Rural crime 2024: raptor persecution
Cracking down on the illegal killing of birds of prey – the CLA’s Robert Frewen, who sits on the Harrier Task Force headed up by the National Wildlife Crime Unit, explains more
The issue of the illegal killing of raptors, most notably hen harriers, continues to leave a cloud over the shooting industry, in particular, grouse shooting.
Today there is a far greater focus on hen harriers than there has been in the past and police forces now have access to more sophisticated equipment to help protect these birds of prey. Many hen harriers are fitted with electronic tags that not only tell where the bird is, but also give a constant readout of body temperature. If the bird is killed, the body temperature drops very quickly, effectively giving a time of death as well as a location.
Electronic tag data has uncovered a number of ‘hot spots’ to the police, identifying where several hen harriers have disappeared in suspicious circumstances within a relatively small area. Police forces have now visited the landowners and their staff within those hot spots, not to make accusations, but to reveal evidence of the disappearances and offer help. This support includes high visibility patrols, warning signs and surveillance to prevent it from happening again. No offer has been taken up as of yet, but since the visits, there have been no further suspicious losses in these locations.
Other new weapons in the police arsenal include specially trained dogs to find dead birds of prey, including those that have been buried. A pathologist based in Edinburgh then carries out a post mortem examination of any bird of prey suspected of having been illegally killed.
The penalty for killing a raptor
If police forces do get sufficient evidence to make a prosecution, they will do so for every offence that has been committed. The use of a firearm to commit these offences and potential trespass puts landowners, users and the public at risk.
In addition to wildlife offences, the police are also considering prosecuting for the theft of and criminal damage to the satellite tags that cost about £3,000 each. The use of a firearm or shotgun to commit these crimes is an aggravating factor that could greatly increase the penalties for offenders and result in the loss of the relevant licence or certificate.
Given that the CLA has helped write specimen contracts of employment for gamekeepers expressly making the killing of raptors gross misconduct, the issue is now one of high stakes.
Part of the solution may lie in asking moor owners to accept lower bags as the norm, as well as other initiatives such as the brood management scheme and diversionary feeding. Consideration is now being given as to whether the new guidelines produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence might have a role to play in finding a long-term solution. These guidelines have only recently been released and are a substantial body of work aimed principally at high profile conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, but it is felt they may help to find a balance between birds of prey and grouse that all sides of the debate can support.
