Tag: hen harrier

Hen harriers, golden eagles & buzzards illegally killed in 1990

According to the Hansard Report April 2004 (Hansard is the edited verbatim report of proceedings in UK parliament), the following illegal raptor persecution incidents were recorded in 1990:

Cromlix Estate (nr Dunblane, Perthshire) – 1 x buzzard + 1 x hen harrier killed by Chloralose.

Rosehaugh Estate (Black Isle, Ross-shire) – 1 x buzzard killed by Chloralose.

Ledmore Estate (Lairg, Sutherland) – 1 x golden eagle + 1 x buzzard killed by Chloralose.

Hopetoun Estate (Abington, South Lanarkshire) – 1 x buzzard killed by Chloralose.

Glenfernate Estate (Blairgowrie, Perthshire) – 1 x buzzard killed by Chloralose.

Grimerston Estate (Isle of Lewis) – 1 x golden eagle killed by Chloralose.

This report was published in the days when the government publicised the names of the Estates where illegal raptor persecution incidents had been recorded. Shame they don’t do that anymore – you have to wonder why? The Hansard report documenting these and other persecution incidents, can be read here: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1994/apr/28/bird-killing

Scottish police accused of failing to tackle wildlife crime

POLICE forces in Scotland have been accused of failing to tackle wildlife crime after it was revealed that just 24 cases of illegal killing of birds of prey have been taken to court in five years.

Out of 157 cases involving killing the birds – including golden eagles, red kites and hen harriers – just 15 per cent have resulted in court action.

And the average penalty for a crime linked to persecution of birds of prey was just £240, despite the maximum available penalty being £10,000 or a year in jail.

Read more at: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/news/System-39failing39-on-wildlife-crime.6130378.jp

gamekeeper guilty of shooting hen harrier on Craigmill Estate, Morayshire

In May 2001, a part-time gamekeeper on Craigmill Estate, Morayshire was convicted of shooting a young female hen harrier. He pleaded not guilty to killing a 2nd harrier on the same day, not guilty to having both dead birds in his possession, and not guilty to carrying a shotgun for the purpose of killing a wild bird. The court accepted his not-guilty plea. He was fined £2,000 for killing the harrier.

In July 2000, the hen harrier nest had been under close observation by RSPB workers because eggs had been destroyed in previous years. They recorded video footage of the keeper as he approached the nest and shot the bird. In his defence, the keeper stated he had been attempting to restore the area for grouse shooting and he had shot the bird in “acute frustration”. There is a long history of hen harrier persecution on grouse moors in the UK, making it the most persecuted raptor in Britain.

Further info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1352092.stm