The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has reported that over 1,300 protected birds of prey in the UK, including the likes of the hen harrier and golden eagle, have been killed in the past 15 years. These acts have been deemed a “national disgrace” by the RSPB with the majority of incidents being attributed to rogue gamekeepers, who undertake such actions in an attempt to protect pheasant, partridge and grouse on countryside shooting estates.
In a recent interview with the BBC, a birdwatcher who witnessed the illegal shooting of a short-eared owl above moorland in the Peak District exclaimed that the killing was “wrong on every level”. The anonymous witness explained that the owl was an innocent bird which was attracting plenty of attention, and by contrast, someone had simply thought ‘I can shoot that!’.
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) maintains that its members have “absolutely zero tolerance” of the illegal shooting of birds of prey. Supporters of the industry argue that estate owners and their land managers put vast efforts into ensuring their land and its wildlife is protected. Some estimates state that the shooting industry contributes up to £3.3bn to the UK economy each year.
The report from RSPB indicates that statistics for the number of killings of birds of prey could be significantly higher than the 1,300 recorded, with incidents often occurring in remote parts of the countryside, making it difficult to detect wrongdoings. Of those individuals prosecuted for killing birds of prey over the past 15 years, the majority were either gamekeepers or had affiliations with shooting estates.
A spokesperson from the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation argued that birds of prey were “thriving on land managed for shooting” and that its members continue to make “enormous conservation successes”. Whereas, the Moorland Association, which represents grouse moor estate owners in England and Wales, argued that the RSPB report was “completely disingenuous”. On the other hand, the RSPB is now advising devolved nations within the UK to follow Scotland’s example and introduce licensing for grouse moor estates
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