Fury at shooting of Ribble Valley hen harrier (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Fury at shooting of Ribble Valley hen harrier
11:10am Sunday 9th December 2012 in News
THE UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), has condemned the illegal shooting of a hen harrier in northern England.
The bird, fledged on land managed for shooting in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire in 2011 and satellite-tagged, was discovered dead on a moor in North Yorkshire. A police investigation into the incident is now underway.
BASC director of communications Christopher Graffius said: “BASC unreservedly condemns this crime and urges anyone who shoots who may have any information to come forward and assist the police. Anyone shooting a protected species damages shooting and the countryside and has no place among the law-abiding shooting community. BASC would have no hesitation in expelling any member guilty of such a crime.”
The Forest of Bowland is the UK’s only home of nesting hen harriers and there are only a handful of breeding pairs living there.
BASC works closely with conservation bodies, statutory organisations and the police to reduce wildlife crime including the illegal persecution of raptors. The conservation status of hen harriers in the UK is red-listed by the British Trust for Ornithology.
Anyone who may have information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.
Comments(12)
shytalk
says...
1:43pm Sun 9 Dec 12
That's it then case closed. no names mentioned and everything swept under the carpet.
ghost of sceptic
says...
2:05pm Sun 9 Dec 12
Wishingwell
says...
2:37pm Sun 9 Dec 12
just as competitive and be far more acceptable to everyone else.
drunken donut
says...
4:00pm Sun 9 Dec 12
Wishingwell wrote:But not as tasty.
Its a pity somebody hasn't invent a gun that takes pictures down the barrel instead of firing shot. It would save on a lot of expense and wildlife and it could be
just as competitive and be far more acceptable to everyone else.
hasslem hasslem
says...
7:24pm Sun 9 Dec 12
if this were a working class white or asian bloke or heaven forfend an eastern european - then the book would be thrown at them.
i hate to be a cynic - but i suspect that the guilty party will be known to the authorities and no action will be taken. shame
Bob Bobbins
says...
8:54pm Sun 9 Dec 12
Also very very poor reporting again by the LET. The Forest of Bowland is ENGLAND's only breeding ground of these magnificent birds, not the UK's.
POW WOW
says...
9:03pm Sun 9 Dec 12
2 for 5p
says...
10:48pm Sun 9 Dec 12
I think anyone who gets any pleasure or so called sport from killing birds are mentaly unstable
MikePrice
says...
11:22am Mon 10 Dec 12
This is out of date and incorrect
There were only one successful pair of Hen Harrier breeding in England in 2012, there were none in the Forest of Bowland
Their demise is primarily due to illegal persecution, they are not the only species persecuted in these areas but due to their requirements they cannot reproduce in other areas like Peregrine Falcons for example, this means they are all but extinct as a breeding species in England, estimates say that the North of England could hold up to 300 breeding pairs, it appears that some people consider 1 pair, 1 pair too many!
KamikazeTurkey
says...
4:22pm Mon 10 Dec 12
ghost of sceptic
says...
9:35pm Wed 12 Dec 12
KamikazeTurkey wrote:Yes but you obviously do! enough to read and comment on the article. all life is precious !! well almost all.
To be quite honest, I don't give a ****...
Interocitor says...
12:56pm Sun 9 Dec 12
Someone knows who did this - so come on - do the right thing!