The police and RSPB have urged anyone with
information to come forward
Two birds of prey have been shot dead and thrown
into a ditch near an East Yorkshire village.
The RSPB is offering a £1,000 reward to help
catch the person who shot the buzzards on the outskirts of Sproatley earlier
this week.
Tests have revealed the birds were wounded with
a shot gun.
Buzzards are protected by law and anyone found
guilty of shooting one faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison or a
£5,000 fine.
Sgt David Jenkins, Humberside Police's wildlife
officer, said the birds appeared to have been shot several times at close
range.
'Cold and calculating'
He told BBC Look North, buzzards were often
targeted because of concerns they could attack pheasants.
"It's a very archaic point of view.
Buzzards, if anybody really does their research, tend to eat more dead animals.
It's a very lazy bird," he said.
"They've been persecuted for years and
years."
Howard Jones, from the RSPB's investigations
team, said he hoped the £1,000 reward would help them catch the birds' killer.
He said: "I think that this person has done
this in a very cold and calculating way and is probably now thinking that
they've got away with it.
"We think that the £1,000 reward will
provide the encouragement for someone to come forward to the police or the RSPB
in confidence and share their information and hopefully progress this
investigation."
