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Tuesday, 14th October 2008

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Police and wildlife groups in training drive to beat bird poisonings



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Published Date: 22 January 2008
THE first in a series of training courses was held yesterday to help police and wildlife experts clamp down on illegal poisoning of birds of prey.
The event in Inverness brought together 40 delegates from three police forces – Northern, Grampian and Tayside – as well as government agencies, RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), to discuss the abuse of pesticides.

Similar events are planned in other police-force areas. Figures for 2006 show it was the worst year for poisoning in Scotland for at least 25 years. The 2007 figures have yet to be released.

Bob Elliot, head of investigations at RSPB Scotland, said historic persecution led to some species such as sea eagles becoming extinct and red kites being reduced dramatically.

"We have had successful reintroductions of both species and there is a lot to celebrate. However, in some very big areas we are seeing an absence of birds.

"There are some successes, but also some real nightmares that we have to stop and that has led to something like this event being set up."

The Scotsman has backed a campaign by the SSPCA to catch those responsible for killing birds of prey and other wildlife.



The full article contains 215 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 21 January 2008 10:28 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Birds of prey
 
1

Unimpressed one,

22/01/2008 08:15:51
What a tragedy it would be if the magnificent sea eagle was wiped out in Scotland yet again in the 'enlightened' 21st century for the same reasons it was killed off in the 19th.
2

Slioch,

Scottish Highlands 22/01/2008 11:25:23
It is now possible to fit birds with tracking devices (Roy Dennis has done it with an osprey last year and currently with a golden eagle) that can frequently monitor the bird's position.

If this were done with a small number of red kites and sea eagles, those tempted to do them harm would know that they stood a good chance of being detected.

It is the current immunity from detection afforded by the crimes being committed in remote places that enables these crimes to persist. Fitting some birds with tracking devices would reduce that immunity and may be a cost effective way of tackling this problem.
3

Partan,

Fife 22/01/2008 13:25:26
May not be working, Slioch.
See link to the right of page - "Claim and denial...."
4

Slioch,

Scottish Highlands 22/01/2008 14:07:52
#4 Partan

Yes,I had heard about that example, Partan, but I'm not sure how frequently that bird was being monitored or what sort of tracking device it had on it.

Roy Dennis reports, of the osprey that he tracked last year, that he was able to get a fix on the osprey as it moved south, look up the area on Google Earth, identify the tree that the osprey appeared to be in according to the fix, and then ring up a friend to go out to the area to check it out - whereupon his friend confirmed "Yep, you're right, there is an osprey sitting in that tree."

The development of technology of that sophistication should, it seems to me, put the fear of conviction into the poisoners. It just needs some investment by the authorities, some publicity and perhaps a conviction or two to really start to change matters. If we continue to rely on the odd chance of finding poisoned birds or baited rabbits, we'll probably still be talking about this problem in a hundred years from now.
5

ignorant townie?,

Scotland 22/01/2008 16:33:07
You can find all the dead birds and poisoned baits that exist - which will be a lot going by the very high numbers of red kites "disappearing" in Highlands and Perthshire alone - but if trained police officers are not given the time to investigate these crimes properly, it will continue for another 150 years...

Also needed is a Justice System which takes this issue seriously - Crown Office, PFs and Sheriffs - and locks up poisoners.

and the final piece of the jigsaw? - a shooting industry, from under keeper to landowner, including paying clients, who actually support attempts to remove poisoners and not just pay lip service. If every poisoner's work mates, bosses, friends and all others who know what is going on...were to contact the police and give information...this problem would disappear in a few years..

What's the difference between a drunk driver watched by colleagues and friends getting into a car...and the colleagues and friends of men who place deadly poison in the open countryside doing nothing about it?

This is a widespread social problem which will not go away, while those who run the countryside treat it as a joke or at worst a nuisance.
6

GP,

22/01/2008 17:49:14
6# I agree totally. Those who poison these birds will simply burn both the carcase and the tracker.

 

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