A raven with at least five shotgun pellets lodged in its body is currently receiving veterinary care at the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire, according to this tweet posted yesterday evening:
There aren’t any further details available yet.
A couple of weeks ago around 50 dead hares and a dead kestrel and barn owl were found dumped outside Broughton community shop in Hampshire, causing widespread revulsion and condemnation across the media (see here).
Yesterday evening Hampshire Constabulary announced that a man had been arrested and was being held in custody in connection to this horrific incident.
Hampshire Constabulary press release (28 March 2024):
ARREST MADE IN BROUGHTON WILDLIFE CRIME INVESTIGATION
A man has been arrested in connection with an incident where a number of dead animals were left outside a shop in Broughton.
Police were called on the morning of Friday 15 March, after around 50 dead hares, a kestrel and a barn owl were found outside the Broughton Community Shop in High Street.
An investigation was launched and officers from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Country Watch team have been following various lines of enquiry.
Part of our enquiries have included examinations of the barn owl and kestrel. Those examinations revealed that both birds had been shot with a firearm. Both the kestrel and the barn owl are listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, giving them legal protection.
Today (Thursday 28 March), officers have arrested a 37-year-old man from Totton on suspicion of the following offences:
He remains in police custody while we carry out our enquiries.
Country Watch Sergeant Stuart Ross said: “Since this incident took place, we have been actively pursuing a number of lines of enquiry and working with partner agencies to establish the circumstances of what happened.
“We are grateful for the help we have received from the local community and we’d like to thank them for their patience while we investigate what happened.
“There may be some people with information who have not yet come forward, and if so, we would urge them to do so as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information can report it by calling 101, quoting the reference number 44240111410, or via our website.
ENDS
UPDATE: The man has been released on bail until 28 June 2024, pending further enquiries.
UPDATE 11 April 2024: Police interview second man in relation to dumped hares and raptors outside Broughton community shop (here)
UPDATE 14 August 2024: Man charged in connection to dumped hares and raptors outside community shop in Hampshire (here)
UPDATE 21 April 2026: Trial underway for man accused of dumping 50 dead hares & two raptors outside Broughton village shop in Hampshire (here)
Press statement from North Yorkshire Police (25th March 2024):
APPEAL AFTER SPARROWHAWK SHOT AT NOSTERFIELD NATURE RESERVE
We’re appealing for information following the shooting of a Sparrowhawk at Nosterfield Nature Reserve.
The Sparrowhawk is thought to have been shot dead with a pellet gun on either Wednesday 20 or Thursday 21 March. Sparrowhawks are classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5.
If you saw anyone in the area of the nature reserve with an air rifle or similar weapon please email colin.irvine@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Colin Irvine.
If you wish to remain anonymous you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
Please quote NYP reference 12240050719 when passing on information.
ENDS
Essex Police are reporting the discovery of a sparrowhawk that was found shot in the Elder Street area of Uttlesford on Wednesday 13th March 2024.
The injured Sparrowhawk was taken to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital for treatment but it didn’t survive its injuries.
If anyone has any information about this crime please contact Essex Police on Tel 101, quoting incident ref 42/41024/24.
The county of Essex is becoming a real hotspot for bird of prey persecution.
Other raptor persecution crimes in recent years include the poisoning of two red kites reported in February 2024 (here), the suspected shooting of a peregrine in January 2024 (here), the shooting of a buzzard in December 2023 (here), the shooting of another buzzard in January 2023 (here), the shooting of a red kite in September 2022 (here), the shooting of another red kite in November 2021 (here), another red kite found dead in suspicious circumstances in November 2021 (here), the shooting of another three buzzards in 2020, one in Dec (here), one in September (here) and one in June (here), and the suspected shooting of a Hobby in August 2020 (here).
This is horrific.
Posted on Twitter this morning:
There are at least 38 dead hares and a dead kestrel and barn owl. This is a village community shop in Broughton near Stockbridge.
Hampshire Police have attended the scene, removed the corpses and have launched an investigation.
UPDATE 29 March 2024: Man in custody in relation to dumped hares and raptors outside Broughton community shop (here)
UPDATE 11 April 2024: Police interview second man in relation to dumped hares and raptors outside Broughton community shop (here)
UPDATE 14 August 2024: Man charged in connection to dumped hares and raptors outside community shop in Hampshire (here)
UPDATE 12 September 2024: Man in court in connection to dumped hares and shot raptors at Broughton community shop, Hampshire (here)
UPDATE 29 September 2024: Trial date set in relation to dumping of dead raptors & hares outside Broughton community shop (here)
UPDATE 21 April 2026: Trial underway for man accused of dumping 50 dead hares & two raptors outside Broughton village shop in Hampshire (here)
UPDATE 25 April 2026: Man found not guilty of criminal damage relating to dumping of 50 dead Hares at Broughton Community Shop, but guilty of possession of dead Kestrel and Barn Owl (here)
UPDATE 30 June 2026: James Kempster sentenced for possession of dead raptors found impaled on community shop door handle in Broughton, Hampshire (here)
Essex Police’s Rural Engagement Team has been busy again.
Yesterday, with assistance from other agencies including the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Natural England they searched a farm in the Colchester area after the discovery of two poisoned red kites. Firearms and ‘other articles’ were seized and the investigation is ongoing.
The county of Essex is becoming a real hotspot for bird of prey persecution.
Other raptor persecution crimes in recent years include the suspected shooting of a peregrine in January 2024 (here), the shooting of a buzzard in December 2023 (here), the shooting of another buzzard in January 2023 (here), the shooting of a red kite in September 2022 (here), the shooting of another red kite in November 2021 (here), another red kite found dead in suspicious circumstances in November 2021 (here), the shooting of another three buzzards in 2020, one in Dec (here), one in September (here) and one in June (here), and the suspected shooting of a Hobby in August 2020 (here).
The prosecution continues of Christopher Hodgson, Director of Ashley Game Farm in Devon following the discovery of a poisoned buzzard and two poisoned baits.
The discovery, in October 2020, led to a multi-agency raid of the premises in March 2021 with assistance from Natural England, RSPB and the NWCU (see here) and which identified a number of alleged pesticide and veterinary medicine offences at the address.
I understand that the prosecution is against Christopher Hodgson as well as against his company, Ashley Game Farm.
Ashley Game Farm is an exceptionally large breeding facility that, according to its website, ‘specialises in supplying pheasants and partridges to shoots in the west country and all areas of the UK and Europe‘. It claims to have ‘a hatching capacity for 410,000 eggs per week along with further investment in a second location at Tarrington, Hereford‘ and ‘retains around 80,000 chicks at Ashley Game Farm every week‘.
Ashley Game Farm Director and owner Christopher Hodgson, 69, was due in court in Barnstaple on Friday 2 February 2024 to face multiple charges in relation to the alleged use of Carbofuran and the alleged possession, storage and use of various plant protection and veterinary medicine products without authorisation at the game farm.
Mr Hodgson has not yet entered a plea.
The case has now been adjourned until 28 May 2024.
As this case is still live, comments won’t be accepted on this blog until criminal proceedings have concluded. Thanks for your understanding.
UPDATE 28 May 2024: Devon gamebird breeder guilty of using banned pesticide Carbofuran (here).
UPDATE 20 July 2024: Poisoned buzzard leads to discovery of multiple pesticide offences – Ashley Game Farm & Director Christopher Hodgson fined £40,000+ (here)
A prominent gamebird breeder is due in court this week to face multiple charges following the discovery of a poisoned buzzard and two poisoned baits at Ashley Game Farm in Chulmleigh, Devon in October 2020.
The dead buzzard and the two pheasant carcasses, which were discovered by a member of the public, all tested positive for Carbofuran.
Following these toxicology results, Devon & Cornwall Police led a multi-agency raid at Ashley Game Farm in March 2021 with assistance from Natural England, RSPB and the NWCU (see here) which identified a number of pesticide and veterinary medicine offences at the address.
Ashley Game Farm is an exceptionally large breeding facility that, according to its website, ‘specialises in supplying pheasants and partridges to shoots in the west country and all areas of the UK and Europe‘. It claims to have ‘a hatching capacity for 410,000 eggs per week along with further investment in a second location at Tarrington, Hereford‘ and ‘retains around 80,000 chicks at Ashley Game Farm every week‘.
Ashley Game Farm Director and owner Christopher Hodgson, 69, is due in court in Barnstaple on Friday 2 February 2024 to face multiple charges in relation to the alleged use of Carbofuran and the alleged possession, storage and use of various plant protection and veterinary medicine products without authorisation at the game farm.
I think this is Hodgson’s first appearance so he hasn’t yet entered a plea.
As this case is now live, comments won’t be accepted on this blog until criminal proceedings have concluded. Thanks for your understanding.
UPDATE 9 February 2024: Prosecution continues against Ashley Game Farm Director Christopher Hodgson after discovery of poisoned buzzard, baits & other pesticide offences (here).
A 77-year old pigeon fancier has been convicted and fined for killing a Sparrowhawk close to his pigeon lofts last year.
Peter Smith of Clifton Close, Barnsley, South Yorkshire was observed shooting a Sparrowhawk with an air rifle at Hope Street Allotments, Mapplewell in February 2023.
The witness confronted Smith, who claimed he had missed the bird, but the Sparrowhawk was found dead with an air gun pellet and it’s neck had been broken. The RSPCA conducted an investigation resulting in Smith’s prosecution.
Smith denied the offence but was found guilty after a trial at Barnsley Magistrates Court in December 2023. He reappeared for sentencing on 24 January and was fined £480. He was also ordered to pay £1,500 court costs and a £192 victim surcharge, so in total he owes £2,172.
Due to his circumstances the court is allowing him to pay £5 per week (which will take nine years to pay in full). Smith’s defence solicitor told the court:
“He rented his allotment for six years and used the site to keep, breed and train his pigeons, which he has had a history of doing so for more than 30 years. As a result of the allegation, he has lost his tenancy and had to get rid of his birds. He’s put a lot of time and effort into his hobby and visited them twice-daily but he has now been ostracised from that circle. He still maintains his innocence.”
I’m not sure why his defence agent thought it was relevant to tell the court that Smith had kept pigeons for more than 30 years. So what? The Sparrowhawk had been a protected species in the UK for 62 years by the time Smith shot this one so it’s not as though he’d had to get to grips with new legislation about its protected status.
The court was also told (although I don’t know by whom) that, ‘Barnsley’s [Sparrowhawk] population has reduced by 25 per cent in a decade due to persecution‘. Really? That sounds highly unlikely – what’s the source of that claim? I’d like to see the data.
It’s good that the court is provided details of the conservation status of a raptor species when it’s been the victim of illegal persecution but exaggerating figures or making wildly unsubstantiated claims really doesn’t help.
This case was covered by the Barnsley Chronicle here.
Press release from South Yorkshire Police (25 January 2024)
APPEAL FOLLOWING PEREGRINE FALCON FOUND SHOT IN DONCASTER
We are appealing for information alongside the RSPB for information after a juvenile Peregrine Falcon was found with life-threatening injuries in Doncaster.
On 11 December 2023, an injured Peregrine Falcon was found on a school playing field at Littlemoor Infant Academy in Askern – a school which backs onto open countryside.
The bird, which had suffered shotgun injuries, was taken to a rehabilitation centre, where it received expert veterinary care at the Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
X-rays revealed that the bird had two shotgun pellets embedded in its leg and a dislocated coracoid bone, which prevented the bird from flying. The location of the pellets and the nature of the injuries sustained suggest that the bird was probably flying when it was shot.
We are urging anyone with information to come forward and speak to us.
Peregrine Falcons are the fastest animal on the planet, capable of speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Pairs will nest on coastal cliff-edges, in quarries and in urban areas on buildings and industrial sites.
Although fully protected and recovering across the UK, illegal persecution is impacting Peregrine numbers. In the UK, the RSPB has recorded 173 incidents of Peregrine persecution over the last 20 years, with a minimum of 195 Peregrines either dying or sustaining injuries as a result of these criminal activities.
In the last five years alone, 29 Peregrines have been illegally persecuted in England with almost a quarter of these incidents taking place in Yorkshire. Data shows that nationally a significant proportion of raptor persecution incidents are linked to land managed for gamebird shooting.
Having suffered injuries which prevented sustained flight, the Peregrine was taken to Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in North Malton, where it received expert care with the support of Battle Flatts Veterinary Clinic. After a month of rehabilitative care the Peregrine was released back into the wild on 13 January 2023.
Jean Thorpe, Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre: “When a bird has suffered in this way it’s difficult to know if they’ll survive. The stress alone can be too much for them, and rehabilitation can be really challenging.
“We were lucky with this one. It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to encounter one of these incredible birds but I just wish it was under different circumstances.
“This isn’t the first shot Peregrine I’ve had to care for, and I doubt it will be the last. These crimes are happening right under our noses, it’s unforgivable.”
Inspector Peter Heginbotham, from South Yorkshire Police Wildlife and Rural Crime Team, said: “To know that a protected Peregrine Falcon has been intentionally shot with a shotgun and found in Doncaster is extremely concerning, but unfortunately not unique. Sadly, Peregrine Falcons are still being shot, trapped and poisoned in northern England.
“We will thoroughly investigate this crime and would encourage anyone who can assist us with our investigation to please come forward and help us tackle and prevent these crimes from happening.”
If you have any information, please contact us online, via live chat or by calling 101 quoting incident number 576 of 13 December 2023.
Alternatively, to get in touch anonymously, call the RSPB’s dedicated Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
There’s an article about the rehabilitation and a video showing the release of this peregrine on BBC news website (here).
The story is apparently going to feature on BBC Look North this evening. Perhaps South Yorkshire Police will explain why it took six weeks to publish an appeal for information.
Well done and thanks, yet again, to the remarkable Jean Thorpe and her colleagues at Battle Flatts Vets.
