RAPTOR POISONING IN NORTH YORKSHIRE - A TV INTERVIEW

[Richard Green]

Birds of prey including the peregrine falcon, red kite, goshawk and hen harrier are being poisoned or shot in the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales at a rate unknown in any other region, according to the RSPB.

North Yorkshire has been named the UK's "black spot", with more crimes against birds of prey and owls reported in the last year than in north Scotland and Wales and all the counties of the south of England combined, found the charity's Bird Crime 2010 report, to be published on Thursday.

Almost 10 per cent of the 117 incidents against 11 species last year took place in the county, which has consistently recorded high rates of such crime, according to the RSPB.

Conservationists claim the majority of these crimes can be blamed on those working on shooting estates, especially gamekeepers wanting to illegally rid grouse moors of all potential predators.

The number of reported incidents in North Yorkshire doubled between 2009 and 2010, from 27 to 54, with 10 confirmed cases of bird of prey persecutions. These include the poisoning of four red kites and three buzzards and the shooting of a goshawk. Two-week old chicks were also found laced with a banned pesticide and left as bait in the Yorkshire Dales.

Confirmed incidents of birds of prey crime across the UK remained constant between 2009 and 2010, but the RSPB said the recorded numbers were just the "tip of the iceberg".

Species policy officer Jeff Knott told The IoS that persecution was still a "major problem" for several UK birds, including government-listed "priority" birds such the golden eagle and the hen harrier, which has seen a 20 per cent reduction in its population since 2004.

He said: "Over the past 50 years, we have seen progress in lowland areas, where there now isn't much persecution. This has allowed species like buzzards and red kites to recover.

"Unfortunately, on very intensive upland grouse moors, there has been no change in attitudes since Victorian times. It is thought anything with hooked beaks should be got rid of."

According to the RSPB figures, almost 75 per cent of those convicted for bird of prey crime over the past 20 years have had ties to game hunting, but only around 4 per cent of confirmed cases make it to court each year. A spokesman for the British Association of Shooting and Conservation said the group "absolutely condemn" illegal persecution of raptors, but denied the problem was as widespread as claimed. "The gamekeeper is a convenient scapegoat but not all the blame can be laid at his door," he added.

PC Gareth Jones, who has worked for the North Yorkshire police wildlife crime unit for six years, said it is "worrying" that birds of prey are not present in the numbers they should be in his county. "Most gamekeepers out there are honest, but there will always be the rogues who will do anything in their power to kill birds of prey," he said.

He added that Scotland was "enlightened" when it came to protecting birds of prey and suggested that the Westminster government should adopt the new "vicarious liability" offence for those who turn a blind eye to bird persecution, adopted in Scotland earlier this year.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We will look closely at how the new legislation in Scotland works and will consider this when shaping wildlife crime policy in England."

[JLC]

Visit epetions.gov.uk and type in raptors to sign the Downing St e petition calling for the offence of vicarious liability to be introduced in England......

..."Scotland, recognising that those who persecute birds of prey frequently do so at the direction of their employers or others with vested interests, has introduced an offence of vicarious liability, the purpose of which is to bring those parties to justice. This petition calls on the government to introduce an offence of vicarious liability to bring to justice those who direct or turn a blind eye to raptor persecution in England. As an indication of how bad thing are, in the last year only four pairs of hen harriers successfully reared chicks in England, fourteen peregrine falcon territories failed on grouse moors in Lancs forest of Bowland, and only one successful goshawk nest was recorded in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire. Current legislation is not enough to deter those who break the law and destroy our heritage; the introduction of vicarious liability would hit those directing the slaughter."

[DaveJ.]

Visit epetions.gov.uk and type in raptors to sign the Downing St e petition calling for the offence of vicarious liability to be introduced in England......

..."Scotland, recognising that those who persecute birds of prey frequently do so at the direction of their employers or others with vested interests, has introduced an offence of vicarious liability, the purpose of which is to bring those parties to justice. This petition calls on the government to introduce an offence of vicarious liability to bring to justice those who direct or turn a blind eye to raptor persecution in England. As an indication of how bad thing are, in the last year only four pairs of hen harriers successfully reared chicks in England, fourteen peregrine falcon territories failed on grouse moors in Lancs forest of Bowland, and only one successful goshawk nest was recorded in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire. Current legislation is not enough to deter those who break the law and destroy our heritage; the introduction of vicarious liability would hit those directing the slaughter."

This link was posted 23rd of this month!  https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23089/signature/new 

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This can't come in fast enough for me as it targets at long last the landowner's strange perception of raptors while sloshing down their ale at their London club!


Re the copy and paste job, easier than actually making the effort to answer the question.   "What legitimate reason would an individual have upon hearing a group of people shooting, would make them think, that particular group would actually shoot a bird of prey if it got in the way"

(that's what I am interested in hearing,  so far its a shambles of a debate/discussion! I am sent this data when it is published, so it has been read before)

(633 views, no opinions as yet)


.

[Richard Green]

Legitimate reasons for shooting/poisoning/trapping Birds Of Prey are few if any but if the News items I posted aren't enough to illustrate that these incidents do occur in North Yorkshire and give some credence to the gentlemans comments then keep yer blinkers on because I aint collecting bird DNA to spell it out any plainer.

PS, My words not copied and pasted.

[DaveJ.]

 

Legitimate reasons for shooting/poisoning/trapping Birds Of Prey are few if any

There aren't any!!    

(There is one particular case being considered at the moment)

Absolutely no blinkers here either, I wanted to get a reason as to why this particular group " wouldn't be averse to shooting the odd bird of prey if they got in the way."  because after 35 years he has seen very few raptors.

Is it because,,,,,,,,,,,

[Richard Green]

Legitimate reasons for shooting/poisoning/trapping Birds Of Prey are few if any

There aren't any!!    

(There is one particular case being considered at the moment)

Absolutely no blinkers here either, I wanted to get a reason as to why this particular group " wouldn't be averse to shooting the odd bird of prey if they got in the way."  because after 35 years he has seen very few raptors.

Is it because,,,,,,,,,,,

Sorry but I was alluding to the trapping of birds for scientific purposes or similair.

My friend spoke of an amazed shooter who was out hunting game but whilst on the moor he shot a large bird (Heron) and the fish it was carrying landed by his feet.

I am sure the bulk of the hunting fraternity respect wildlife and the law but sadly there are others who simply do not give a damn and it's this point which was raised and also must be realised if we are ever to get the conservationists point across in conserving these truly magnificent birds well into the future.

[tonyg]

So to be a conservationist we must be part of the tree hugger/ bleeding hearts /self righteous society. You may never know this thread may get back to the  point i.e of a TV news story about poisoning.

[DaveJ.]

You may never know this thread may get back to the  point i.e of a TV news story about poisoning.

Doesn't look like that will happen unfortunately, I think the post went dead a while back, thanks to the people who had a go anyway.

I would say though if anyone needs the facts to check the ones published by the police and double check every second hand publication.

(Of on my holidays, somewhere warm methinks)

[Richard Green]

Hope ur not going to see Black Rhinos in West Africa because apparently theyre now extinct cos someone shot em all.

Have a nice Holiday

[A McLee]

Those viewing this dialogue might be eager to sign a petition to have the law changed in England to make employers legally liable for crime against birds of prey.

see   http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/23089