February 4, 2017 in News
North Yorkshire has the worst
record for crimes against birds of prey in the country, according to a new
report by the RSPB.
Of the 242 incidents reported
across England in 2015, 40 were in North Yorkshire – more than any other
county, the charity’s Birdcrime 2015 report found.
Birdcrime 2015 reveals that there
were six confirmed incidents against raptors in North Yorkshire including a
poisoned red kite, a poisoned buzzard, a shot tawny owl, a shot buzzard and a
shot kestrel.
The report also highlighted an
incident in November last year when news emerged that a satellite tagged hen
harrier, named Rowan, was found dead with injuries consistent with being shot
in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Only three pairs of hen harriers
successfully bred in England in 2016, despite there being enough suitable
habitat to support over 300 pairs.
Another incident featured in the
report in the Richmondshire area was the discovery of a hidden cache of
pesticides in Arkengarthdale which the charity claimed was being used for the
poisoning of wildlife.
The cache was hidden underground
in a small forestry plantation on Hurst Moor, a driven grouse moor which forms
part of the East Arkengarthdale Estate.
A suspect was identified from
camera footage obtained by the RSPB and North Yorkshire Police.
A gamekeeper was arrested in
connction with the discovery but charges were never brought.
Despite raptor persecution being
identified as one of the UK government’s top wildlife crime priorities in 2009,
the persecution of birds of prey still remains an issue of serious concern with
around 590 birds of prey nationally having been confirmed poisoned, shot,
trapped or destroyed in the last six years, the RSPB said.
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