Raptor persecution is not only confined to the Forest of Bowland, it has been happening in Cumbria for the whole of the 20th century, but more particularly in the northern Pennines which is the main area for game (grouse) shooting activities. Peregrine falcons that try to establish a breeding territory in the area get very short shrift from the persecutors and disappear very quickly.
In 2005 there were no young birds raised at any of the five sites on or adjacent to these Northern Pennine grouse moors. Sadly an adult female Peregrine was also found poisoned in the area. In addition one of only two that hatched young in 2006 had all 4 chicks stolen.
It is not only the Peregrines that that face these persecution problems in the Pennines. The area is the only other place, as well as the Forest of Bowland, in England where Hen Harriers try to breed. The persecution they receive was highlighted in1980 when the nest of two pairs containing chicks,(one with 5 the other with 6), were destroyed by raptor persecutors*. The method used to kill them was to stand on the chick and pull it’s head and wings off. Only one chick that was hiding in the rank heather survived.
These days these people still destroy chicks in the same way, but tend to use more subtle methods of hiding their criminal work by burying the dead chicks down rabbit holes. This gets rid of the evidence.
It’s sad that in the 21st century that this sort of thing can happen and the perpetrators can still get away with it.
* Please note – the gamekeeper on the estate where this happened was cleared of any involvement.
This just goes to show what is going on… Who else aside from game keepers would do this??? In who else’s interest would it be in??? Sick individuals… For me this is direct evidence… where are the police??? Did any one ever get charged with this horrible crime???
This kind of behavior is appaulling. I understand that the Hen Harrier is now one of the most persecuted Birds in the Uk with a breeding population of just 14 known pairs! When will the authorities wake up and realise that the time to do something about this illeagal persecution is quickly passing and it will not be long before these amazing birds go the same way as the Dodo – remember when they are gone, nothing can bring them back.
I urge everyone with an interest in conservation, birds of prey, nature or animals of any kind to get onto this. E-mail everyone you can think of your Mp, Papers, Countryfile etc and demand that this is investigated.
I had meant to change the line “were destroyed by game keepers” to “were destroyed by raptor persecutors” since the author of the item supplied no proof gamekeepers were involved. Unfortunately it slipped through as offered.
I’ve written to the author asking for evidence to support his assertion that gamekeepers did the damage, and am awaiting a reply.
Who else aside from gamekeepers would do this?
As you’re happy to imply only gamekeepers would do this, you must know what you’re talking about, so you will of course know all about the cases in the last few years where people have been found guilty of committing this type of crime specifically to “frame” gamekeepers. So there’s already people who have been caught and charged with doing this precisely to harm gamekeepers as a profession and therefore the game shooting world.
More generally, whenever there is an atrocity like this committed, media releases are sent to news agencies across the UK, where journalists pick up on the stories.
Sadly, there’s often no checking that the facts are accurate and the story gets perpetuated, regardless of accuracy or not.
There are several cases where dead, poisoned raptors have been found and individuals charged and it’s been widely reported (as a result of those media releases). What doesn’t get reported at all is the number of cases where the evidence (ie the dead raptor) has been proven to have been repeatedly frozen and thawed – i.e. someone has used a poisoned bird on more than one occasion as “evidence”.
Or indeed where no crime turns out to have been committed at all.
That golden eagle in the Borders? Anyone living in the area knows it wasn’t found on a managed grouse moor, it wasn’t found on the day it was alleged to have been found (the press said 12 August – because that made a better story?), there are still 2 eagles being seen in the area (not one left as a result of one being killed, which is what was reported) and the wildlife policeman that was all over the press at the time seems to have disappeared (presumably because the rumours in the area at the time were true – the police force were furious at the unfounded statements he made to the press).
So back to those media releases that get sent out and are misleading – perhaps the organisations that pick up on them should be legally obliged to update users on those stories? Not just put out the juicy negative stuff.
What’s also interesting is that there are places the RSPB manage that are the same type of habitats as those gamekeepers manage. But those RSPB areas don’t always have raptors on them either. Some bird groups make the assumption that if a grouse moor doesn’t have raptors, the gamekeeper must be killing them. Yet RSPB land viable for raptors doesn’t always have them. I’m not for one moment suggesting that the RSPB kill raptors, but it seems a little rich to automatically suspect every gamekeeper in the country too,
I have just been reading through this story about the Peregrine Falcon; bloody discusting. Just to make a personal point though is that I feel it should not only be the gamekeeper that gets prosicuted, but also the landowner and or the estate executors; then surely it may make them realise that they to are not above the law and not able to turn a blind eye as to what is happening. Is that most of the people that go shooting on these moores, run the legal side of things and do not want to upset the applecart and prevent thier freind from making more money from these killing fields!!!!