I gave BASC some credit for their rapid condemnation of the killing of Hen Harriers after the publication of the analysis of the NE satellite-tagging data.
But now that Duncan Thomas has voiced his views, presumably his employer’s views too, on TV, along the lines of ‘there’s a tiny amount of persecution occurring and we have to be careful about where these data come from’ I’m not so sure I should have been so generous. One wonders what Mr Thomas says in private if he takes this line in public.
Mr Thomas is certainly not a scientist but he should be aware that the Peak District is the second most dangerous National Park/AONB to fly if you are a Hen Harrier according to the quite sophisticated analysis carried out by the academics brought in to rescue the NE study.
If the senior members of BASC are keen to differentiate themselves from the more rabid voices of the shooting community, which it has appeared might be possible, then they’ll have to try harder to have a clear line in public. Although now run by an ex-army officer, BASC seems to have the corporate discipline of a Tory cabinet so we’ll just park them in the ‘confused’ category for now.
Even as a wildlife cop DT took the line he does now, that most nest failures or bird disappearances were down to disturbance by birders and raptor workers not to illegal activity by his pals in the game shooting cabal. When it comes to levels of persecution he is patently wrong, very wrong. All data, not only the number of persecution incidents themselves but also the population levels of raptors on grouse moors, quite clearly demonstrate this. This performance however is not aimed at those of us with knowledge and an interest in the subject, it is for the general viewer with little knowledge or interest, to keep them blissfully unaware of the illegal carnage necessary to maintain current stocks of grouse. On that basis BASC and the odious DT are just as bad as the MA, CA, NGO or GWCT.
The ” where has this data come from” is classic lets throw mud at the science just enough to muddy the waters for those who are not aware that this is robust and very high level science that shows beyond doubt what happens to MOST Hen Harriers that spend time on grouse moors. The MA line that HH suffer 70% first year mortality naturally is all part of the same cloud of B******T for public consumption.
This is not delusional it is deliberate misinformation on a grand scale, they are to put it bluntly telling lies.