GRAMPIAN Police are appealing for information
after a protected hen harrier was found shot dead on an Aberdeenshire estate
last month.
Officers from the force’s Wildlife Crime Unit
are investigating the discovery of the remains of the bird of prey by employees
on the Fettercairn estate, near Cairn o’Mount, on Saturday, 13 October.
A force spokesman said: “Investigations have
established that the bird had been shot and officers are appealing to members
of the public who may have been in the area and may have seen something
suspicious.
“Gamekeeping staff at Fettercairn Estate have
already provided significant assistance to police in their enquiries and
continue to work closely in the hope that the offender can be identified and
brought to justice.”
Constable Gavin Lindsay, the force’s Wildlife
Crime Coordinator, said: “It’s most disappointing someone has taken it upon
themselves to kill such a wonderful bird. There are very few Hen Harriers in
the north east of Scotland and for someone to have done this to such a rare
bird is astounding.
“I appeal to all members of the public who might
have seen someone acting suspiciously in the area on or around 13 October or
who knows the person responsible for this crime to come forward and notify
police to assist with our ongoing investigations.”
Katie Somervell, the owner of the estate, said:
“Since its inception in 2006 Fettercairn Estate has been a long term
participant in the North East Scotland Raptor Watch project. As such it was
particularly distressing to hear that a dead hen harrier was found on the edge
of the hill land and I join in the appeal for witnesses to come forward.”
Paul Wheelhouse, Scotland’s Environment
Minister, also condemned the illegal killing. He declared: “This is another
absolutely deplorable crime involving the shooting of one of our rarest species
of raptor and I thank the Estate and Keeper involved for bringing this matter
to the attention of the authorities which is in keeping with their positive
engagement on wildlife crime issues
“We will not tolerate the illegal persecution of
protected species such as the hen harrier and, as I have said recently in
relation to another shooting, I am prepared to look at further measures to
strengthen and assist enforcement if we continue to see this flouting of the
law in respect of protected species.”
No comments:
Post a Comment