Nature lovers and politicians have called for grouse shooting to be licenced after a sharp rise in the killing of birds of prey.
According to the RSPB and police, a lengthy coronavirus lockdown period saw an increase in raptor deaths, the majority of which, investigators say, are linked to the sport.
With fewer people in the countryside, many hen harriers, peregrine falcons, gold eagles, white tailed eagles and red kites were found dead.
The shadow environment secretary, Luke Pollard, has called for a review of how shoots operate.
Red kites are just one many raptor species which have suffered during lockdown
He told the Guardian newspaper that licensing estates would help tackle the problem, adding: “The government has failed to cut wildlife crime and a decade of austerity has left these birds vulnerable to poaching, with fewer police preventing poaching and fewer officers able to catch those responsible.
“We need a new approach to protecting and restoring the numbers of these iconic species, with a review into how grouse moors operate and proper licensing in place.”
The RSPB’s head of investigations, Mark Thomas, said: “We have been absolutely run off our feet in the first few weeks of lockdown, and that has continued.
“We have been assisting the police in many counties across the UK, in the south as well as the north.
“In terms of birds impacted, it’s those with conservation status like hen harriers, white-tailed eagles, red kites, golden eagles, peregrines and goshawks. Most birds of prey that we are investigating are linked in some way to shooting – particularly, the link with driven grouse shooting is very strong.”
TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham is leading the calls for a review into grouse shooting. CREDIT: Garry Knight
The management of grouse-moors includes burning the moorland and ‘controlling’ predators to allow red grouse to thrive.
According to police, the RSPB and studies by conservationists, predator control sometimes includes the targeting of birds of prey.
Incidents in Yorkshire have included a buzzard found shot near Appleton-le-Moors , five buzzards found buried in a hole in the North York Moors national park, and two dogs being poisoned, one fatally, near Pateley Bridge after eating poison that police said was intended for raptors.
In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon on the matter, TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham recently said:
"I've had enough of the criminal slaughter of our raptors on driven grouse moors
“We, and you, know precisely who the criminals are and we want you to put an end to it now. Not later, now.
"We, that’s every decent, law abiding, well informed and committed conservationist in the UK, have had enough of this relentless criminal slaughter.
“We are justifiably incensed by the ever growing pile of corpses which represents not only a considering negative impact on the ecology of Scotland’s landscape, but also the vile destruction of our natural heritage."
Amanda Anderson, director of the Moorland Association, told the Guardian: “Any incident of raptor persecution is appalling, and gamekeepers and estate managers are involved in a range of initiatives, often with the police, to stamp out any illegal activity.
“Proven incidents are rare, but they obscure the fact that many raptors are thriving on grouse moors contrary to claims by those opposed to grouse moor management.
“The dozen or so hen harrier nests on grouse moors reported this year matches the total number of successful nests across England in 2019 from all types of land, and we have also seen peregrine and owls faring well on the land managed for grouse shooting thanks to gamekeepers.”