This quote is often credited to Albert Einstein. Whether or not he actually said it is less important than the wisdom imbedded within it.
Hen Harrier persecution on land managed for grouse shooting has been severely suppressing the population for decades. The Government knows it, the RSPB knows it, licensed Raptor Workers know it and the grouse shooting industry knows it. The difference is that the grouse shooting industry representatives from the Moorland Association, BASC and the National Gamekeepers Organisation would have us believe that they are the answer to solving the problem of Hen Harrier persecution. Unfortunately, Government Ministers believe them, when in reality it is some individuals within the industry who are responsible for the ongoing slaughter.
Natural England has used its own data for more than 20 years to highlight the fact that Hen Harrier persecution on land managed for grouse shooting in the North of England is adversely impacting the population. See here:
A study using Natural England’s data, published in a peer reviewed scientific paper by Murgatroyd et al, revealed the high number of individual satellite tagged birds being killed or going missing on grouse moors. The number of untagged birds suffering from the same fate, in the same habitat is likely to be 2 to 3 times higher.
Data published on the Raptor Persecution UK website, exposed the fact that 92 birds have been killed or have joined the ‘disappeared’ since Natural England introduced their ludicrous Hen Harrier Brood Management Scheme in 2018 a scheme which was supposed to bring persecution to an end. See here:
The RSPB has recently published the results of the largest Hen Harrier tracking project ever undertaken. This is a tremendous piece of work, the result of thousands of hours of research and analysis and we are indebted to everyone involved.
Anyone monitoring, ringing or satellite tagging Hen Harrier chicks during the research period will not have been surprised when they read the catastrophic results contained in this latest paper. However, the fact that it was not surprising does not reduce the devastating emotional impact on the people involved. The results are shocking and demonstrate the abhorrent relationship that some individuals have with our natural environment and the creatures with which we share our planet. It is outrageous that in 2023 there are people living in our rural communities, (they could be your neighbour) armed with firearms and shotguns, claiming to be the custodians of our countryside who, in reality, don’t give a damn about our natural environment. On the contrary they shoot, trap or poison any bird of prey that they consider a threat to their narrow, self-indulgent way of life.
These are some of the key themes from the RSPB research:
- survival rates of Hen Harriers are ‘unusually low,’ with birds typically living just four months after fledging
- illegal killing is the main cause of death for older birds, accounting for up 75% of deaths each year in birds between one and two years old, and is also a major cause of death in birds under one year
- mortality due to illegal killing was higher in areas managed for Red Grouse shooting, highlighting the role that persecution on some grouse moors plays in limiting Hen Harrier populations in the UK
The full paper can be read here.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723001738
In summary, Hen Harriers are being slaughtered across the northern uplands so that a small number of individuals can shoot higher numbers of grouse, simply for profit or pleasure.
Self-regulation by the shooting industry has demonstrably failed. It is time that the current Government lived up to its legal responsibilities and took affirmative action to protect birds of prey. Simply identifying persecution as a national wildlife crime priority is not enough. It is long past the time when game shooting should be licenced. The licence needs to be applied to the land not named individuals and enforced with powers to suspend the licence for a significant period in the event of a breach.
The Brood Management Scheme has not worked so far and it will not work in the future. Nor will the impending Southern Introduction Scheme. Hen Harrier persecution will continue on land managed for grouse shooting and the list of birds killed or missing maintained by Raptor Persecution UK will carry on increasing. Stop prevaricating, do the right thing and act now.
Are you listening Defra and Natural England? Are you going take note of this latest research, or are you going to insanely carry on doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?
NERF
14 May 2023
Northern England Raptor Forum 