THE number of birds of prey recorded as illegally killed in Scotland last year was more than double the figure for 2017, according to a wildlife charity.
RSPB Scotland’s Birdcrime 2018 report, released today, said there were at least 12 confirmed detected incidents out of the UK’s total of 87 – up from five in 2017.
They included a peregrine poisoned in the Pentland Hills; a buzzard found shot twice in South Lanarkshire; a buzzard caught in an illegal trap in Inverness-shire; and a hen harrier caught in a spring trap in Perthshire.
The charity said all of the incidents happened on or near land used for driven grouse shooting and has called on the Scottish Government to introduce licensing on the issue. Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland’s head of species and land management, said: “Birds of prey are an integral part of Scotland’s heritage, woven into our landscapes and our history.
“We have international obligations to protect these birds. There is widespread revulsion among the Scottish public that these birds continue to suffer great the hands of wildlife criminals.
“This is a seminal moment and a chance for Scottish Government to tackle raptor crime by bringing grouse moor management under regulation, and giving greater recognition to the public interest in the way such sporting estates are managed.”
A Scottish Gamekeepers Association spokesman said it would “await the official independent statistics from Scottish Government”, stating the RSPB’s “unofficial report each year gets overtaken by the official figures approved by the relevant agencies”.
He added: “We have been pleased to see the official statistics showing an established pattern of year on year decline in raptor poisoning in Scotland, including the lowest figures ever recorded, in last year’s Government statement. The SGA has a proven stance against wildlife crime, removing eight members in seven years for wildlife crime convictions. We do not condone raptor crime.”
David Johnstone, chairman of landowner group Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Significant progress has been made in tackling unacceptable raptor persecution over the last decade.
“According to government statistics, incidents are at an all-time low. We, along with our members, wholeheartedly condemn all incidents of crime against birds of prey.”
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