According to research by the RSPB, the two worst counties for crimes involving birds of prey are Dorset and Norfolk. A rare white-tailed eagle, a species that had been brought back from the brink of extinction, was involved in one case.
According to conservationists, dozens of buzzards, red kites, and other protected species of birds of prey are unlawfully shot, poisoned, or trapped in the United Kingdom.
According to the RSPB’s annual bird crime report, there were 108 confirmed incidences of persecuting birds of prey in the United Kingdom in 2021, 80 of which occurred in England – the second-highest number of cases for the country after a rise in cases in 2020.
There were 41 verified shootings or attempted shootings, 32 confirmed poisonings, and 18 confirmed trapping occurrences.
A total of 91 birds of prey were affected, including 50 buzzards, 16 red kites, seven peregrines, three goshawks, a hen harrier, a white-tailed eagle, a golden eagle, two sparrowhawks, and a variety of owls.
The RSPB cautioned that the annual totals in the report are simply the tip of the iceberg and that many raptor deaths go unrecorded.
All birds of prey are protected by law, but they are vulnerable to criminal persecution, notably by gamebird shooters who view them as a threat to stocks of pheasants, partridges, and grouse shot for sport, according to the charity.
Norfolk and Dorset, two lowland regions dominated by pheasant and partridge shoots, recorded 13 and 12 incidents, respectively, the highest number.
The bird crime 2021 report also cautioned that there has been an increase in the detection of rat poison brodifacoum in birds of prey at levels well above the lethal threshold, indicating that the chemical is being abused to target birds on purpose while also posing a threat to wildlife, pets, and the environment.
The RSPB reported that a rare white-tailed eagle was spotted in Dorset with seven times the deadly amount of brodifacoum. The eagle was part of an Isle of Wight program to reintroduce the once-extinct birds of prey to England.
Mark Thomas, head of investigations for the RSPB in the United Kingdom, stated, “The figures in this study demonstrate that raptor persecution persists at a high level, particularly in England, with over two-thirds of events associated with land managed for gamebird shooting.”
The illegal shooting, trapping, and poisoning of raptors have no place in modern civilization, he added.
Amid a natural and climate emergency, the willful eradication of protected species for monetary benefit is utterly catastrophic and inadmissible.
