Police are appealing for information as another dead raptor is found in the Yorkshire Dales National Park – this time a Buzzard just about a mile from the much-visited Malham Cove Peregrine site. The bird’s body was found (no details of when are given – 16 May) by a local farmer and a post-mortem X-ray showed the bird had a shotgun pellet in its head.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101, select option two, and ask for Harry Carpenter. You can also contact them by email. Reference number 12170089221 should be quoted.
Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park – one of the country’s worst raptor persecution hot-spots. It’s worth repeating the words of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority chairman Peter Charlesworth last year after the Mossdale Estate pole-trapping offence, ‘At a time when the Yorkshire Dales is receiving such widespread recognition as a wonderful place to visit, it’s incredibly disappointing that the criminal persecution of birds of prey continues to damage the reputation of the area.‘.
And still it goes on.
If you are out in our National Parks this weekend, keep an eye open for wildlife crime. Have a look at the Birders Against Wildlife Crime site for details of how to deal with anything you find – Recognise, Record, Report.
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That seems like a pretty obscure news outlet for the police to use to make this appeal.
Later saw this
https://northyorkshire.police.uk/news/appeal-following-shooting-buzzard-near-gordale-malham/
I live only 2 miles from here, I probably saw this bird alive at some point. I notice every single buzzard I see here because having moved from Perthshire to the Dales 18 months ago the absence of birds of prey is so clear. They just keep getting away with it, that’s what makes me so angry.
Abby – in the end, we will win. And the end may not be as far away as it feels.
Our new Yorkshire book is out – Best Birdwatching sites Yorkshire by Neil Glenn and me. The reason I mention it is that I wrote the section for this area. The potential for wildlife tourism is massive given the limestone landscape with Malham Cove and Tarn. There is a visitor centre along with the field centre at the tarn itself and all it needs is a bit of understanding that shooting is not what the majority of the visitors have come to see. This area once held the highest density of Golden Plover in Britain [Ratcliffe] as grazing pressure takes its toll not predation but again with Brexit no one knows what the future is for these farmers in this area. If you have never been even the cove itself is worth a visit.
John,probably the worst visitor centre in the country.
On a visit to Malham cove on the way in there is a very steep drop on the left hand side and on the right hand side of the road was a Ewe fastened in the fence by its horns which I was going to release.OH would not have me get out of car in such a place ,being a farmers wife she decided she would release the Ewe.
Needless to say she sustained cuts to her hands with Ewe struggling so we thought that the Visitor centre would give us plasters.
Well they outrightly refused.
Talk about Yorkshire encouraging tourists.
If that’s how you treat tourists doing a good turn goodness knows how the majority get treated.