Despite the glossing over of the fact by the press release issued by the Moorland Association, with quotes from the Game and Wildlife ‘Conservation’ ‘Trust’, two tagged, brood-meddled Hen Harriers are missing. These two Hen Harriers are the subject of ongoing police investigations:
So that’s something that wasn’t mentioned by the Moorland Association in their press release…
And it is the Durham Police and North Yorkshire Police who are investigating. One assumes that they knew that the Moorland Association were issuing this press release…wouldn’t you think? So, how odd is it that there was no ‘If you have any information about these missing birds then contact…’ line in the press release.
Operation Owl? Partnership? What a hoot!
Natural England’s comment on the birds whose brood meddling they licensed? Shhhhhhh!!!! When will either Teresa Dent or Natural England realise that her position on their board is untenable while GWCT spin doctor Andrew Gilruth is playing games in the media? Wild Justice may ask Tony Juniper about this when we meet him in October.
It’s all going ‘very well’ so far, it seems. Who could have guessed?
By the way, it’s time for us all to start to give Chris Packham’s e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting a last push over the next few weeks.
Please sign this e-petition calling for driven grouse shooting to be banned.
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I’d hope to have some faith that Nick Lyall can convince Durham Police and North Yorkshire Police to get Moorland Association members and their employees to assist the police with their enquiries in ways they did not take into consideration when MA were so enthusiastic about brood meddling. Indeed the membership may soon (if they are not already) wondering why they have been signed up for brood meddling.
So far, a spectacular own goal, even through their press release does not admit it.
By assisting enquires you mean ‘No comment’.
And those same people will be searching for possible criminal evidence.
The mind boggles. Meanwhile the HOT goalposts seem to have moved to an astronomic hole of a criminal prosecution as a ‘goal’.
It also seems that MA were under some pressure to release this info. Perhaps because they knew a police statement was imminent.
Prasad, I would fully expect every question to be answered by “No comment.” If that is so, I would hope that Nick Lyall could discuss this with his MA (and any other) organisation to discuss the level of cooperation the police forces have received during their search for criminal evidence.
I would hope that there might be some effect on the relationship with the organisations representing the landowners where there has been a necessity for a search.
This may make the landowners give different advice to their employees who may make a slip at some point. Not very likely I admit, but the likely sad deaths of these 2 (up to now) Hen Harriers my have served some useful purpose.
Durham Police don’t have a wildlife crime officer so I’d be concerned about their level of knowledge of potential wildlife crimes. Let’s hope Operation Owl offers training to community police officers in wildlife crime hot spots as well as providing training to wildlife crime officers.