Federal judge shoots down lawsuit to end owl, bird shootings near New York City airports to protect planes

Judge John Gleeson ruled that the feds and the Port Authority were carrying out the bird-hazard reduction plan within legal limits. The lawsuit was filed by a Colorado-based advocacy group last year following the fatal shootings of three snowy white owls.

BY JOHN MARZULLI 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 

Friday, October 3, 2014, 7:44 PM

A federal judge has shot down a lawsuit that sought to stop the killing of snowy white owls and migratory birds near New York City airports so they would not pose a threat to aviation.

Friends of Animals, a Colorado-based advocacy group, filed the suit last year in Brooklyn Federal Court in response to the fatal shootings of three snowy white owls at Kennedy Airport.

Judge John Gleeson ruled that the feds and the Port Authority were carrying out the bird-hazard reduction plan within legal limits, but expressed hope that they could “find the tools to diminish the danger to planes without killing so many birds.”

Jennifer Barnes, a lawyer for Friends of Animals, said she was disappointed and would explore options pertaining to whether the ruling could be appealed.

It was disclosed during the litigation that nearly 9,000 birds of various species were killed at city airports in 2012 to prevent them from being sucked into jetliners’ engines — a situation that can bring down a plane. A bird strike was blamed for the engine failure that forced hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger to land a U.S. Airways jet in the Hudson River in 2009.

Continued ...

Reward after Sproatley buzzards shot dead

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."

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-21491451