Press release from Police Scotland (1st February 2024):
Man to pay £7,000 in fine & confiscation charges following peregrine falcon case
A 61-year-old man has been ordered to pay over £7,000 in fine and confiscation charges after pleading guilty to advertising and selling peregrine falcon chicks without the required legal documentation under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulations 2018.
Gary MacFarlane from Blackridge, West Lothian, was fined £2,100 when he appeared before Livingston Sheriff Court for sentencing today, Thursday, 1 February, 2024.
He previously pleaded guilty to 11 charges at a hearing at Livingston Sheriff Court on Thursday, 26 October, 2023, where he was ordered to forfeit £5,220 in cash which had been seized from his home address.
The charges included four counts of advertising and selling peregrine falcons without Article 10 certificates being issued, which is a requirement under the legislation for selling such protected species.
He also admitted seven counts of making false declarations in terms of the parent lineage of the chicks.
Detective Constable Steven Irvine, of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, said:
“This case sends a strong message to those who flout regulations in terms of our endangered and protected species that Police Scotland will thoroughly investigate these crimes and bring those responsible to justice.
“Gary MacFarlane sold protected chicks for his own profit and under false pretences which led to an extensive police investigation involving significant support from partner organisations including the SSPCA, the Scottish Government’s SASA forensic unit, the Animal Plant Health Agency, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and raptor specialists.
“Members of the public have a vital role to play in tackling wildlife crime and I would encourage anyone with information or concerns about this type of criminality to contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
ENDS
This is a strange press release. I’m assuming it refers to the theft and illegal laundering of wild peregrines being passed off as captive bred birds, (‘He admitted seven counts of making false declarations in terms of the parent lineage of the chicks‘) but if it was the theft and illegal laundering of wild peregrines this hasn’t been stated explicitly, it’s rather just inferred.
Nor does the press release say when the offences took place, nor whether this case is linked to Operation Tantallon – the high profile police investigation into the theft and illegal laundering of peregrines in Scotland which saw part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall and his son Lewis Hall convicted in December 2023. They are due for sentencing on 12 February 2024 (see here).
However, an article from a court reporter in The Herald (here) provides a bit more detail, saying the offences took place in June 2021 and came to light after buyers tipped off the Animal Plant & Health Agency (APHA) that MacFarlane was selling peregrines without the A10 certificates required for the sale of this species.
UPDATE 2 February 2024: Falconer’s conviction for illegal selling of peregrine chicks in Scotland was NOT related to laundering of wild peregrines (here).
The owner of Caerphilly Bird Rescue in Wales has been handed a suspended prison sentence and a lifetime ban from keeping animals after pleading guilty to six animal welfare offences.
Carol Gravenor, 67, of Coed Main, Caerphilly, was charged after 26 birds, including pigeons, blackbirds, crows, jackdaws, a peregrine falcon, and a buzzard, were found in an unsuitable and unhygienic environment.
An RSPCA inspector found the birds with injuries and illnesses which had not been treated properly, including fractured wings and damaged eyes and legs.
This peregrine was found in a small filthy cage with no water. Photo: RSPCA
Mrs Gravenor appeared at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Thursday January 11, where she was given a 14-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay £300 and a £154 victim surcharge.
This article in the Caerphilly Observer (dated 12 January 2024) provides a report from the RSPCA inspector about what was found at the sanctuary and an explanation from Mrs Gravenor’s solicitor about how she’d become ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘swamped’ following the death of her husband in 2021.
The birds were removed from the premises on 11 April 2023 and most had to be euthanised on welfare grounds.
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.
The shot peregrine. Photo via South Yorkshire Police
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.
Essex Police are appealing for information after the discovery of an injured peregrine in the Highwood area of Chelmsford on 15th January 2024.
The wounded bird was admitted to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital and on examination is believed to have been shot.
I’ve asked for information about the peregrine’s condition and asked whether an x-ray had confirmed the bird had been shot. I’ll update this post when I hear.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Essex Police on Tel 101.
This latest raptor persecution victim is the 9th in Essex in recent years, following 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).
Derbyshire man caught on camera raiding peregrine falcon nest given custodial prison sentence.
At Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court on 15 January 2023, Christopher Wheeldonof Darley Dale, Matlock pleaded guilty to intentionally disturbing Peregrine Falcons and taking Peregrine Falcon eggs and was sentenced to 8 weeks in prison for these offences. His total sentence, including additional charges unrelated to this case is 18 weeks.
Covert footage taken by the RSPB’s Investigations Team helped secure this conviction.
The Peregrine eggs are believed to have been hatched and then laundered into the illegal falconry trade.
Christopher Wheeldon caught on RSPB camera stealing the peregrine eggs
In April 2023, officers from RSPB Investigations installed a surveillance camera to monitor a Peregrine Falcon nest in a limestone quarry near Bolsover, Derbyshire. The falcons were incubating a clutch of eggs when on 23 April 2023 video footage showed a rope being dropped from above, causing the parent bird to abandon the nest. The Peregrines can be heard sounding distress calls as a man abseils down to the nest and steals three eggs from the cliff-ledge nest, before climbing back to the cliff top. Derbyshire Police were alerted, and enquiries soon identified Christopher Wheeldon as the individual involved. Search warrants were executed at two addresses, resulting in the discovery of items of clothing seen in the video at Wheeldon’s address.
Sadly, no eggs or Peregrines were recovered. It is considered likely that the eggs were destined to be laundered by being artificially incubated, and when hatched, the chicks passed off as ‘legal’ captive-reared birds. Unfortunately, once in the system, and following the removal of the Government registration scheme, it is now virtually impossible to trace these wild birds. It is likely these wild Peregrines were stolen to order and are now in the overseas falconry trade, where wild British Peregrine Falcons are regarded as being of genetically superior stock and command high prices.
On Monday 15 January Wheeldon, who pleaded guilty to disturbing these protected birds and taking their eggs, received an eight-week prison sentence for these crimes and a further 10 weeks for unrelated shop-lifting charges.
District Judge Stephen Flint said on sentencing: “Even the birds are not beyond you’re thieving grasp. You may conceive these as just eggs but they are protected. This was a deplorable thing to do.”
Although Peregrine Falcons are specially protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, these magnificent birds of prey have sadly been subjected to a diverse range of persecution over the years. Over the years the RSPB Investigations team has documented many incidents of shot and poisoned Peregrines on land managed for driven grouse shooting in the UK, including Derbyshire.
In other parts of the county, Peregrines face a different sort of persecution, with nests in quarries being targeted for their highly prized chicks and eggs, to be intended for the illegal falconry industry. Previously, in May 2020, RSPB managed to film another Peregrine nest robbery in Derbyshire but unfortunately this did not lead to a conviction in court.
This latest case highlights the ongoing demand for wild Peregrine eggs from the UK to furnish the overseas market. With the laundering of wild Peregrine Falcons fetching tens of thousands of pounds, this crime will continue to be worth the risk to some.
Without the reinstatement of full registration controls for captive bred birds this illegal activity will continue to threaten wild Peregrine populations across the UK. The RSPB Investigations Team will continue to monitor nests in Derbyshire and the wider area, and as this case shows, hope to secure more convictions in the future.
The RSPB would like to thank Derbyshire Police Rural Crime Team for their thorough investigation and diligent work which has resulted in this successful outcome, the South Peak Raptor Study Group for their continued efforts in monitoring these birds and Tarmac for their assistance throughout.
Thomas Grose, RSPB Investigations Officer: “Peregrine Falcons represent the epitome of being wild and free and it is this very characteristic that makes them such a target for criminals involved in the illegal falconry trade, earning money from the laundering and trading of these birds overseas. The theft of Peregrine eggs and chicks has been a persistent threat to these birds in Derbyshire. This case is a great example of organisations working together to bring those responsible to justice. Without dedicated volunteers and the efforts of Derbyshire Police this would have been just another failed nest. I hope this sends the message that we are watching and will continue our efforts to protect these amazing birds of prey.”
Chris Wilkinson, Derbyshire Police Rural Crime Team: “The nesting sites of these beautiful birds of prey are protected in law for a reason. Peregrines are an endangered species and groups, including the RSPB, have been working hard to ensure they are free from persecution and able thrive in Derbyshire. The efforts made by the RSPB, Derbyshire Police, NWCU and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to secure the conviction and subsequent sentence handed down by the courts, goes to show that we will go above and beyond to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”
If you have information about anyone killing birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.
ENDS
This is an interesting case in that the culprit received a custodial sentence for the persecution of birds of prey. As regular blog readers will know, custodial sentences are rare in this area of wildlife crime – there have been a handful, the most notorious in 2014 when a gamekeeper who was caught on camera by the RSPB trapping and killing goshawks on an Aberdeenshire shooting estate in 2012, received a four month custodial sentence (here).
There have been plenty of other convictions for raptor persecution since then, mostly gamekeepers, with many of the cases reaching/passing the custodial threshold but sentences have been consistently and disappointingly weak, typically consisting of paltry fines, community orders and/or suspended sentences.
So what made Wheeldon’s offences so different as to warrant an immediate custodial sentence?
Well, I’d argue that the fact Wheeldon didn’t have an expensive barrister to represent him, unlike many gamekeepers who appear before the courts charged with raptor persecution, was probably a crucial factor. The majority of those given a custodial sentence for raptor persecution offences have been individuals stealing eggs/chicks for the falconry trade or for private egg collections, and who haven’t had top barristers standing up for them in court.
I’d also guess that Wheeldon’s criminal history influenced the magistrate’s decision. Wheeldon, 34, previously of Lime Grove, Matlock but now of Wheatley Gardens, Two Dales, is described on the Derbyshire Livewebsite as a ‘drug-addicted tree surgeon’, and he has a bit of a record.
He reportedly lost his driving licence for ‘driving with excess drugs’ in 2021 (here) and was charged with attempted robbery of a takeaway in Matlock in January 2023 (here – I don’t know the outcome of that case). In addition, during sentencing yesterday, it emerged that Wheeldon was also convicted of five counts of shop lifting, four of which took place during the first week of January this year.
He actually received a longer sentence for the shoplifting offences (10 weeks) than he did for disturbing the peregrine nest (8 weeks) and stealing the peregrine eggs (another 8 weeks, to run concurrently). So whilst a custodial sentence is to be welcomed, it still doesn’t act as a deterrent for others who may be considering committing an offence; and an offence that is supposedly a national police wildlife crime priority, especially when this offence can theoretically attract a custodial sentence of up to six months in England.
A report on wildlife crime in the UK, published in 2021 by the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) recommended improved sentencing guidelines to provide consistency on tackling wildlife crime.
Following the report’s publication, Green peer Natalie Bennett asked the UK government what plans it had to produce sentencing guidelines for raptor persecution (and other wildlife offences). DEFRA Minister Lord Benyon said the report’s recommendations “will be considered by the relevant agencies“.
No plans, then.
Nevertheless, Wheeldon’s prosecution and conviction is a good result – and especially as it was led by Derbyshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Team, who previously have been less than impressive on some raptor persecution investigations (e.g. here, here, here). So well done to Derbyshire Police, to the RSPB’s Investigations Team and also to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Further to this morning’s blog about sentencing being deferred for part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall and his son, Lewis Hall, who have pleaded guilty to numerous offences relating to wild peregrines in Scotland being laundered as ‘captive bred’ peregrines to buyers in the Middle East (see here), the Daily Record has published more details about this case.
Headline from Daily Record, 15 January 2024
The article explains that the alarm was first raised by George Smith, a member of the Scottish Raptor Study Group who has monitored peregrine nest sites in the Scottish Borders for decades. He was concerned that breeding attempts were failing at sites that had previously been known to be routinely successful.
Officers from Police Scotland visited the sites with George and noticed marks that suggested someone had recently climbed to the nests.
Intelligence reports led to Timothy Hall’s home at Lamberton Holdings in Berwickshire where a large number of peregrines and eggs were found. Timothy Hall and his son Lewis claimed the young birds were captive bred but DNA evidence showed that at least seven recently-hatched chicks were not related to the captive peregrines owned by the Halls. Two chicks were later matched to an adult bird at a wild nest site and one was linked to another wild site.
Mobile phones and a drone used by the Halls was shown to have been used on 20 separate occasions to fly to known nest sites.
An analysis of bank accounts showed large sums of money being transferred from peregrine sales by Lewis Hall to a joint bank account owned by his parents. Some legitimate buyers had been duped by false paperwork procured by Lewis Hall in an attempt to pass off the young peregrines as legitimately captive bred.
Sheriff Peter Paterson reportedly told the court this morning: “These are very serious matters. I want to know what’s happened to the money. They claim they have limited assets and income.
“According to the background report for Lewis Hall, and I quote, ‘it’s clear these criminal actions have been carried out over a lengthy period of time and with great scale’. I will be informing HMRC and I’ll ask them to investigate any further charges.”
To read the full article in the Daily Record click here.
Part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall, 48, and his son Lewis Hall, 23, of Lamberton Holdings, Berwickshire appeared for sentencing this morning at Jedburgh Sheriff Court after the pair pleaded guilty in December 2023 to numerous offences relating to the illegal laundering of peregrines, which were stolen from the wild and sold on to clients in the Middle East.
The Sheriff deferred sentencing for a further four weeks after asking HM Revenue & Customs to examine the pairs’ accounts.
Sentencing is now expected to take place on 12th February 2024.
UPDATE 15.30hrs: More detail revealed about international peregrine laundering case in Scotland (here)
UPDATE 12 Feb 2024: Part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall and his son Lewis Hall avoid custodial sentence for laundering wild peregrines in Scotland (here)
Part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall, 48, and his son Lewis Hall, 23, of Lamberton Holdings, Berwickshire will appear for sentencing on Monday 15th January 2024 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court after the pair pleaded guilty in December 2023 to numerous offences relating to the illegal laundering of peregrines, which were stolen from the wild and sold on to clients in the Middle East.
Peregrine photo by Ben Hall, RSPB Images
This is the culmination of a long-running and complex investigation by Police Scotland and the Scottish SPCA, code named Operation Tantallon, which began with a raid at the Halls’ home in May 2021.
Sentencing will take place following background reports on the pair. I’m expecting the full details of this case will be made available after sentencing.
Also appearing in court tomorrow (Chesterfield Magistrates Court in Derbyshire) is Christopher Wheeldon, 34, of Lime Grove, Darley Dale, Matlock who faces charges relating to the alleged disturbance of a peregrine nest and theft of peregrine eggs at a nest site in Bolsover in April 2023. See here for previous blog on this case.
UPDATE 15 January 2024: Sentencing of part-time gamekeeper & son deferred in international peregrine laundering case (here)
UPDATE 15 January 2024: More detail revealed about international peregrine laundering case in Scotland (here)
UPDATE 16 January 2024: Derbyshire ‘drug addict’ jailed for stealing peregrine eggs (here)
A part-time gamekeeper and his son have pleaded guilty to multiple offences related to the illegal laundering of peregrines in Scotland – a serving police officer has been cleared.
Many thanks to the blog reader who sent me this article from the court section of Peebleshire News, published yesterday (Friday 15 December 2023):
Here is the text:
Officer cleared of selling falcons
A serving police officer has been cleared of selling peregrine falcons to customers in the Middle East.
WPC Suzanne Hall, 45, also had her not guilty plea to being in possession of the protected bird under endangered species legislation accepted by the Crown at Selkirk Magistrates Court.
But her husband Timothy, who is 48, and her 23 year old son Lewis admitted being involved in the illegal sale of the peregrine falcons and will be sentenced at Selkirk Sheriff Court in January when background reports will be considered.
It followed a joint operation by Police Scotland and the Scottish SPCA at the family home at Lamberton Holdings, Berwickshire, close to the English border in May 2021, when a search warrant was executed.
A number of peregrine falcons – which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act – were found during the search.
Timothy Hall, who has been described as a part-time gamekeeper, also pleaded guilty to being in possession of peregrine falcons and also a charge of failing to provide the needs of an animal as required by good practice by not providing clean water and had inadequate perches for the birds.
He also admitted a breach of the Firearms Act by not properly securing a shotgun in his property.
WPC Hall, who has been on restricted duties with Police Scotland since her arrest, had a not guilty plea accepted to five wildlife charges.
But a fraud charge was deserted with the Crown reserving the right to re-raise the case at a future date.
Sheriff Peter Paterson told the father and son they had admitted a serious offence.
He told Timothy Hall that he had “carried out wilful breaches of wildlife laws you must have been aware of and carried out for profit”.
He added: “Substantial sums of money were made from illegal sales in the Middle East”.
Figures such as £64,000 and £35,000 were quoted as sales of the protected birds.
Sheriff Paterson said background reports would be required to consider a range of sentences including custody.
The Sheriff said Lewis Hall had been lesser involved but again he would take into account what the reports would say.
The court also heard that Lewis Hall was being pursued under the Proceeds of Crime Act with a hearing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on January 15th.
A written narration detailing the circumstances behind the offences was provided by the Crown with defence lawyers saying they would provide a plea in mitigation at the sentencing diet in January.
Peregrine falcons are protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act meaning it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb them near or on an active nest.
The species has historically suffered from persecution and pesticide poisoning with their numbers dwindling to their lowest levels in the 1960s.
Scottish specimens of the bird – which can dive at more than 200 mph – are highly prized in the Middle East where they are used for racing by wealthy sheiks.
Stronger legislation has helped increase the number of falcons in the wild however they are still persecuted for preying on game birds and racing pigeons.
Their eggs have also previously been stolen to order for private collections and falconry.
ENDS
This investigation, code named Operation Tantallon, has been long-running (see here) and complex (see here). The investigative team, hailing from a multi-agency partnership, was recognised for its efforts when it was awarded the Wildlife Crime Operation of the Year Award at the 2022 UK Wildlife Crime Conference (here).
I hope that fuller details of the case will be made available after sentencing in January.
UPDATE 14 January 2024: Sentencing in Scotland tomorrow for part-time gamekeeper and son guilty of international peregrine laundering (here)
UPDATE 15 January 2024: Sentencing of part-time gamekeeper & son deferred in international peregrine laundering case (here)
UPDATE 15 January 2024: More detail revealed about international peregrine laundering case in Scotland (here)
UPDATE 12 February 2024: Part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall and his son Lewis Hall avoid custodial sentence for laundering of wild peregrines in Scotland (here)
UPDATE 12 February 2024: Commentary on the staggeringly inadequate sentencing of Timothy and Lewis Hall, convicted for illegal laundering of wild peregrines in south Scotland (here)
UPDATE 14 February 2024: It’s soul destroying to find nests have failed” – inside the battle against Scotland’s falcon thieves (here)
UPDATE 15 February 2024: SSPCA press release on conviction of part-time gamekeeper Timothy Hall and his son Lewis Hall for illegal laundering of Scottish peregrines (here)
UPDATE 26 June 2024: Prosecutors seeking to recover £164,000 from Scottish peregrine launderer Lewis Hall (here)
UPDATE 10 October 2024: Scottish court orders convicted peregrine launderer Lewis Hall to pay back thousands under Proceeds of Crime Act (here)
UPDATE 23 November 2024: Suzanne Hall, wife & mother of convicted peregrine launderers ‘no longer a serving police officer’ (here).
Press release from Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (1st December 2023)
Reaction to the RSPB Birdcrime Report
The RSPB recently published its latest ‘Birdcrime’ report.
David Butterworth, Chief Executive Officer of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “It is yet again hugely embarrassing that this part of the country has been shamed as being the worst for proven and suspected bird of prey persecution in the UK.
“An end to the illegal killing of birds cannot come soon enough. Some of the instances of criminality this year beggar belief. The stamping to death of 4 young Harrier chicks and one Harrier having its head pulled from its body while still alive. Truly shocking levels of depravity.
Hen harrier ‘Free’, found on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and whose post mortem revealed that the cause of death was the head being twisted and pulled off while the body was held tightly. His leg had also been ripped off whilst he was alive. Photo by Natural England via RSPB’s 2022 Birdcrime report.
“It’s all the more galling because there are signs of positive change. Some local land managers are doing great work to conserve birds of prey in the National Park.
“We are currently preparing a new evidence report on bird of prey populations in the National Park on behalf of the Yorkshire Dales Bird of Prey Partnership. We hope this report will be published in the coming weeks. Sadly all of this will count for little whilst the persecution of Birds of Prey continues“.
ENDS
Bravo, David Butterworth, for this very public and unequivocal condemnation of the ongoing raptor persecution in this so-called National Park.
But isn’t it time the pretend Yorkshire Dales Bird of Prey ‘Partnership’ was closed down? The RSPB has already left because it recognised the futility of trying to ‘partner’ with the likes of the Moorland Association – how much more time, money and effort is going to be pumped into this pseudo-union, whilst the crimes against birds of prey just carry on and on and on?
Partnerships and coalitions only work when objectives are shared. In the case of the Yorkshire Dales Bird of Prey ‘Partnership’, the Chair of the Moorland Association doesn’t even accept that hen harrier persecution is happening (see here), let alone that it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. What’s the point of continuing this ‘partnership’ charade?
As an aside, the RSPB’s 2022 Birdcrime report was published ten days ago and it contains a lot of material that I want to blog about. I’ve been distracted by events in Scotland (more golden eagle persecution, more peregrine persecution, and a landmark vote by the Scottish Parliament to agree to the general principles of a grouse moor licensing scheme) but I haven’t forgotten about the Birdcrime report and will come back to it shortly….
