Tag: goshawk

Biggest threat to UK goshawks is gamekeepers, not Chris Packham!

It’s become apparent today that a journalist is sniffing around for a story about Chris Packham in what looks like the latest attempt to discredit his reputation and integrity.

Apparently ‘someone’ has made a complaint to the BBC, the BTO, and Hampshire Constabulary accusing Chris of being a ‘wildlife criminal’ because he sniffed some goshawks chicks whilst they were waiting to be ringed in the New Forest in June for a feature on the BBC’s The One Show.

That ‘someone’ has even bragged on social media about making the complaint:

That ‘someone’, or more likely one of the game shooting organisations, has tipped off a journalist in the hope of trying to make mischief for Chris in the mainstream papers.

It’s so obviously just the latest in a long-running malicious smear campaign against Chris.

If there was a genuine concern for goshawk welfare from the game-shooting sector then I think we’d have heard a bit more from them when actual crimes against goshawks have been uncovered and publicised, e.g. the trapping and beating to death of a goshawk by a gamekeeper on a pheasant shoot in Scotland (here), the shooting of a goshawk by a gamekeeper on a pheasant shoot in Norfolk (here), the disturbance of a goshawk nest in the Peak District National Park (here), the disturbance of a goshawk nest in Scotland (here), the disturbance of another goshawk nest in Scotland by masked gunmen (here), the shooting of a goshawk in the Forest of Dean (here), the trapping of a goshawk by a masked man on a pheasant shoot in Norfolk (here), the killing of a goshawk caught in a gamekeeper’s trap in the Scottish Borders (here), the shooting of a goshawk in a raptor persecution hotspot in Scotland (here), the shooting of a goshawk in Staffordshire (here), the shooting of a goshawk on a sporting estate in the Cairngorms National Park (here), the felling of an active goshawk nest in Gloucestershire (here), the setting of an illegal trap by a gamekeeper next to a goshawk nest on a sporting estate in Scotland (here), the shooting and dumping of five young goshawks in Suffolk (here), the trapping of a goshawk on a grouse shooting estate in the North York Moors National Park (here), etc etc.

It’s not difficult to predict the headline: ‘Chris Packham under police investigation’, a bit like the headlines we saw a couple of years ago when the Scottish Gamekeepers Association told Hampshire Constabulary that they had ‘evidence’ that Chris wrote a death threat letter to himself…only it turned out that their ‘evidence’ was wholly unreliable (here) and the allegation was so far off the mark it was dismissed by Hampshire Constabulary (here) and condemned by a judge in a recent and related libel trial (here).

The latest (non) ‘story’ / smear campaign hasn’t emerged in the press yet but it may appear in the next day or so.

Meanwhile, Chris has responded this afternoon – well worth a watch:

UPDATE 27th August 2023: ‘Any bad publicity is good’ – Chris Packham haters celebrate as Sunday telegraph publishes pathetic ‘bird sniffing’ accusation (here)

UPDATE 29th August 2023: ‘No case to answer’ – Hampshire Police close ridiculous ‘Chris Packham sniffed a goshawk’ investigation (here)

Criminal gamekeepers Addison & Stroud both linked to Fengate Farm in Weeting, Norfolk

Yesterday, gamekeeper Francis Addison was convicted for multiple offences linked to the discovery of five shot goshawks that were found in a public carpark next to King’s Forest near Thetford in January this year (see here).

The five shot goshawks. Photo: Suffolk Police

Addison lives in the village of Weeting in Norfolk.

Weeting also just happens to be where another gamekeeper, Matthew Stroud, was convicted in October 2022 for multiple wildlife crimes on land he managed for pheasant shooting at Fengate Farm, including the killing of six buzzards and a goshawk and the laying of poisoned baits (see here and here).

Weeting is a small village. There are a few farms there, according to Google maps, some or all of which could be hosting pheasant shooting, but I was curious about whether Addison and Stroud were associated with the same pheasant shoot at Fengate Farm.

So I asked Suffolk Police this morning:

Interesting.

Fengate Farm is owned by Richard Norman Parrott, who also happens to be a director of Weeting Steam Engine Rally Ltd, according to Companies House (here).

The Weeting Steam Rally and Country Show is scheduled to take place at Fengate Farm on 14-16th July 2023 – see the rally website here – where overnight camping is offered (here) and the rally is described on the website as follows:

‘A fun family day out filled with nostalgia of steam. We have plenty for all the family to enjoy, from the large range of steam engines to the fairground, gundogs to chainsaw carving, there’s something for everyone, whatever your age – across our 170 acre site! Our large trade area has a vast array of stalls, we also have a craft tent and a food hall, along with many other things to see and do‘.

Now, I’m not suggesting for one minute that Mr Parrott had any involvement with, or knowledge of, the criminality associated with the Fengate Farm pheasant shoot. For all I know, he leases out the land used for the shoot and has nothing to do with it (it’s worth noting that criminal gamekeeper Stroud was described as ‘self-employed’ and criminal gamekeeper Addison has been described as being ‘part-time’ and ‘retired’ – there is no indication that either were employed by Mr Parrott).

But given the discovery of poisoned baits and poisoned birds of prey, shot birds of prey, unsecured poisons, the illegal use of animal traps, and the unlawful use and storage of shotguns associated with this pheasant shoot, I’d suggest that visitors to the steam rally and country show might want to consider the risks to their health and safety and that of their children and dogs.

More on convicted Norfolk gamekeeper Francis Addison

Further to the criminal conviction yesterday of gamekeeper Francis Addison from Weeting, near Thetford in relation to the discovery of five shot goshawks in January this year (see here), there was excellent coverage on BBC’s Look East yesterday evening.

It’s available on iPlayer (here, starts 05.53 mins) but only until this evening, so here is a transcript of the two-minute piece:

A part-time gamekeeper who admitted dumping dead birds of prey in a parking area in Suffolk has been given a suspended prison sentence.

The five goshawk carcasses were found in January. Francis Addison who’s 72 and from Weeting, near Thetford, denied shooting them. Our Environment reporter Richard Daniels sent this report from Norwich Magistrates Court.

It was a shocking discovery. Five goshawks dumped in a public area near Wordwell in Suffolk. All had been shot. When police swabbed them for DNA it led them to the home of Francis Addison, an ex-military weapons instructor and part-time gamekeeper.

Today, Addison arrived at court facing 19 charges, including possession of the goshawks and various firearms offences.

Francis Addison arriving at court. Screen grab from BBC Look East

Addison’s defence told magistrates he found the five goshawk carcasses while out walking his dog. He put them in a bag and took them home. [Ed: according to this BBC article, Addison claimed he was intending to give them to the BTO]. But when a friend told him that it was illegal to have them, he took fright and returned them to the spot where he found them.

Once driven to extinction through persecution, goshawks are some of our most protected birds. The court was told there were believed to be as few as 33 living in Suffolk.

[Tom Grose, RSPB Investigations Officer]: “It’s illegal to possess these birds. However, we still don’t know who killed these goshawk and there is a reward available, still, for anybody that comes forward with information leading to the conviction of somebody for that offence”.

When the police searched Addison’s home they found his gun cabinet unlocked with ammunition stored in cupboards and in his car.

Screen grab from BBC Look East

[Sgt Brian Calver, Suffolk Police]: “If the house got burgled then they had access to a rifle, four shotguns, all the ammunition in the world. Gun ownership is a privilege, not a right, that’s one of the conditions on everyone’s licence to make sure that you keep those guns as secure as possible at all times”.

Addison was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence. He was told he’d shown a total disregard and disdain towards his licensing requirements. His firearm and shotgun certificates have been revoked.

Richard Daniel, BBC Look East, Norwich Magistrates Court.

ENDS

I’m so pleased to learn that Addison ‘found’ the five shot goshawks on his dog walk and that their deaths had nothing whatsoever to do with his cage traps, dead woodpigeon and guns. Phew! Seems he’s just an unlucky chap, not a raptor-killing bastard.

UPDATE 30th June 2023: Criminal gamekeepers Addison & Stroud both linked to Fengate Farm in Weeting, Norfolk (here)

Gamekeeper Francis Addison receives suspended jail sentence in relation to five shot goshawks

RSPB Press Release (29th June 2023):

DNA LINKS PART-TIME GAMEKEEPER TO SHOT GOSHAWKS

At Norwich Magistrates’ court today, Frances Addison (72) a part-time gamekeeper of South Park, Weeting, pleaded guilty to 19 charges in connection with a multi-agency raptor persecution investigation led by Suffolk Police, including possession of five shot Goshawks.

The five birds were found dead together in Kings Forest, near Wordwell, Suffolk on 16 January 2023.

The five shot juvenile goshawks found dumped in car park. Photo: Suffolk Police

The incident was reported to Suffolk Police, who swabbed the birds at the scene for human DNA and then x-rayed them as part of their investigation. All five birds were found to contain multiple pieces of shot and remarkably a human DNA hit was registered from a swab of one of the bird’s legs.

The DNA findings led Suffolk and Norfolk Constabularies, assisted by RSPB Investigations and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, to search the suspect’s home in nearby Weeting, where a number of offences in relation to firearms and traps were uncovered. In interview, Addison claimed that he had found the Goshawks and then put them back and that all gamekeepers were killing birds of prey.

The court dealt with all the offences together and sentenced Addison to 12 weeks imprisonment – suspended for 12 months and ordered him to pay £1080 in compensation and £105 costs.

All birds of prey are protected by law, and to kill or injure one could result in jail and/or an unlimited fine. Yet the illegal killing of birds of prey remains a widespread national problem.

The RSPB’s annual Birdcrime report for 2021 revealed 108 confirmed incidents of birds of prey being shot, trapped or poisoned. However, the true number is likely to be far higher.

The report also found that Norfolk had the highest number of confirmed raptor persecution incidents than any other county in 2021.

It remains unknown who shot the Goshawks despite extensive rewards on offer from RSPB, Wild Justice, and Rare Bird Alert.

Mark Thomas, UK Head of Investigations at RSPB said:

“Goshawks are an exhilarating apex predator, so it was both shocking and appalling to see images of the five shot birds discarded in the Breckland Forest car park, we applaud the efforts and professionalism of Suffolk Police in deploying key forensic techniques that have led to court charges in this case. In 2021, two-thirds of all confirmed UK raptor persecution incidents happened in connection with land used for gamebird shooting, faced with huge public displeasure there is increasingly no place to hide for those who commit these crimes“.

Sergeant Brian Calver, of Suffolk Constabulary’s Rural and Wildlife Crime team, said:

“This is a particularly disturbing case. Bird of prey crime is a national wildlife crime priority, which is taken very seriously by police. We will leave no stone unturned in pursuing criminals that cause deliberate harm to wildlife. This incident has had a significant impact on the Goshawk population in the Brecks and in particular their ability to expand their territory. As well as possessing dead schedule 1 birds, Addison has shown a complete disregard for the security of his guns, which is equally concerning.”

He went on to say “We welcome today’s outcome and I hope the sentence imposed sends a strong message to others that are involved in this type of criminality. We’ll continue to work closely with partners to ensure such crimes become a thing of the past.”

The charges were:

· Five counts of possession of a dead schedule 1 wild bird (Goshawk)

· One count of killing a non-schedule 1 wild bird (Wood Pigeon)

· One count of use of an animal trap in circumstance for which it is not approved

· Two counts of possession of an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence, namely two air rifles and six animal traps

· Six counts of failing to comply with the conditions of a firearm certificate

· Four counts of failing to comply with the condition of a shotgun certificate.

ENDS

Brilliant multi-agency partnership work – very well done to everyone involved.

The sentence is, as usual, insignificant and no deterrent to others.

The Norfolk village of Weeting seems to be somewhat of a hotspot for raptor persecution – last year another gamekeeper, Matthew Stroud, was convicted of multiple wildlife crime offences in the area including the placing of poisonous baits and the killing of buzzards and a goshawk (see here).

I look forward to reading BASC’s condemnation of Addison and his crimes – given their faux outrage when Suffolk Police initially asking the shooting community to help progress the police investigation (see here).

UPDATE 30th June 2023: More on convicted Norfolk gamekeeper Francis Addison (here)

Man charged in relation to 5 shot goshawks found dumped in forest car park in January

In January this year, Suffolk Police’s Rural, Wildlife & Heritage Unit appealed for information in relation to the discovery of five juvenile goshawks that had been shot and dumped in a car park at the King’s Forest, near Thetford (see here).

The five shot goshawks. Photo: Suffolk Police

This is the investigation that attracted a large reward for information (reward put up by RSPB, Wild Justice, and a crowd funder by Rare Bird Alert, see here).

This is also the investigation about which the shooting industry was ‘offended’ at being asked by the police to help identify the perpetrator (here).

In late March 2023, the police announced that a man had been arrested in relation to this investigation (see here).

A man has now been charged and the police have issued the following statement:

MAN CHARGED WITH OFFENCES IN RELATION TO BIRDS OF PREY FOUND DEAD IN WEST SUFFOLK

A man has been charged with offences in relation to the discovery of five goshawks that were found dead in the west of the county, as well as a number of other offences.

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 arrested a 72-year-old man on 27 March in relation to the discovery of the goshawks and on suspicion of breaching firearms license conditions. He was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning, before being released under investigation.

Francis Addison, 72, from South Park, Weeting, was subsequently charged with five counts of possession of a dead schedule 1 wild bird (goshawk); one count of killing a non-schedule 1 wild bird (wood pigeon); one count of use of an animal trap in circumstance for which it is not approved; two counts of possession of an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence, namely two air rifles and six animal traps; six counts of failing to comply with the conditions of a firearm certificate; and four counts of failing to comply with the condition of a shotgun certificate.

Addison is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 29 June. 

ENDS

Well done to Suffolk Police’s Rural, Wildlife & Heritage Unit for what has obviously been a detailed investigation, and also for keeping the public informed.

As Mr Addison has now been charged and criminal proceedings are live, I won’t be accepting any comments on this case until proceedings have concluded.

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)

National Gamekeepers Organisation is latest from shooting industry to attack police & RSPB for raptor crime reporting

Last week I blogged about how a major shooting industry organisation, BASC, had attacked Suffolk Police for what BASC perceived to be an ‘offensive’ police appeal for information about the shooting of five young goshawks found dead at the edge of woodland near Thetford (here).

BASC complained that the police’s appeal was “disparaging to the shooting community” simply because the police had asked the shooting community for help to identify the shot gun-wielding criminal(!). Astonishingly, BASC’s complaint resulted in the police’s tweet/appeal for information being deleted.

Later, Suffolk Police released a joint press release with the RSPB, which seemed to enrage BASC even further. Bizarrely, BASC wrote on a blog:

“Can we assume the RSPB has more information on the matter than BASC as they were very quick yesterday to offer a £5,000 reward for information leading to conviction; shortly followed by a similar pledge from Wild Justice? It would be useful to know whether RSPB are complainants, victims, witnesses or have any other relationship with Suffolk Constabulary“.

I would argue that this is a cack-handed but sinister attempt by BASC to try and influence the narrative on raptor persecution crimes. If the police are too scared to publicise a raptor persecution incident or appeal for information about it, because they’re scared of a backlash from the industry who are, let’s not forget, responsible for 73% of convictions for raptor persecution crimes, then it’s job done for the shooting industry. No reports = no publicity = no bad press = no public pressure on politicians to tackle these relentless, systemic crimes.

And it’s not just BASC that appears to be at it. The National Gamekeepers Organisation (NGO) has recently written on its website its dissatisfaction with Lincolnshire Police and the RSPB about the reporting of raptor persecution offences in that county. It’s mostly about a recent incident where the remains of three barn owls, one tawny owl and one red kite were found dumped in a ditch (here), and the NGO incorrectly accuses RSPB Investigations Officer Howard Jones of ‘insinuating that a gamekeeper might be to blame for the Lincolnshire incident‘ in a BBC news article.

Actually, Howard Jones did no such thing, he was talking about raptor persecution crimes in general and he was simply stating facts – the “vast majority” of raptor persecution cases being dealt with by the courts involve gamekeepers. That is a factually accurate statement from Howard, however unpalatable/embarrassing that may be to the NGO. Neither the RSPB or Lincolnshire Police laid any blame on anybody after the discovery of those bird of prey remains in Lincolnshire – they simply said it was an ‘unusual’ case and were appealing for information (here).

The ridiculous NGO, though, has written on its website:

“The NGO are in contact with DC Flint of Lincolnshire Police and are hoping to meet with him in the near future to discuss both this case and to highlight our concerns about the reporting surrounding this case“.   

Meanwhile, the NGO has failed (refused?) to publicise the recent conviction of Dorset gamekeeper Paul Allen, who pleaded guilty to multiple wildlife, poisons and firearms offences after the discovery of six shot buzzards, the burnt remains of three more buzzards, and three different types of banned poisons on his pheasant shoot and a loaded shotgun found propped up behind his kitchen door with rounds of unlicensed ammunition in an out-building.

The NGO has also remained silent about the discovery of the five shot goshawks found dumped in Suffolk last week.

Like BASC, you’ll know that the NGO is a member of the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), a so-called partnership (it’s a sham) whose main objective is to help eradicate raptor persecution by highlighting these crimes and publicly condemning the criminals involved.

Long-term blog readers will know this attempted manipulation of the narrative by the game-shooting industry is nothing new and has been going on for years, mostly behind the scenes and only uncovered via Freedom of Information requests (e.g. see here and here).

I’ve just been sent yet another example of it, this time in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. More on that shortly…

Reward for info on who shot five goshawks has passed £14,000

The reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever shot five goshawks and dumped them in Suffolk last week (see here) has now passed £14,000.

The RSPB has provided £5,000, Wild Justice has provided £5,000, and Rare Bird Alert’s crowdfunder appeal has so far accrued over £4,000.

I haven’t seen any effort by any of the game-shooting organisations to contribute to the reward; most of them haven’t even drawn to their members’ attention the police appeal for information, let alone told them about the reward (apart from BASC, whose response was to wail, loudly, about how offensive it was for the police to ask the shooting community for help to identify a criminal with a shotgun, here)!

There may be coverage of BASC’s histrionics in The Guardian tomorrow.

If you’d like to contribute to the reward, please visit the crowdfunder here.

If you have any information about this appalling crime, please call Suffolk Police on 101 and quote crime reference 37/3027/23. Alternatively, you can provide anonymous information via the RSPB’s dedicated Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.

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

Shooting industry ‘offended’ about being asked to help identify the person who shot five goshawks

At the beginning of this week, Suffolk Police put out an appeal on Twitter asking the shooting community to help identify the person who shot dead five young goshawks, which had been dumped at the edge of the King’s Forest near Thetford on Monday (see here).

The following day, Suffolk Police’s tweet was deleted without explanation. It soon became clear why – BASC, a prominent shooting organisation, had demanded it be removed because apparently it was offensive to ask the shooting community to help identify someone who had committed a crime with a shotgun! In a misjudged PR move, BASC even bragged about getting the police tweet removed:

I don’t think it’s disparaging in any way to ask the shooting community for help to solve a wildlife crime committed by someone with a shotgun. And let’s be honest, given the long history of goshawk persecution in the UK by members of the game-shooting industry, it’s perfectly logical to suspect that a member of that industry might be the perpetrator.

At this stage, Suffolk Police, quite rightly, hasn’t drawn any conclusions other than all five goshawks contained shotgun pellets (as revealed by x-ray).

My own view, for what it’s worth at this early stage of the investigation, is that the x-ray provided by the police shows that at least one of the dead goshawks had an enlarged crop, indicating that it had eaten recently. It’s not beyond the realms of possibly, or indeed probability, that these young goshawks had been enticed into a trap, over a period of time, by a decoy bird and then shot by whoever was operating the trap.

We know that goshawks are easily enticed into such traps (e.g. see here, here, here and here). We also know that many gamekeepers generally despise goshawks, due to their perceived threat to gamebirds; a view not helped by idiotic and inaccurate commentary about the species by senior members of the gamekeeping community including Alex Hogg, the Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, who once wrote, “I strongly believe the goshawk never was indigenous to the United Kingdom and there is absolutely no hard evidence to suggest otherwise” (see here). Goshawk persecution is so rife in the UK, even inside some of our National Parks (e.g. see here and here) that the species has been identified as a ‘national wildlife crime priority’ by the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Why were the dead goshawks dumped in a car park next to a public wood? Only the person who dumped them there can answer that, but again, it’s not the first time that illegally-killed goshawks have been placed to await discovery, as some kind of two-fingered salute by the killer(s).

For example, here is what happened to three young fledged goshawks from a nest in the Peak District National Park . The image below is an excerpt from the Peak Nest Watch 2010 end of season report, which can be downloaded here: peak_nestwatch_2010

Were the five shot goshawks found in Suffolk this week all from the same brood? DNA analysis can answer that. When were they shot and had the carcasses been frozen prior to being dumped? Again, forensic analyses will help. Until then, all we know is that a wildlife crime has been committed and Suffolk Police are to be congratulated for putting out an appeal for information within 24 hours of the shot birds being discovered.

I’ve seen other members of the shooting community make some ridiculous claims about this case over the last few days. One suggests that shotgun pellets ‘can easily be introduced into a carcass’, inferring that these birds weren’t shot at all but are the result of some kind of ‘set up’. He’s bonkers if he thinks anyone will believe that. Another former Head Gamekeeper, who routinely brags on social media about his supposed superior expertise on natural history, concluded that these were buzzards, not goshawks (he’s wrong, as usual) but even if he was right, it would still be a wildlife crime to shoot them. Bizarrely, the BASC Scotland twitter account ‘liked’ this post (thanks to blog reader Dr Rob Thomas @RobThomas14 for pointing this out):

Not content with forcing Suffolk Police to remove its original appeal for information on this case, BASC has now published an astonishing article on its website in an attempt to justify its action and also seems to be very cross about the £10,000 reward offered by the RSPB and Wild Justice. You can read the BASC article here.

[UPDATE: It appears that BASC’s blog is no longer available on its website. Fortunately it was screen-grabbed before it vanished, see below]

In my opinion, it’s staggering that BASC can so easily influence the narrative about raptor persecution crimes as it has done here, and it’s not the first time. I’ll be blogging shortly about another example that has recently come to light.

It’s also a little bit strange that BASC should feel offended about being asked to help find the criminal who shot these goshawks. BASC, you’ll recall, is a member of the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), the police-led ‘partnership’ designed to help tackle illegal bird of prey persecution in England & Wales. If BASC is so offended about the shooting industry being linked to raptor persecution, why on earth is it a member of the RPPDG?

Meanwhile, the crowdfunder to increase the £10,000 reward for information, launched by those decent people at Rare Bird Alert, is doing well. If you’d like to contribute, the crowdfunder page can be found here.

If you have any information about this appalling crime, please call Suffolk Police on 101 and quote crime reference 37/3027/23. Alternatively, to get in touch anonymously, call the RSPB’s dedicated Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.

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

UPDATE 29th June 2023: Gamekeeper Francis Addison receives suspended jail sentence in relation to five shot goshawks (here)

Crowdfunder launched to increase reward for information on five shot goshawks found in Suffolk

Further to the news that the RSPB and Wild Justice have put up a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person who shot five young goshawks and dumped their bodies at the edge of The King’s Wood in Suffolk on Monday (see here), the bird news service Rare Bird Alert has launched a crowdfunder to increase the reward.

Here’s the wording of the crowdfunder, that went live earlier this morning:

On Monday 16th January 2023 officers from Suffolk Constabulary discovered the bodies of five dead Goshawks in Kings Forest, Suffolk.

Police have revealed that x-ray examination has shown all five birds had been shot. Further investigations are on-going.

A reward of £10,000 has been offered by the RSPB and Wild Justice for information leading to a conviction in connection with the birds.

Rare Bird Alert is setting up this appeal to increase that reward. If the reward is not paid out after a determinate period of time then it will be donated to the RSPB Investigations team for their continuing fight against raptor persecution.

We will not be silenced by those who kill birds of prey.

ENDS

Rare Bird Alert launched a similar fundraising appeal in 2015 after a rare Red-footed falcon was shot in Cambridgeshire (here), and that appeal raised over £2,700. It is hoped that this latest fundraiser provides the birding community with a constructive outlet for its anger at yet another appalling case of raptor persecution.

If you’d like to contribute, the crowdfunder page can be found here.