sickos'

[wildherbalian85]

BBC News - Red kite death investigated by North Yorkshire Police

I think its time the general public hunt these cowedly individuals. Then banish them to an isolated baron oil rig somewhere in the north sea

[rossy]

seems to me it will be more than likely to be coming from the same source, rat poison, it is possible that the kites have picked up a carcass which had died as a result of poison, but if the police find laced food then hopefully someone will know who is responsible and report them, then name and shame them, rossy

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by rossy

seems to me it will be more than likely to be coming from the same source, rat poison, it is possible that the kites have picked up a carcass which had died as a result of poison, but if the police find laced food then hopefully someone will know who is responsible and report them, then name and shame them, rossy

Yes, so far we know very little. I doubt anyone is specifically targetting Red Kites.

[RobSutton]

Sadly North Yorkshire regularly tops the RSPB's list of English counties with the highest number of reported incidents of wildlife crimes against birds of prey. The last full report I've seen (for 2008 published in 2009) lists a number of poisoning incidents involving red kites in North Yorkshire. Whether people are deliberately targeting red kites or not it's still pretty disgusting that pesticides such as Alphachloralose, Carbofuran and Aldicarb are causing the deaths of these birds of prey. These were the confirmed poisons used in the 2008 North Yorkshire poisonings and they're not rat poisons!

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

Sadly North Yorkshire regularly tops the RSPB's list of English counties with the highest number of reported incidents of wildlife crimes against birds of prey. The last full report I've seen (for 2008 published in 2009) lists a number of poisoning incidents involving red kites in North Yorkshire. Whether people are deliberately targeting red kites or not it's still pretty disgusting that pesticides such as Alphachloralose, Carbofuran and Aldicarb are causing the deaths of these birds of prey. These were the confirmed poisons used in the 2008 North Yorkshire poisonings and they're not rat poisons!

Thank you for sharing these extra details

This is happening nation wide, the poisoning of BOP. The right kites in Yorkshire are just the tip of the iceberg. If the poisons are not left out for BOP then they have been left out for other animals or birds.... in my book this is just as bad. Infact worse!! Leaving poison lying around is discusting, the poison is indiscriminate of what it kills, any and many creatures might die from the consumtion of that one lot of poison.

[rossy]

thanks for that info rob it puts a different light on the case, obviously someone is putting laced bait down, the sooner the culprit or culprits are caught the better, it could happen that pets pick up or even children the contaminated bait which dosent bear thinking about. we can only hope its sooner than later they are nailed ! rossy.

[Monkey Orchid]

Originally Posted by wildherbalian85

I think its time the general public hunt these cowardly individuals. Then banish them to an isolated baron oil rig somewhere in the north sea

Why give 'em an oil rig to sit on? Just banish them to the North Sea, period...

How easy is it for people to buy (or illicitly obtain) the poisons being used in these incidents? Is it a case of just going to a garden centre, or is there some kind of licensing system whereby only 'authorised' persons (e.g. pest controllers) can get access to these frankly lethal chemicals?

I ask because I wonder if it might reduce poisoning incidents if the toxic substances used were restricted in access. Although of course the kind of folk who'd deliberately poison wild animals may well find ways to obtain the poisons illegally.

I remember talking with a chap who monitored red kite nests, and him telling me about the issues where red kites happened to feed on quite legally poisoned rats, in the course of their normal carrion feeding habits. The chemicals in the poison affected the kites, causing problems with blood clotting; which with female kites led to hemorrhaging during the egg laying process. So even legitimate pest control using poisons is fraught with problems. It's that whole food web/ecology thing: what goes around, comes around.

[Claire Fifi]

Education is the key - sadly it takes a long time (a generation at least) to get the message across. I think I am right in saying that Red Kites are carrion eaters in the main? There are large numbers of them in Oxfordshire where my brother lives and I have seen a field of about 30 birds, all foraging around a rabbit warren - amazing. I have also seen them sitting in the middle of the road munching on road kill. One man's meat, as they say!

[darrenm]

I hope they catch the culprit soon and stop this mindless killing.

[mycoranger]

How easy is it for people to buy (or illicitly obtain) the poisons being used in these incidents? Is it a case of just going to a garden centre, or is there some kind of licensing system whereby only 'authorised' persons (e.g. pest controllers) can get access to these frankly lethal chemicals?

These are used in agriculture as pesticides for insect control of growing and stored crops. In the UK they are all listed in Part II of the Poisons List which puts some restrictions on their sale, storage and transport. Sellers have to be registered with the local authourity and these three poisons can only be sold to "persons engaged in the trade and business of agriculture, horticulture or forestry".

However it does not take much to kill a raptor, the usual method being to kill a rabbit, gut it, fill the body cavity with a handful of the stuff and peg it out on it's back, so the odd bag of poison passed to a gamekeeper here or there is not missed.

it could happen that pets pick up or even children the contaminated bait which dosent bear thinking about.

It could but it is unlikely given that, in my area at least, these things are put down on grouse moors and upland habitats not particularly frequented by children. What is more likely is secondary poisoning where the BOP flies off and dies and is scavenged by perhaps a badger which dies and is found by a fox....

However it is not only by poisoning that these birds are being killed. It is not at all uncommon to find gin traps, with one jaw sharpened, attached to fenceposts. The rationale being that BOP land on a perch with one foot then draw the other in once they are satisfied it it is safe. If they place a foot in one of these traps it amputates their leg and their instinct is to fly off. This means they slowly bleed to death some distance away and if their body is found there is nothing to connect it to whoever set the trap.

I'm sorry for ranting on but this is something I do feel quite strongly about. Keep your eyes open for these things when you are out and about, if you see them make a note of their position and get hold of a wildlife crime officer. Don't touch them or try to remove them because it will destroy evidence, loose you a few fingers if the gin trap goes off or loose you your life if you get contaminated by a poisoned rabbit.

And don't get me started on limeing songbirds :-)