “were most likely not targeted deliberately but instead were the victims of pest control measures“. Quite how they’d know this without having spoken to a known culprit is anybody’s guess (see here) and until they do, that’s all their conclusion can be, a guess.

The police are still withholding the name of the poison used – we’re told this is ‘for operational purposes’. We’re also told that this is still ‘a live investigation’.

What it actually is is a shambles and it has been from the start.

The first six dead birds were discovered between 18-24 March 2014 and poisoning was immediately suspected. The police put out a press statement on 25th March (here) but at that stage they hadn’t conducted a proper search, so by telling the world about this suspected crime they gave the culprit(s) every opportunity to hide any remaining evidence. A thorough police search didn’t take place until 9th April (see here) – three weeks after the discovery of the first dead birds. Unsurprisingly, no evidence to link the crime to a suspect was found.

Two years on and we’re no closer to seeing justice prevail. It’s just another unsolved raptor-killing crime amongst hundreds of others.

Previous blogs on the Ross-shire Massacre here

Crown Office drops prosecution against Glenogil Estate gamekeeper

Snared fox dead alt, Glenogil Estate, Credit OneKindRegular blog readers will know we’ve been following the case of Scottish gamekeeper William Curr, who had been charged last year with alleged snaring offences on Glenogil Estate in the Angus Glens, said to have occurred in September 2014 (see here, here, here and here).

The charges related to allegations that several snares had not been checked (as they are required to be) within a 24-hour period of being set, after a field officer from the charity OneKind had discovered a dead snared deer, a dead snared fox and another snared fox that was still alive but had to be euthanised at the scene due to the extent of its horrific injuries (see OneKind photo).

For a harrowing description of what was found on Glenogil Estate, including a confrontation with the Head Gamekeeper, read this blog on the OneKind website.

Curr’s trial was due to start on 9th May but last week (10 March) the Crown Office informed the court that it was not going to proceed. OneKind has not yet been able to ascertain the reason for this decision, and in fact may never find out because the Crown Office is under no obligation to explain.

Accountability and transparency, anybody?

To quote from the OneKind blog:

“OneKind is mystified by the dropping of this case, given the eye witness evidence, the horrific video footage and the detailed follow-up investigation carried out by the Scottish SPCA. This was a shocking incident where at least six people, including gamekeepers, witnessed the terror and pain of a live fox as the wire noose of a snare sliced into its abdomen. Had our research officer not been on the estate on that particular day, who knows how much longer the fox would have continued to suffer?

To put this dreadful story in the wider context: snares are still legal in Scotland and the rest of the UK. It is simply intolerable that the suffering this fox endured should be considered legally acceptable. The video footage is utterly harrowing and illustrates an animal which is clearly distressed, both physically and mentally. OneKind has long called for an outright ban on all snares and sadly we feel these calls have been justified by this case.

OneKind will seek an explanation for the failure of the Scottish justice system to bring this animal welfare case to court“.

The reason we’ve been so interested in this case is because the alleged offences occurred on the Glenogil Estate, one of several grouse shooting estates in the Angus Glens where wildlife crime incidents keep cropping up but have never resulted in a successful prosecution. For example, here are some incidents reported from in and around Glenogil over the last ten years:

2006 March: poisoned rabbit bait (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2006 April: poisoned buzzard (Alphachloralose). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2006 April: poisoned tawny owl (Alphachloralose). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2006 May: poisoned rabbit bait (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2006 June: poisoned woodpigeon bait (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2006 June: Traces of Carbofuran found in estate vehicles & on equipment during police search. Not listed in 2006 RSPB annual report but reported here. (Now former) estate owner John Dodd had £107k withdrawn from his farm subsidy payments as a result. This was being appealed but it is not known how this was resolved. Also a write up in RSPB 2007 annual report. No prosecution.

2007 November, Glenogil Estate: Disappearance of radio-tagged white-tailed eagle ‘Bird N’ coincides with tip off to police that bird been shot. No further transmissions or sightings of the bird. Not listed in RSPB annual report but reported here. No prosecution.

2008 May: poisoned white-tailed eagle ‘White G’ (Carbofuran, Isophenfos, Bendiocarb). Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2008 May: poisoned buzzard (Bendiocarb). Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2008 May: poisoned mountain hare bait (Carbofuran, Isophenfos, Bendiocarb). Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2008 May: 32 x poisoned meat baits on fenceposts (Carbofuran, Isophenfos, Bendiocarb). Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2008 October: poisoned meat bait on fencepost (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2009 March: poisoned buzzard (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2009 March: poisoned buzzard (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2009 August: poisoned white-tailed eagle “89” (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2010 May: poisoned red kite (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2010 September: poisoned buzzard (Chloralose). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2010 October: poisoned buzzard (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2010 October: poisoned pigeon bait (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2010 October: poisoned pigeon bait (Carbofuran). Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2012 April: Remains of buzzard found beside pheasant pen. Listed as ‘Nr Noranside’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

2014 June: shot buzzard. Listed as ‘Glenogil’ in RSPB annual report. No prosecution.

Lush Skydancer bathbombs raise over £100K for hen harrier conservation

Henry LUSHIn August last year, Lush, the high street cosmetics store, started selling hen harrier-shaped bathbombs as part of their awareness and fundraising campaign to highlight the illegal persecution of hen harriers on driven grouse moors.

Lush is donating all the profits from the sale of these Skydancer bathbombs to the RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project, with the money specifically being used to buy satellite tags to fit on young hen harriers so their movements can be followed when/if they manage to fledge successfully.

A press release published this morning (here) tells us that so far over 30,000 bathbombs have been sold, raising £101,472 so far. That’s amazing!

Lush’s campaign will continue until August this year so there’s still plenty of time to go and buy a Skydancer bathbomb or two or three from your nearest Lush shop or online via their website.

Well done, Lush, for not only raising a huge amount of funds for such a vital project but also for bringing this campaign to the high street, which is exactly where it needs to be.

Above photo shows Henry Hen Harrier checking out the Skydancer bathbombs on the RSPB’s stand at last summer’s Birdfair.

There’s a guest blog on the RSPB website today written by Paul Morton from Lush Campaigns – see here.

lush skydancer