The RSPB highlighted its latest UK Bird Crime Report in this month’s magazine and urged members to help spread the word.
The report covers the illegal persecution of birds of prey (raptors) between 2009 and 2023, revealing routine and widespread criminal activity—much of it linked to the gamebird shooting industry. Beyond the ecological damage caused by releasing millions of pheasants and partridges into the countryside each year, we must confront the deeper issue: it’s time to stop killing wildlife for sport.
The report confirms over 1,500 incidents of raptor persecution, though the real number is likely far higher due to underreporting. More than half of the confirmed cases occurred on land used for pheasant, partridge, or grouse shooting. Shockingly, three-quarters of those convicted had ties to the gamebird shooting industry, and more than two-thirds were gamekeepers.
It’s a disgrace.
In the not-so-distant past, raptors were hunted to the brink of extinction. Over the last fifty years, dedicated conservation efforts have brought species like the Red Kite and White-tailed Eagle back from the edge, and have worked to protect Hen Harriers and Goshawks. But these efforts are continually undermined by a profit-driven industry that sees birds of prey as little more than a nuisance.
Hen Harriers, Golden Eagles, Peregrines, Red Kites, and White-tailed Eagles are still routinely shot, trapped, or poisoned. Offenders often go to great lengths to destroy evidence, making successful prosecutions difficult.
Most bird crime takes place in remote areas, often goes unnoticed, and is rarely punished. Current wildlife protection laws are inadequate, and the penalties don’t go far enough to deter offenders. Scotland has taken steps to strengthen its laws. It’s time the rest of the UK followed suit.