Just a few things that might interest you:
- the photo above shows an ancient god and goddess – it’s nice to see Athena joining in on behalf of Hen Harriers and thank you to Ron Kinrade for the photo from the Naples Archeological Museum. Athena was (and still is, I guess), of course, quite keen on birds – Little Owls at least.
- they don’t all get shot – here is a tale of one Hen Harrier and four countries – Scotland, England, Wales and France.
- I couldn’t make it to Derek Moore’s funeral but it sounds like quite an event – Derek would have loved it (under other circumstances). Here is his obituary written by Stephen Moss in the Independent.
- the Mollusc of the Glen project, led by this site’s twice Guest Blogger Peter Cosgrove (here and here) was joint winner of an RSPB Species Champion award in Edinburgh last night.
- And here’s another award – Chris Packham, Ruth Peacey, Jez Toogood and Luke Massey get an award for their Malta Massacre campaign – just deserts! And talking of just deserts…
- …an Iowa man gets 60 days in jail (or gaol) for killing Bald Eagle – Norfolk man gets…
- thank you to In Focus for fixing my much-loved binoculars very quickly and quite cheaply. They are as good as new again.
- 15 of the world’s most threatened species.
- OSME have revamped their website and it’s looking good
- our e-petition keeps creeping up and is now nearing 19,500
- it’s a while ago now, but I recently visited the Hawk and Owl Trust‘s reserve at Sculthorpe Moor in north Norfolk. I’m not sure why I hadn’t visited before – I wish I had. But I have now and I’ll be back. There is lots of good habitat work being done there, a new hide being constructed by marvellous volunteers, this statue (?) of a food pass between two harriers (see below) and I also saw a Kingfisher, really well, hovering very high (25ft?) above a pond. What’s not to like about all that?
Absolutely delighted that Chris Packham, Ruth Peacey, Jez Toogood & Luke Massey have won the Green Ribbon Political Award, well deserved!
Here’s hoping that it encourages more environmentally active parliamentarians, businesses, NGOs and the media in the UK and abroad to speak out against illegal practice and unacceptable behaviour.
Next generation and perhaps those who now retired who run no risk to employment prospects or pension?
Critical mass collaboration and we might see the creation of a “Conservation Party” – any ideas for its leader, prospective future PM?
Well done inFocus for repairing your binoculars so cheaply. i have just had a quote from a top german telescope manafacturer of £100 to replace a rubber eyecup. I refused to get the work done at this price ! A friend smashed his swarovski eyepiece in an accident and had this repaired free of charge by Swarovski. What a difference in customer service between these companies.
Round up is ok in my book – rounding up is bad. I’ve been rounded up recently as a protestor against bad wildlife law and what I see as organisational difficulties within LACS.
Basically a visit from the plod – involving a quick bundling into a cage in the back of a van – driven through the Devon lanes – a bash on the head during an emergency stop – 6 and a half hours in Barnstaple police station then transported to Watford nick in the small hours – bundled into a cell at 4.30 am during which I sustained a serious injury to my left leg (6 weeks minimum in plaster) then a 10 hour wait for my interrogation on suspicion of threatening to ask LACS in court if they actually support herds of wild deer getting shot.
Then chucked out of the police station – in agony – with a ruptured achilles tendon at 9.30 pm. 32 hours in custody. Walked/crawled my way to the train station and managed to get as far as Bristol by 1.30. Managed to get on to a bench awaiting train at 7.00. Woke up at 3.30 very very cold crawled (yes literally) into a taxi and got to hospital.
Leg now in plaster and finally got home to Devon.
I could be re arrested as a result of this post.
What exactly is my ‘crime’?
Publicly and vociferously protesting about the need to shoot herds of flushed out deer and pointing out that people who secretly film the public should be vetted.
I ask you Mark – what side are you on? Do you really support these people?
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
” Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
” the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing” Edmund Burke
There is something very very wrong going on here and I sincerely hope you will not ignore it.
I stand up for transparency. I sincerely believe that when ‘monitors’ are employed by charities to film the public the should be properly vetted. I also passionately believe in alternatives to wildlife killing to be used where appropriate including dispersal and deterrence.
I have spoken to you in the past Mark and I think to an extent you can see my point.
I ‘may’ be a ‘wildlife criminal’ bit I am convinced both you and I know it is absurd that what I do should be a crime. I am getting desperate here. I sit in my back room waiting for the police to come again – it’s been four times now. It is really not nice knowing that uniformed officers might break into your house at any moment.
Wild deer can be managed by the small landowner by simply walking dogs through areas they frequent. People who monitor such activities especially where they involve children should be vetted – are those two statements really so controversial? Yet they are clearly deeply challenging to the organisation you represent.
I REALLY REALLY hope you publish this Mark. I think if you do it might make a difference and whether you do or not depends partly ion whether that Burke quote is something you really mean or just a clever thing to put on your intro.
Then they came for the Hen Harriers and no one spoke out, perhaps ?
Roderick I am against Hen Harriers being persecuted and I am against various bad things that grouse moor owners do. I just have different views on how to stop these things as well as other environmental ills. I may be right I may be wrong but these things should be debated.
I am against private organisations using people to secretly film the public who are not properly vetted. CCTV operators get vetted why not other monitors. Where such organisations are to do with animal welfare/rights they are liable to attract criminals and extremists. I believe that such organisations should be open and transparent over their procedures and also about what they have ion place to protect any children they film/monitor.
I am against herds of flushed wild deer having to be shot asap after being flushed in order to comply with the law. This is a reality here. I think that is potentially very cruel and bad wildlife management. I also believe I should be free to practice non lethal deer management if I so choose.
What exactly is wrong with my speaking out on those issues? I’ve spent around 40 hours in police stations this far over this. Why? Because I am treading on some very big and very important toes.
Ask yourself this – if LACS are so against stag hunting why would they be in favour of the exemptions to the Hunting Act that allow it to continue? So why have they left these exemptions – research and observation and flushing – out of their ten year review of the law?
The answer is political. To call for these exemptions to be reviewed would open up a massive can of worms and would acknowledge that people like me have been right all along. That is deeply cynical and unprincipled politics.
This is not a joke – this is a very serious matter – they are trying to silence me or destroy both myself and my family.
Before anyone feels any sympathy [the rest of this comment was deleted by Mark Avery because this comment came from an invalid email address and was posted by someone who posts here regularly under another name]
what actually is so bad about those things?
“These are very serious charges and, if proved it is quite right that the perpetrator should face jail.”
Can you explain that please, Max? None of these things sounds remotely criminal let alone justification for a custodial sentence. It would surely be a rather feeble member of the legal profession who could consider the threat of cross-examination in court as intimidation?
What I know of this case is limited to what you and Giles have written here but, from that, I’d say that that if anyone is being intimidated it is Giles.
It is also clear from what Giles has written here on various occasions, that he is not a supporter of blood sports or of cruelty to animals. As I understand it, his position is that (a) it is not cruel to shoo deer out of his woods with his dogs and (b) it is wrong that the law, as it stands, dictates that he must shoot those deer once they have been flushed – which he refuses to do. That, to me, does not sound like an unreasonable position to take so, unless Giles has also been boiling live kittens and not telling us, I am baffled as to why you feel he should face jail.
My analysis is that strings have been pulled within the criminal justice system in an attempt to misuse the law in order to try and stop someone publicly uttering politically inconvenient truths. This attempt has failed hence the escalation.
Things are now spinning out of control.
Sledgehammers and nuts come to mind. All part of the Blairite drive to consolidate power into corporate hands, and link those corporations to government. Individuals are no longer allowed to speak their minds (unless they’re saying the right things of course)
I for one sincerely hope you would support Giles with the matter he has brought up. I am also deeply concerned for the welfare of the deer of Baronsdown who have been suffering for over a decade without any proper assistance. People should have the option and responsibility to maintain the deer population in a manner that best suits the deer population and the land. The same “charity” that is telling Giles that he must kill his deer are knowingly allowing their own deer to suffer from disease and starvation. This has been noted in 2008 by ADAS but the LACS have failed to follow the recommendations made. http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/133600/the_health_of_the_wild_red_deer.pdf
Personally I think Mark is a good bloke. I may not see eye to eye with him on everything but I think I do on a certain amount.
Unfortunately there are some very sinister illiberal forces at work here who want to use the law in a very unpleasant way to shut people up. Where you are dealing with prominent people in the legal profession we all know how things work behind the scenes.
I salute Dr Avery for publishing the above. I think it says a lot.