Tag: gamekeeper

roseanna cunningham – we salute you!

Scottish Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, has today made clear her intention to address the on-going problem of illegal raptor persecution.

Speaking to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee as they continue to discuss Stage 1 of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill (WaNE), she said she intends to bring in an ammendment to Stage 2 of the discussion that would create a new ‘vicarious liability’ offence that would target those who control or manage others who are involved in criminal raptor persecution.

She said:

“Increased awareness and condemnation appears to be doing little to bring down the number of illegal bird poisonings in Scotland. Official figures show that 16 birds of prey were poisoned in the first six months of this year and I find this extremely disappointing.

We have robust legislation in place to tackle this sort of crime but tougher action has to be taken to deter those who think that they can get away with persecuting our wildlife.

I don’t want to unfairly target any particular group and I will be engaging with stakeholders over the coming weeks to make sure that they know what we are trying to achieve with this amendment.

We have a duty to protect our birds of prey as they are an integral part of our national identity. They also help our economy by attracting tourists from across the world and we cannot afford to have our international reputation tarnished by the few who continue to target them illegally.”

Roseanna Cunningham deserves recognition for making this move. Many conservation groups have lobbied for the introduction of vicarious liability for several years, but many of the gamekeeping and landowning groups have vehemently opposed it (hmm, I wonder why?), and especially Sheriff Drummond, who was quite entertaining when he recently presented his views against introducing it at the WaNE bill committee meeting in Holyrood.

It’s still not a certainty that the ammendment will be accepted, but at least it’s on the table.

Well done, Roseanna Cunningham.

Government press release here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/11/03110045

However, before we all get carried away…there are disturbing reports circulating about the failure to investigate the two poisoned eagles (one golden eagle and one sea eagle) that were found on an estate near Inverness in June (see blog report Oct 13). More on these reports shortly…

persecution wiping out hen harriers on UK grouse moors

A new study suggests that the hen harrier is being almost entirely eradicated from UK grouse moors by systematic persecution.

The report, soon-to-be-published by Scottish Natural Heritage and authored by the UK’s leading harrier scientist, Professor Stephen Redpath, estimated that between 2003-07 there should have been 499 breeding hen harrier pairs on the 3,696km2 of grouse moors across Britain which were being “driven”, or actively used for shooting, in those years. A UK-wide survey in 2008 then found only five breeding pairs had survived – a 1% success rate.

Click here for news article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/18/hen-harriers-grouse-moors

In the same news article, and following on from our last blog entry, confirmation is given that a fourth golden eagle has been found poisoned in the Scottish Highlands this year, making 2010 the worst year for golden eagle poisoning in the last two decades.

Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Environment Minister, said the cluster of persecution cases added further weight to calls for tougher legal powers on bird of prey persecution in Scotland.

We live in hope, Roseanna.

eagle killers getting away with it: Skibo update

Given the deafening silence on the progress of the Skibo case (see blog report 12 May 2010, where it was reported that three golden eagles, one sparrowhawk and one buzzard had been found on the Skibo Estate in north Scotland), we’ve done some digging around.

Last month (see blog post 20 September 2010), we noted that the results from the toxicology investigation on the dead birds had not been made public. We also noted that the results of the police investigation had not been made public. Infact, since the police raid in early May, the only press coverage was that on 21 June 2010, where Skibo gamekeeper Dean Barr had accused the RSPB of planting the dead birds: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2010/06/21/gamekeeper-at-skibo-estate-probed-after-three-golden-eagles-are-found-dead-86908-22348349/

We have discovered that the three golden eagles and one sparrowhawk  had all been killed by eating poisoned baits, according to scientific analysis undertaken by government scientists. Their results conclude that two of the golden eagles, plus one sparrowhawk were killed by the banned pesticide Carbofuran. They state the third golden eagle was killed by the banned pesticide Aldicarb. Click here for the SASA report detailing these incidents: SASA poisoning positive results 2010

Given the confirmation that these  raptors that were found dead on Skibo Estate in May 2010 had been killed by illegal poisons, it is worrying that there has been no formal notification of any charges brought against anybody for these crimes.

Does this mean that, along with every other single case of eagle persecution in this country, the eagle killer(s) in the Skibo case will be getting away with it?

It is perhaps timely that the WaNE bill is currently being reviewed by the Scottish parliament. Measures proposed in that bill will, if implemented, help to stop these criminals getting away with murdering our iconic birds of prey. For example, if the concept of vicarious liability is accepted, then the Estate Owner/Manager will take full legal responsibility for the actions of their staff.

Right now, nobody takes responsibility and we’re all sick of reading these news stories about yet another eagle/kite/buzzard/peregrine/goshawk/osprey/sparrowhawk/tawny owl/hen harrier/kestrel being persecuted.

eagle killers getting away with it

The aim of this blog is to monitor the occurrence of illegal raptor persecution incidents across Scotland, and to report on the outcome of each case. As you will already know from reading the blog entries, persecution incidents have been occurring for many years and involve most of our raptor species, including golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, red kites, hen harriers, buzzards, goshawks, sparrowhawks, ospreys, kestrels and owls. Let’s see what progress, if any, has been made by our law enforcement bodies,  starting with our most iconic species, the golden eagle and white-tailed eagle.

When the news hits that another eagle has been illegally poisoned or shot, there is, quite rightly, public outrage. Each event is usually followed by a statement from those responsible for upholding the law that they are determined to stamp out these crimes and bring the guilty party to justice. Let’s see how well they’ve been doing. The following is a review of cases involving 13 dead eagles since 2006:

MAY 2006: A dead adult golden eagle is found on the Dinnet & Kinord Estate, near Ballater, Aberdeenshire. A post-mortem reveals it has been poisoned by the illegal pesticide, Carbofuran. Grampian Police launch an investigation. As of September 2010, nearly 4.5 years later, no arrests have been made.

 

 JUNE 2006: A dead golden eagle is found on Glen Feshie Estate in the Cairngorms. A post-mortem reveals it has been poisoned by the illegal pesticide, Carbofuran. Northern Constabulary launch an investigation. As of September 2010, nearly 4.5 years later, no arrests have been made.

 

 

 

AUGUST 2007: A dead adult female golden eagle is found on a Peebleshire estate. A post-mortem reveals she has been poisoned by the illegal pesticide, Carbofuran. This female was part of the only breeding pair of golden eagles remaining in the Scottish Borders. She had a young dependent chick still in the nest. Lothian & Borders Police launch an investigation. As of September 2010, over 3 years later, no arrests have been made. 

 

 

AUTUMN 2007: Tayside Police receive a detailed tip-off that a young male white-tailed eagle (known as ‘Bird N’) has allegedly been shot on an estate in Angus. The tip-off included the name of the alleged shooter and that the body had been burned to hide the evidence. ‘Bird N’ was part of the cohort of reintroduced sea eagles that were donated by Norway and released in Scotland in August 2007. The timing and location included in the tip-off coincided with the timing and location of the last-known radio signal of this bird. As of September 2010, 3 years later, no arrests have been made.

MAY 2008: A one year old male white-tailed eagle who hatched on Mull in 2007 and was known as ‘White G’ is found dead on the Glenquoich Estate, Angus. A post-mortem reveals he has been poisoned by an unusual concoction of pesticides that includes Carbofuran, Bendiocarb and Isofenphos. A police search in the area also reveals a poisoned buzzard, a baited mountain hare and 32 pieces of poisoned venison baits placed on top of fenceposts on the neighbouring Glenogil Estate. Laboratory tests reveal the baited mountain hare and the 32 poisoned venison baits contain the same unusual concoction of highly toxic chemicals that had killed the white-tailed eagle, ‘White G’. As of September 2010, nearly 2.5 years later, no arrests have been made.

JUNE 2009: An adult golden eagle is found dead at Glen Orchy, Argyll. A post-mortem reveals it has been poisoned by the illegal pesticide, Carbofuran. Strathclyde Police launch an investigation and state they are “following a positive line of inquiry“. As of September 2010, 15 months later, the outcome of this “positive line of inquiry” has not been made public.

 

JULY 2009: A two year old female golden eagle, known as ‘Alma’, is found dead on the Millden Estate, Angus. A post-mortem reveals she has been poisoned by the illegal pesticide, Carbofuran. Alma is a well-known eagle  – born on the Glen Feshie Estate in 2007, she was being satellite-tracked and her movements were followed by thousands on the internet. Tayside Police launch an investigation. As of September 2010, over a year later, no arrests have been made.

AUGUST 2009: A young white-tailed eagle is found dead on Glenogil Estate, Angus. A post-mortem reveals it has been poisoned by the illegal pesticide, Carbofuran. Reports circulate that this bird actually died in March 2009, but RSPB fieldworkers could not locate the transmitter signal. The decomposed body was eventually found in August 2009, after an expert fieldworker was brought in. Tayside Police did not release a press statement about this alleged persecution incident until January 2010, 6 months after the dead body was discovered, and probably 9 months after it was killed. As of September 2010, over a year later, no arrests have been made.

MAY 2010: Three dead golden eagles are found on Skibo Estate, Sutherland. They are found with a dead buzzard and a dead sparrowhawk. All are suspected victims of illegal poisoning and the bodies are sent for forensic post-mortem in Edinburgh. Northern Constabulary launch an investigation. As of September 2010, 4 months later, the post-mortem results have not been made publicly available. The result of the police investigation has also not been made publicly available. UPDATE Nov 2010: SASA report indicates the golden eagles were poisoned.

JUNE 2010: Two dead eagles are discovered on a grouse moor nr Inverness. The golden eagle and the white-tailed eagle were collected by the RSPB and sent to the SASA lab for inspection. They are later confirmed to have been poisoned by Carbofuran. Northern Constabulary does not make any public appeal for information – nor does the RSPB. You have to ask why not?

gamekeeper claims poisoned red kite was “planted”

poisoned red kite

An un-named gamekeeper from the estate in Tayside where a poisoned red kite was found in July 2010 has denied all involvement and claims the dead bird was “planted“.

The self-proclaimed SGA member said: “There is something funny about this and I think someone else has killed this bird and planted it on my estate. Why they have done that, I don’t know“.  This view will come as no surprise to the regular readers of this blog – it is the standard line that is heard so often from the SGA.

He went on: “Anybody who does this should be jailed because it’s not on and I have never done anything like this in my life“.

Interesting that over the last 15 years, the following have all been found dead, confirmed poisoned, on this estate: 9 buzzards, 2 sparrowhawks, 2 crows, 1 gull, 1 tawny owl, 1 pole cat, 1 domestic cat, and now 1 red kite. In addition, 12 poisoned baits have been discovered there (see blog post Aug 27 2010). Whoever is doing the “planting” is managing to maintain a long-term campaign of illegal killing.

Full article about the un-named gamekeeper in The Courier here: http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Living/Outdoors/article/4416/gamekeeper-claims-poisoned-red-kite-was-planted.html

SGA wants buzzards back on the vermin list

A recent episode of Fieldsports TV was dedicated entirely to the views of the Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association Chairman, Alex Hogg, who, according to the programme’s presenter, wants buzzards back on the ‘vermin’ list. And there was me thinking we were in 2010, not 1910.

What justification does Alex use to support this Victorian attitude?  “The biodiversity in Scotland is seriously being threatened by buzzards“. Presumably then, Alex doesn’t view buzzards as a fundamental component of biodiversity! I would argue that biodiversity in Scotland is seriously being threatened, but not by buzzards, nor any other predator for that matter, but by the actions of those gamekeepers who persecute raptors and also release millions of non-native gamebirds into the environment with little apparent consideration for the ecological impact of these birds.

In the revealing interview, Alex argues for the provision of government-endorsed licences to kill buzzards. He then realises that this view probably does not fit with the recent image he has been trying to portray of the gamekeeper, and that his view is probably going to be distasteful to the majority of the general public, so he modifies it by saying, “We don’t need a licence to kill that many – it’s just a few rogue buzzards“. Are these “few rogue buzzards” in addition to the many buzzards (and kites, eagles, harriers, peregrines, goshawks, sparrowhawks, owls) that continue to be illegally persecuted by gamekeepers across Scotland? And how many is “just a few“? In his recent application for a licence to kill buzzards on the estate where he works, he asked to kill 12. Let’s do a crude estimate here – let’s say there are approximately 400 sporting estates in Scotland, and each one wants to kill 12 buzzards a year – that would be a total of 4,800 buzzards killed per year. Hardly “a few“.

If you want to hear more of Alex’s views, the episode is available on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nlcfdmUX4I

Is Edradynate Estate the place where the red kite was found poisoned?

The location where the dead red kite was found in July (now confirmed to have been poisoned – see earlier blog below) was given by Tayside Police as “Strathtay, near Aberfeldy”, Perthshire. I mentioned a number of sporting estates in my earlier post that have their addresses in this area. I’ve since investigated further and look what I’ve found –

According to Tayside Police’s press release about the latest dead red kite, over the last 15 years the following have been found poisoned in the same area where the recent red kite was found dead – 9 buzzards, 2 sparrowhawks, 2 crows, 1 common gull, 1 tawny owl, 1 pole cat and 1 domestic cat. In addition, they say 12 poisoned baits have also been found.

Compare the above list of dead animals & poisoned baits with the following list of dead animals & poisoned baits, which was reported in the RSPB’s Legal Eagle newsletter (January 2005, #43, page 3) – “In 14 separate incidents since 1998, 16 poisoned victims (9 buzzards, a cat, a tawny owl, 2 sparrowhawks, a common gull, a pole cat and a crow and 12 poisoned baits [rabbits, woodpigeons and a pheasant]) have been found, with traces of the pesticides mevinphos, carbofuran and alphachloralose“.

The 2005 RSPB report relates to the Edradynate Estate, which is situated in Strathtay, near Aberfeldy. Coincidence? You decide.

Nobody was convicted for the earlier alleged offences at Edradynate Estate  thanks to the apparent chronic mishandling of the prosecution case. The Edradynate Estate head gamekeeper (aged 55) and underkeeper (22), both of Aberfeldy, were arrested in 2002 and charged with nine offences relating to the use of poisoned baits and also bird cruelty, including the use of spring traps. On 22 July 2004, two years after the original arrests and 13 court hearings later, the Fiscal dropped the case against them at Perth Sheriff Court. A spokeswoman for the Crown Office admitted the time taken to prepare the case for a trial had been a major factor in the decision to scrap it.

Link to RSPB Legal Eagle #43 here: legal_eagle_43_Jan2005

News report about the failed 2004 court case here: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Fury+after+’bird+killers’+walk+free.-a0119726014

and here: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/nature/RSPB-Fury-as-gamekeepers-escape.2548762.jp

Young Gamekeeper of the Year winner is employed on estate with history of alleged criminal activities

The winner of this year’s Young Gamekeeper of the Year Award, as selected by the Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association, is 20-year old Graeme Dunlop, whose beat is the 14,000-acre North Drynachan Moor on Cawdor Estate near Nairn. Graeme stated in a post-award interview that he was, “Worried that the occasional discovery of poisoned birds is undermining all the political work being done by the SGA. We all know there’s no need for it in this day and age because there’s a place for everything. Nature will sort itself out.” If Graeme is serious in his condemnation of raptor persecution he is certainly in the right place to make a difference.

Cawdor Estate has been plagued with accusations about the persecution of birds of prey and cruelty to animals (none of which have been proven), and has been labeled as “an ecological desert”.

1992: A buzzard, magpie and sheep all laced with Strychnine are discovered on the Estate. 1993: A buzzard poisoned by the toxin Alphachloralose, found on Forestry Commission land 100 metres from the boundary of Cawdor Estate. 1994: Three buzzards and rabbit bait found poisoned by Alphachloralose on Cawdor. 1996: Three baits discovered containing poisons found on Cawdor: a hare laced with Alphachloralose, a goat with Aldicarb and a widgeon with Strychnine. 1996: A hidden pit containing suspected birds of prey poisoning kit uncovered by investigators three miles from Cawdor Castle. 1999: A report sent to the procurator fiscal alleging that mountain hares were illegally persecuted in snares on Cawdor Estate. 2000: A second report submitted to the fiscal claiming mistreatment of hares on Cawdor Estate. 2001: A dead golden eagle found on Cawdor Estate confirmed to contain the lethal poison Carbofuran. Naturally, no prosecutions ever resulted for any of these alleged offences.

In 1992, Cawdor Estate’s Sporting Manager was charged with wildlife offences. These related to the improper use of snares and allegations of cruelty involving hares. Charges were later dropped by the procurator fiscal due to “evidential difficulties”.

The award is presented by the Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association whose chairman, Alex Hogg, is no stranger to readers of this blog. On one hand Alex is a proud member of PAW (Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime) and publicly states that he and the SGA abhor the illegal persecution of raptors. On the other hand Alex has been making applications for licences to kill raptors to the Scottish Government for years now, all of which have been rejected. Alex’s simplistic view is, Scotland has a problem with illegal raptor persecution so legalise it and the problem disappears. Genius!

The award was presented at the Highland Field Sports Fair held at Moy Estate last weekend. Moy Estate is where two men have recently been charged with wildlife and firearms offences following the discovery of several dead raptors in suspicious circumstances.

Also attending the fair at Moy last weekend was The Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (SRPBA). This is the group that organised the letter signed by numerous Scottish estates to Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham, condemning the illegal poisoning of wildlife in Scotland. This letter turned out to be rather embarrassing when we revealed that several of the estates had past convictions for wildlife crimes, or indeed were being currently investigated for them –  Moy Estate falling into the latter category.

Yet still we hear the repeated claims from SGA and SRPBA that they are doing all they can to stop raptor persecution by eliminating the ‘rogue’ members who continue this disgusting tradition. How does attending this fair on Moy Estate translate as ‘doing all they can’?  I trust their bed-fellows involved with the PAW Scotland group will be asking the very same question.

We wish Graeme the very best of luck and hope that he can use his award to influence and educate others in the industry about the illegality of raptor persecution.

For the SGA press release about the award: http://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/content/young-gamekeeper-year-announced

The illegal poisoning of Scottish raptors continues

The government-funded organisation Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) has just published its latest report on the illegal poisoning of wildlife, including raptors, in Scotland during 2009.

Of 166 reported incidents of suspected poisoning, 36 were categorised as ‘abuse’ of pesticide use. As in previous years, a high proportion (61%) of abuse incidents involved birds of prey. Carbofuran was once again the most common pesticide detected, even though the UK approval for use of products containing this chemical expired in 2001 and it is a criminal offence to own it.

22 abuse incidents involving 30 raptors were confirmed:

Buzzard = 22; Golden eagle = 2; White-tailed eagle = 1; Tawny owl = 1; Red kite = 4.

The regional breakdown of abuse incidents demonstrates once more the widespread nature of these crimes:

Borders = 5 incidents; Dumfries & Galloway = 1; Grampian = 1; Highland = 2; Strathclyde = 3; Tayside = 10.

The report does not include other incidents of illegal raptor persecution such as shooting, trapping and nest destruction.

In an article published in the Press & Journal, Chairman of the North-East Raptor Study Group, Rab Rae, stated the obvious: “Pesticides are used regularly by the farming community but they are now being used by the shooting fraternity. It is not an accident, it is deliberate to enhance grouse moors“.

In a rebuttal, Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, Alex Hogg, said: “The RSG and all their members are well aware that we condemn any poisoning of wildlife. Our organisations are working towards finding solutions to the problem so it’s hardly helpful or constructive to point accusatory fingers while that process continues“.

So tell us Alex, what exactly has the SGA done in its efforts to “work towards finding solutions” to the continuing illegal killing of Scottish raptors? It could legitimately be argued that sitting on the largely ineffective Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) committee is a good cover for paying lip-service to raptor conservation. Talk is cheap – what ACTIONS has the SGA taken to stop criminal activities? And no, trying to legalize the killing of protected species by asking the Scottish government to provide licences to kill raptors doesnt count! According to the latest figures from the RSPB (in their report The Illegal Killing of Birds of Prey in Scotland in 2009), 85% of people convicted for illegally killing birds of prey between 2003-2008 were gamekeepers! Like I said, talk is cheap.

Download the SASA report here: SASA poisoning report 2009

Read the Press & Journal article here: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1856188?UserKey&UserKey=

Download the RSPB report here: Persecution Scotland 2009

During 2009, SASA reports that 19 cats and 19 dogs were also killed by poisoning. To report an incident of suspected illegal poisoning, call the SASA confidential hotline on Freephone 0800-321600.

Hogg Wash…

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association website is always an entertaining read. Whether it’s Alex Hogg, that self styled guardian of the countryside, promoting the idea of law abiding gamekeepers becoming special constables or discussing whether Scotland or Ireland is the most likely place for eagles to be poisoned.  It’s like a tweed clad version of the ministry of misinformation.

I particularly look forward to the rather infrequent entries in our old friend Alex Hogg’s blog. In this most recent entry on “Hogg Blog” ,Alex tells us of his continuing battle with the Scottish Government over licences to kill buzzards and his apparent disbelief and frustration that he will not be granted a licence to kill these pesky birds that  have the audacity to eat a few of his pheasants. I can’t imagine why he sounds so surprised as none other than the Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham had announced this fact weeks ago.

It seems incredible that in a modern forward thinking country, in this International Year of Biodiversity and with Scotland’s shocking record of raptor persecution that the legalised killing of raptors should be on anyone’s agenda.  Anyway, here’s his entry for 4th Aug 2010 a mere 12 days after the RSPB announced that 2009 had been the worst year for raptor persecution for 20 years.

Its buzzard central here and they’re not just predating the release pens. Only an hour ago I watched one fly off with a poult it killed within a few yards of the garage beside my house and I’m pulling my hair out with frustration.

We put in every possible deterrent and I really thought the problem wasn’t going to be so bad this year but the last week has been a nightmare. So on Friday I contacted the local Government office and asked inspectors to come and see the problem and issue a licence to control the buzzards that are doing most of the killing. They came yesterday (four days later) and heard and saw the menace for themselves. At one point we could hardly hear ourselves speak for the noise the birds were making.

But the officials confirmed what we have suspected for the last six weeks: that despite the SGA negotiating the conditions for the issue of such licences with Government at numerous meetings over the past year, the process has come to an abrupt halt. No licences will be forthcoming. No matter how severe the problem.

What the hell do I do now?

 

My goodness Alex, it looks like you’ll be trawling ebay for a set of ear defenders and a wig.