Not content with the annual mass slaughter of millions of animals across Scotland (e.g. hares, rabbits, foxes, crows, stoats), landowners are pushing the Scottish government to issue licences to kill protected birds, including raptors.
According to an article in today’s Scotsman, in a forthcoming documentary on illegal raptor persecution in Scotland, Douglas McAdam of the SRPBA puts forward the argument for licences, claiming that they will reduce the incentive for landowners and gamekeepers to illegally poison and shoot protected species.
So what’s wrong with this logic? Well, in my opinion, nothing if you are a criminal, wanting to commit a crime but not be prosecuted for it. Perhaps we should all ask the government for a licence to walk into shops and take what we want? It would certainly be an incentive to stop the criminal activity of shoplifting but the only ones to benefit would be the shoplifters, not society as a whole. Who would benefit from the licensed killing of protected birds? The landowners. The rest of society would be left all the poorer for the loss of our magnificent species.
There’s nothing illegal about the SRPBA asking for the issue of licences – they are perfectly entitled to do this, and there is even a provision in the Scottish legislation to allow for the issue of licences. Fortunately, so far, our government has not been swayed by the argument and has called instead for a reduction in raptor persecution. So far this year there isn’t any evidence that raptor persecution is on the decline – the discovery of poisoned buzzards, poisoned bait, and most recently another poisoned golden eagle, tells us that these filthy criminal activities are continuing with impunity on Scottish shooting estates.
Of course, this isn’t the first time we have heard about the call for licences. The SGA has been campaigning for over ten years for the right to kill protected raptors, including hen harriers and buzzards. We have covered this topic extensively – see here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
No doubt these licence requests will persist – regardless of all the scientific evidence that shows how badly damaged our raptor populations already are thanks to the efforts of landowners and gamekeepers across Scotland.
Scotsman article about forthcoming documentary: http://www.scotsman.com/environment/Landowners-demand-right-to-cull.6764420.jp
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.
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.
Raptor Persecution UK 