24th
September
BIRDS of
prey continue to be illegally killed in Cumbria, according to the latest
figures.
The Royal
Society for the Protection of Bird's Birdcrime report has revealed that there
were four confirmed incidents of bird of prey crime in the county last year.
These
include the shootings of a buzzard, two short-eared owls and a peregrine.
Between
2012 and 2017 there were 19 confirmed bird of prey crimes in Cumbria, making it
the joint sixth worst county in the UK for raptor persecution.
Nationally,
there were 68 incidents of bird of prey persecution in 2017.
The
Birdcrime report found there were 48 shootings, nine poisoning, three
trappings, four nest destruction and four other incidents of illegal
persecution against raptors.
The RSPB
said the numbers were "just the tip of the iceberg ", with charity
bosses saying many illegal killings had gone undetected or unreported.
The
charity also pointed out there were only four raptor persecution-related
prosecutions in the UK in 2017 and only a single conviction.
Martin
Harper, RSPB conservation director, said: “Birds of prey are part of our
heritage and inspire us.
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