Category: News

Scottish gamekeeper charged with killing Sparrowhawk on a grouse moor: court case resumes tomorrow

The prosecution of a Scottish gamekeeper accused of the alleged killing of a sparrowhawk will resume in court tomorrow.

The un-named 22-year-old gamekeeper was charged in September 2021 (see here) for the alleged killing on a grouse moor in Inverness-shire and he was due in court on 30th September 2022.

The case was adjourned until 10th November 2022 (see here).

The case was adjourned again until January 2023 (see here).

The case was adjourned again until 31 March 2023 (see here).

As this is a live case no comments will be accepted on this blog post until criminal proceedings have ended. Thanks for your understanding.

UPDATE 31st March 2023: Gamekeeper convicted of raptor persecution on Moy – a notorious Scottish grouse-shooting estate (here)

Red kite found shot on a Durham grouse moor is ‘fighting for its life’

The RSPB has just issued the following press release:

RED KITE FOUND SHOT ON GROUSE MOOR IS ‘FIGHTING FOR ITS LIFE’

  • The protected bird of prey was found grounded on a grouse moor in County Durham, in March 2023
  • An X-ray revealed multiple pieces of shot within the bird’s body
  • Durham Police and the RSPB are appealing for information

A Red Kite – a species protected by UK law – was found in Edmundbyers, County Durham in a stricken condition, peppered with shot and is currently fighting for its life in a bird hospital.

A member of the public noticed the bird at the side of a public footpath along Burnhope Burn on 17 March 2023 and reported it to the RSPB. Arriving on the scene, RSPB Investigations Officers found the Red Kite hiding in bracken, alive but unable to fly.

It was taken to a wildlife rehabilitator and looked over by a vet. An X-ray revealed the bird’s entire body was peppered with shot including pieces that had broken its wing.

All birds of prey are legally protected, making it a criminal offence to intentionally kill or injure one, punishable by an unlimited fine or jail.

Red Kites were historically persecuted in the UK but are making a comeback thanks to official reintroduction programmes in recent decades supported by Government. However these birds take a long time to spread out, and illegal killing is preventing the species expanding and gaining a foothold in areas where they were formerly found before they were driven to extinction in England around the late nineteenth century.

This incident comes in the same week when news of another Red Kite was found shot in Grantown-on-Spey, [Ed: see here] in the Scottish Highlands, also in March 2023. Sadly, it had to be euthanised due to the extent of its injuries.

This area of County Durham inside the North Pennines AONB has a history of raptor persecution. In 2021, another red kite was found dead near Edmundbyers, Co Durham having been illegally poisoned. Police-led searches in the area followed last year, however no one was prosecuted.

And in 2020, two Red Kites fitted with satellite tags unexpectedly and inexplicably vanished in the same area: one tag sent its last fix from the Derwent Gorge, the other from a grouse moor near Derwent Reservoir. Neither the birds or their tags were found, and it is believed they were illegally killed.

The link between driven grouse shooting and the illegal killing of birds of prey has been well documented. The RSPB’s latest Birdcrime report showed that 71% of all confirmed incidents of raptor persecution were in connection to gamebird shooting.

Jack Ashton-Booth, RSPB Investigations Officer, said:

“The kite is currently receiving the best care, and we understand it has been hopping up onto a perch and feeding itself. However it’s still not out of the woods. We are incredibly grateful to the diligent member of the community who noticed and reported the bird, and urge anyone else who finds a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances to do the same. It could save a bird’s life and help us identify a raptor killer at large. We are also hugely grateful to Jean Thorpe, who is caring for the bird, as she has done so many others.

“It’s unlikely this Red Kite will have flown far from where it was shot. If you have any information about who might have done this, or know of anyone shooting birds of prey in this area, please get in touch.”

Friends of Red Kites (FoRK), a voluntary monitoring and community engagement organisation based in the North East, commented:

“We are sickened to hear that yet another Red Kite has been found on the moorlands of the North Pennines suffering from illegal persecution. Since the re-introduction of Red Kites to the North East of England in 2004, a number of birds have been found dead on or adjacent to these moorlands which are managed for grouse shooting. After nearly 20 years the population of breeding kites has barely advanced above 20 pairs. By comparison, populations of kites in other areas where they have been released, like the Chilterns, are booming. It is a sad indictment on parts of society that the people of the North East are denied seeing these beautiful birds gracing our skies more widely.” 

If you have any information, contact Durham Constabulary’s Wildlife Crime Officer, PC Dave Williamson, by emailing david.williamson@durham.police.uk or calling in to Barnard Castle Police Station.

Alternatively, to share sensitive information in confidence, call the RSPB’s Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.

ENDS

UPDATE 12th April 2023: Shot red kite found on a Durham grouse moor is successfully re-habilitated and released back to wild (here)

Game-shooting industry’s response to news that red kite was shot on grouse moor (Lochindorb Estate)

Further to yesterday’s news that a member of the public witnessed the shooting of a red kite on Lochindorb Estate on Monday morning (see here), I’ve been looking to see how the game-shooting industry has responded to Police Scotland’s appeal for information.

You’ll recall that this is the game-shooting industry whose organisations routinely state they have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards raptor persecution, in which case you’d think they’d be quick to condemn this latest crime and call on their members to assist the police in any way they can.

So far, I haven’t found any statements of condemnation on the websites of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, BASC, or the Countryside Alliance.

I did find a statement on the website of Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the grouse moor owners’ lobby group, as follows:

It’s good to see a prompt response from SLE (their statement was published yesterday) and it’s also good to see SLE urging its members and readers to assist with the police investigation.

Although I couldn’t help but notice that Lochindorb Estate isn’t named, and nor is the fact that Police Scotland is particularly interested in receiving information relating to quad bikes and off-road vehicles seen in the area at the time of the shooting.

If anyone does have information, please contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1760 of Monday, 27 March, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Red kite shot on Lochindorb Estate: Police Scotland issue appeal for information

A member of the public witnessed the shooting of a red kite on the Lochindorb Estate yesterday morning. It was recovered by the Scottish SPCA but unfortunately its injuries were so severe it had to be euthanised.

Police Scotland has issued the following appeal for information:

APPEAL FOLLOWING BIRD OF PREY SHOT NEAR GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY

Officers are appealing for information after a protected bird of prey was shot near Grantown-on-Spey.

We received a report of a red kite being shot around 11.15am on Monday, 27 March, on the Lochindorb Estate, Grantown-on-Spey.

It was recovered with the assistance of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) but had to be euthanized as its injuries were not recoverable.

Community Police Inspector Craig Johnstone said: “The red kite is a protected species and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is illegal to kill them.

“I am asking anyone in the local community who may be able to help with our enquiries to come forward. If you were walking in the area on Monday then please let us know if you saw anything.

“In particular, if you saw quad bikes in the area or off road vehicles, then get in touch as even the smallest bit of information could assist with our investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1760 of Monday, 27 March, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

I applaud this very fast public appeal for information by Police Scotland. It’s in stark contrast to their 19-month silence about a poisoned red kite that was found in the same region in 2021 (see here) and for which they received much deserved criticism.

All credit to them for responding so quickly this time and for naming the estate on which the shooting was witnessed. Bravo.

UPDATE 29th March 2023: Game-shooting industry’s response to news that red kite was shot on grouse moor (Lochindorb Estate) here

UPDATE 1st April 2023: Arrest made in relation to red kite shooting on Lochindorb Estate grouse moor (here)

Suffolk Police arrest a man in connection with five shot goshawks found in Kings Forest in January

Suffolk Police have arrested a man in connection with their ongoing investigation into the illegal shooting of five juvenile goshawks that were found dumped in a car park next to Kings Forest near Thetford in January.

The 70-year-old man from the Brandon area was arrested yesterday on suspicion of killing/taking a schedule 1 wild bird, possession of a schedule one wild bird and breach of firearms licence conditions.

He was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning and subsequently released under investigation, pending further enquiries.

Let’s hope the police investigation leads to someone being charged and convicted. There’s currently a £16K+ reward available to anyone who provides information leading to a successful prosecution. The reward fund comprises £5K from the RSPB (here), £5K from Wild Justice (here), and £6K+ from a crowd funder set up by Rare Bird Alert (here).

Here’s a press statement from Suffolk Police, published yesterday afternoon:

Man released in connection with bird shooting – Wordwell

A man arrested in connection with the shooting of five birds in Wordwell near to Bury St Edmunds has been released under investigation.

The male in his 70s and from the Brandon area was arrested yesterday (Monday 27 March) on suspicion of killing/taking a schedule 1 wild bird, possession of a schedule one wild bird and breach of firearms licence conditions.

The five birds of prey were found on Monday 16 January, having been left in a parking area just off from the B1106 in Kings Forest, near Wordwell. X-rays were undertaken which showed all five birds had suffered injuries from multiple pieces of shot.

Officers from Suffolk’s Rural and Wildlife Policing Team were assisted by Norfolk police colleagues, as well as officers from the RSPB Investigations team and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.  

The man was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning and subsequently released under investigation, pending further enquiries.

All birds of prey are protected by law, and to kill or injure one could result in jail and/or an unlimited fine.

ENDS

UPDATE 7th June 2023: Man charged in relation to 5 shot goshawks found dumped in a forest carpark in January (here)

Fieldsports Channel Ltd displays images of Chris Packham’s head on ‘trophy’ wall at national gun show

On Friday I wrote about how wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham CBE is taking legal action against Fieldsports Channel Ltd (FCL) and one of their journalists after they published what Chris’s lawyers describe as ‘defamatory and unfounded’ material about him last year (see here).

A letter of claim from Chris’s legal team was sent to Fieldsports Channel Ltd on 20th January 2023 – this isn’t privileged information- it’s known because FCL decided to publish the legal correspondence online for anyone to read.

A few weeks after legal proceedings began, FCL attended the Great British Shooting Show at the NEC in Birmingham on 17-19 February 2023. This show has been described as ‘The UK’s largest shooting show‘ and it’s where thousands of visitors can see ‘a vast range of shotguns, rifles, pistols, air rifles, optics, including specialised night vision & thermal imaging devices…‘ etc. FCL, along with many other traders, had a stand.

Here is a photo of how Fieldsports Channel Ltd chose to decorate their stand at this national gun show. It’s a mocked up ‘trophy room’ where various distorted images of Chris’s head were displayed as trophy mounts, presumably to resemble souvenirs of a kill:

Screen grab from Fieldsports Channel’s Facebook page

If this isn’t tantamount to inciting hatred, I don’t know what is. I can’t envisage how any reasonable person would see it as anything else.

Not only did FCL have a mocked up ‘trophy room’ on their stand, they also had a large arrow sign suspended from the ceiling encouraging their visitors to ‘Poke Packham Here‘. Poke him with what? The barrel of a shotgun??

Screen grab of the FCL stand at the Great British Shooting Show from a YouTube video

I imagine that most attendees at a national gun show are law-abiding people with a professional or personal interest in firearms and shotguns. But it only takes one person suffering from mental health issues with legitimate (certified) access to firearms/shotguns to wreak havoc, often with tragic consequences. We’ve seen dreadful evidence of this recently after gun rampages in Plymouth, Epsom, and on the Isle of Skye, committed by individuals who the police considered fit to hold firearms / shotgun certificates.

But anyone already predisposed to hating Chris and wanting to cause him harm (and let’s face it, there is plenty of evidence that these people do exist within the fieldsports community), might well be emboldened by this ‘trophy wall’ and the sign encouraging aggression towards Chris, and decide to do the unthinkable. Those in the fieldsports community have legitimate and easy access to guns.

For Christ’s sake, he’s already received death threats, of which FCL is well aware given they’re being sued in relation to their publication about one of them. He also suffered a terrifying arson attack at his home in October 2021.

How bloody irresponsible are these people, and that goes for the show organisers, too, who presumably permitted this disgraceful display?

The threat of violence to Chris is very, very real. Charlie Jacoby of Fieldsports Channel Ltd knows this, as it was the reason why Chris (and Mark Avery) were ‘uninvited’ from speaking with Jacoby at the Game Fair in 2019:

Yesterday evening Chris published a video on Twitter about online abuse. In the video, Chris says this:

“The level of perceived threat to myself and my family is now palpable. I sometimes leave or return to my home, wondering if someone will be there waiting. Someone so excited by these accusations that they feel motivated to extreme violence. That’s where I’m at”.

Chris’s address was posted online at the weekend (now removed) by a contributor to the Fieldsports Channel Ltd Facebook page.

Here is the video in full:

I’ve set up a crowd funder to help Chris defend his reputation and clear his name against the ‘defamatory and unfounded’ allegations made by Fieldsports Channel Ltd, and others. The response has been incredible, with hundreds of decent people standing in solidarity with him. If you’d like to contribute, please click here.

As I said on Friday’s blog, making defamatory or even derogatory remarks about the defendants in these libel actions is unhelpful and actually counter-productive as they could undermine Chris’s cases. Comments on this blog will be closely moderated (more so than usual!). Far better to show your support for Chris by participating with the crowd funder.

Thank you.

Chris Packham is taking libel action against Fieldsports Channel Ltd – here’s how you can help

Wildlife broadcaster Chris Packham is taking libel action against Fieldsports Channel Ltd and one of its journalists after material was published online last year accusing Chris of faking his own death threat letter. Chris’s lawyers have described the allegation as ‘defamatory and unfounded’.

This is a separate libel action to the one Chris is already pursuing against the editor and authors of a number of articles published by Country Squire Magazine between 2020 and 2021 – details of that case can be found here. The case will be heard in the Royal Courts of Justice in May 2023.

As some of you will be aware, for many years Chris has been the victim of a relentless, malicious hate campaign by those who oppose his views and his campaign work on wildlife conservation and animal welfare issues. This has included vile personal abuse of him (and his family and colleagues) on social media (e.g. here), having dead animals strung up outside his house (see here and here), dead animals dumped on his drive (see here), death threats and excrement sent through the post (here), and having to deal with repeated calls to be sacked by the BBC (e.g. here). In 2021, a terrifying arson attack at his home caused considerable damage to his property (see here). Thankfully nobody was hurt.

It has to stop and those who write and publish defamatory material have to understand there are consequences to their actions.

This morning I’ve launched a crowd funder to help cover the cost of Chris’s libel action against Fieldsports Channel Ltd. So far, Chris has covered his own costs in the Country Squire Magazine case but defamation proceedings are expensive and there is no guarantee that costs and damages will be fully recovered. I consider it a massive injustice that someone who has dedicated as much to wildlife conservation and animal welfare issues as Chris Packham has, should be left out of pocket simply because he’s wanted to protect his reputation against defamatory and unfounded allegations.

More details about the case can be found on the crowd funder page HERE.

If you’re able to make a donation in support of Chris’s libel action, that would be fantastic, thank you. If you’re not able to donate, you can still contribute by sharing the crowd funder amongst your own networks.

Please note: making defamatory or even derogatory remarks about the defendants in these libel actions is unhelpful and actually counter-productive as they could undermine Chris’s cases. Comments on this blog will be closely moderated (more so than usual!). Far better to show your support for Chris by participating with the crowd funder.

Thank you, everyone.

UPDATE 27th March 2023: Fieldsports Channel Ltd displays images of Chris Packham’s head on ‘trophy’ wall at national gun show (here)

UPDATE 10th April 2023: Crowd funder to support Chris Packham’s libel action passes £115K (here)

Game-shooting industry seething at grouse moor licensing bill

Further to this morning’s news (here) that the Scottish Government has introduced its long-promised grouse shooting bill, formally known as the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, the game-shooting industry is seething.

Probably because the penny has finally dropped that the game is up. Despite years of expensive and extensive lobbying, their arguments haven’t been sufficiently persuasive and their posturing hasn’t been sufficiently convincing. As a result, the Scottish Government has produced draft legislation that, if passed, will bring wide-sweeping reforms, none of which the shooting industry wants, nor until this morning, believed would happen.

This is where the fight really starts as that Bill makes its way through the Scottish Parliament.

Here are the furious responses of Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Gamekeepers Association, BASC, and Countryside Alliance:

Response to grouse shooting Bill from REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor reform

Further to this morning’s news (here) that the Scottish Government has introduced its long-promised grouse shooting bill, formally known as the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor reform has published the following press statement in response:

REVIVE coalition urges Parliament to be bold on new wildlife Bill

Scottish Government’s draft Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill marks biggest intervention in land management for generations

The Scottish Government has today published its draft Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill. The Bill has been introduced to protect the environment and tackle the persecution of birds of prey. It is expected to significantly change the way in which large areas of Scotland are managed, making it one of the biggest interventions in this area for generations.

Campaign Manager for REVIVE, Max Wiszniewski said: “The proposed Bill is a major intervention in land management that regulates destructive practices through licensing, instead of stopping them.

“Intensively managed grouse moors are unnatural monocultures that are burned and stripped of competing wildlife so more grouse can be shot for sport. By creating a circle of destruction around huge areas of our land, biodiversity and more diverse economic opportunities are missed for Scottish people and communities.

“With a new First Minister on the horizon, as the Bill progresses through Parliament, we hope it will be even bolder and braver to meet the expectations of the Scottish people.”

The Bill follows a review into grouse moor management led by Professor Werritty, the findings of which were published in December 2019. A year later the Scottish Government committed to introduce measures which will hold land managers far more accountable for their activities.

The Bill proposes to strictly regulate the use of muirburn, the controlled burning of vegetation, on peatland as well as ending raptor persecution. It also includes measures to ensure grouse moors are managed sustainably, to ban the use of glue traps for rodents and tighten regulations for the use of other types of wildlife traps.

Robbie Marlsand, Director of the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, a REVIVE coalition partner added: “When it comes to grouse shooting, this Bill appears well intentioned but kicks a couple of contentious cans down the road. Snares are primitive, cruel and indiscriminate. This Bill should remove them from the Scottish countryside – with no ifs and no buts.

“The impact of this Bill on killing grouse for sport will also depend much on the content of a yet to be written code of conduct that shooting estates must comply with. Only when that is finalised will we be able to appreciate the potential impact of this legislation. For example, hundreds of thousands of animals are killed each year so that there can be more grouse to shoot for fun and it’s not yet known if this Bill will change that.

“Killing any animal for entertainment is repugnant to the majority of people in Scotland. We therefore welcome any incremental steps that will make it more difficult to do.”

ENDS

Breaking news….Scottish Government introduces grouse shoot licencing bill

BREAKING NEWS…..

This morning the Scottish Government has introduced its long-promised grouse shooting bill, formally known as the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill.

This draft legislation is a direct result of the game-shooting industry’s failure to stop illegally killing birds of prey on many Scottish grouse moors. That was the trigger, and there are also now other aspects to the Bill that are an attempt to tackle other poorly-regulated aspects of unsustainable grouse moor management.

The Bill contains provisions to:

  • Ban the use and purchase of glue traps and introduce licensing and training requirements for certain other types of wildlife traps;
  • Introduce a licensing regime for land used for the shooting of red grouse;
  • License all muirburn; and
  • Introduce enabling powers to allow the Scottish Ministers to extend the role of inspectors appointed under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to investigate certain wildlife offences.

As it has only just been published, I haven’t had time to read it properly or analyse its contents. I’ll comment further in due course.

Scottish Government has provided this overview:

Now the Bill has finally been introduced, this is how it will progress through Parliament over the coming months. There will be plenty of opportunity for comment on, and amendments to, this Bill.

Here are the all important documents:

The Bill, as introduced:

bill-as-introducedDownload

Scottish Government’s Explanatory Notes:

explanatory-notesDownload

Scottish Government’s Policy Memorandum (i.e. explaining why the Bill has been created):

policy-memorandumDownload