1
day ago / Janet Gleeson,
NORTH
Yorkshire’s reputation as the worst county in the country for the persecution
of birds of prey has been further cemented after it emerged a sparrowhawk has
been gunned down.
Police
said the latest casualty was targeted in the High Waistgate area at Feldom,
near Richmond, close to the Marske to Newsham road, as The Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds said the killings were becoming an
increasing concern.
The
charity has revealed in the last decade more than 100 birds of prey have been
deliberately targeted in the county.
The
sparrowhawk was found dead in the last week of April. In the same area last
year a buzzard’s nest was found demolished.
Tests
were carried out by a local vet for the police and x-rays of the bird found it
had been shot, with gunshot pellets found in the Sparrowhawk’s body and wings
Wildlife
crime officer PC Mark Wood said: “Killing a bird of prey like this is an
offence, and I am appealing to anyone who knows anything about this incident to
come forward.”
The
death comes just six weeks after a red kite, was found with lead shot in its
body in the Yorkshire
Dales National Park, near Greenhow, in Nidderdale. It was the ninth killed
in the region in the past few months and the sixth in North Yorkshire.
In
February, another red kite was found with its wing shattered by shot near
Harrogate.
Jenny
Shelton, investigations liaison officer for the RSPB, said: “This sparrowhawk
is yet another victim in a shocking catalogue of incidents of bird of prey
persecution in North Yorkshire. In the last ten years there have been 105
confirmed raptor persecution incidents in North Yorkshire, making it
consistently the worst county for crimes against birds of prey. Red kites, owls
and buzzards are also being targeted. Sparrowhawks are exciting birds to see
and bring a touch of drama when they swoop in on a seemingly tranquil garden
scene. Unlike most birds of prey, these are raptors you might see from your
kitchen window as they ambush a flock of unsuspecting sparrows, their yellow
eyes flashing. This latest incident shows how wildlife crime doesn’t just
affect rare birds in remote places, but garden favourites like the sparrowhawk.
It is a big problem and causing increasing local concern, it simply cannot
continue.’
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