Sea Eagle killed on sporting estate (allegedly)

[JeffH]

Yet more bad news (allegedly?) about the treatment of birds of prey on a Scottish 'sporting' estate -

Sea eagle killed on sporting estate - Times Online

and these people call themselves 'sportsmen' !!!!

Jeff

[buteo_buteo]

I am SOOOOOO angry about this I can not even tell you, especially after the business with the red kites.

Something needs to be done about these uneducated, misguided idiots who keep killing these magnificent creatures.

[demicav]

Tougher penelties are needed otherwise I don't know why they are wasting their time with the reintroductions. This sort of thing really angers me. People killing native birds to protect (sometimes) non native birds so THEY can kill them. It's crazy.

[Paul mabbott]

We know they do it but how do you prove it? Is it possible to allow hunting of birds without employing gamekeepers who have a very simple view of life ("gamebird" protect, "predator" kill) or the idiot particpant who just likes to kill anything they see - I suppose birds of prey are a bigger challenge than stupid grouse ....

Hasn't the time come to take back our land from the gentry and protect all wildlife in it?

[buteo_buteo]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

We know they do it but how do you prove it? Is it possible to allow hunting of birds without employing gamekeepers who have a very simple view of life ("gamebird" protect, "predator" kill) or the idiot particpant who just likes to kill anything they see - I suppose birds of prey are a bigger challenge than stupid grouse ....

Hasn't the time come to take back our land from the gentry and protect all wildlife in it?

There are some good, honest gamekeepers out there who know birds of prey are not a threat to game birds, and in some cases (like at Argaty red kite feeding station) they even assist with re-introduction programmes. The trouble is all the other idiots who are from the 'old school' and want to shoot anything or anybody who comes near 'their' land. These are the ones who need to be sorted out, I'm just not sure how to do it

[RobSutton]

Two ideas that might work - a licencing system for gamekeepers and if they commit a "wildlife" crime they lose their licence to work and making their employers legally responsible for their actions so they are faced with a whopping fine if the gamekeeper is convicted.

But then as Paul said how do you prove they did it. I seem to remember a couple of cases in Scotland were thrown out because the people collecting the evidence (picking up carcasses and actually seeing someone shoot a raptor I believe) didn't have permission to be on the land - crazy!

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by buteo_buteo

There are some good, honest gamekeepers out there who know birds of prey are not a threat to game birds, and in some cases (like at Argaty red kite feeding station) they even assist with re-introduction programmes. The trouble is all the other idiots who are from the 'old school' and want to shoot anything or anybody who comes near 'their' land. These are the ones who need to be sorted out, I'm just not sure how to do it

This is an awful piece of persecution which is illegal if true. However I think it's false to say birds of prey are not a threat to game birds as some species such as Hen Harrier, Goshawk + Golden Eagle do take some. However this totally natural predation doesn't justify these attacks on our wonderful raptors.

[buteo_buteo]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

This is an awful piece of persecution which is illegal if true. However I think it's false to say birds of prey are not a threat to game birds as some species such as Hen Harrier, Goshawk + Golden Eagle do take some. However this totally natural predation doesn't justify these attacks on our wonderful raptors.

Of course they kill some game birds/chicks but this is probably a tiny number compared to the amount killed by cars every day! And as you say, it doesn't justify shooting them!

[buteo_buteo]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

Two ideas that might work - a licencing system for gamekeepers and if they commit a "wildlife" crime they lose their licence to work and making their employers legally responsible for their actions so they are faced with a whopping fine if the gamekeeper is convicted.

But then as Paul said how do you prove they did it. I seem to remember a couple of cases in Scotland were thrown out because the people collecting the evidence (picking up carcasses and actually seeing someone shoot a raptor I believe) didn't have permission to be on the land - crazy!

I believe the Scottish Government are considering removing gamekeeper's gun license if they are proved to be involved in this type of persecution. Then they can't work. But as you say proving it is the tough part

[Dogghound]

I hate the people who do this hate them so much

Sick of people trying to be mr macho because they have a gun.