Raptor Persecution UK

Sadly, North Yorkshire has a terrible reputation for raptor persecution - and it seems that North Yorkshire Police don’t particularly care. Thank you for continuing to shine a spotlight on this.

What’s happened to the police investigation in to the poisoned Hen Harrier found dead on the edge of a grouse moor in North Yorkshire? In December 2025, I blogged about a Hen Harrier that had been found poisoned on a grouse moor somewhere in North Yorkshire, 11 months earlier in January 2025. Hen Harrier (photo by Pete Walkden) Th…

What's happened to the police investigation in to the poisoned Hen Harrier found dead on the edge of a grouse moor in North Yorkshire?

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

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Good news but it should be a total ban

Natural England confirms tighter restrictions on gamebird releases on/near to Special Protection Areas in England Further to this morning’s blog (here), Natural England has now formally confirmed its tighter restrictions on the release of non-native Pheasants and Partridges on, or within 500m, of Special…

Natural England confirms tighter restrictions on gamebird releases on/near to Special Protection Areas in England.

This includes no gamebird releases in the 'heartland' of the Breckland SPA in Norfolk/Suffolk.

New blog ⬇️

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Alleged breaches of mandatory bird flu biosecurity regulations on Guy Ritchie’s Pheasant & Partridge shoot in Wiltshire An investigation has been launched into alleged breaches of mandatory bird flu biosecurity regulations at Guy Ritchie’s Pheasant and Partridge shoot at Ashcombe Estate in Wiltshire, according…

Alleged breaches of mandatory Bird Flu biosecurity regulations on Guy Ritchie's Pheasant & Partridge shoot in Wiltshire.

New blog ⬇️

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More restrictions expected for gamebird releases this year on/near Special Protected Areas in England More restrictions are expected to be announced for the release of gamebirds on/near Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England in 2026. Regular blog readers will recall that in March last year, Def…

More restrictions expected for gamebird releases this year on/near Special Protection Areas in England due to heightened risk of spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu).

A total ban would be better but this is better than nothing.

New blog ⬇️

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/09/m...

UK Government confirms ban on sale & use of toxic lead ammunition for ‘live quarry shooting’ from 1st April 2029 Following the announcement from Defra in July 2025 that the Government aimed to introduce legislation by the summer of 2026 to ban the sale and use of toxic lead ammunition for ‘live quarry s…

UK Government confirms ban on sale and use of toxic lead ammunition for live quarry shooting from 1st April 2029.

Good news for the environment & wildlife (especially raptors!)

New blog ⬇️

#RaptorResearch

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Can someone tell Shooting Times that snaring was banned in Wales in 2023 Oh dear. In this week’s edition of Shooting Times, ‘the official weekly journal of BASC’, there’s a three-page article all about trapping, apparently ‘balancing tradit…

Can someone tell Shooting Times that snaring was banned in Wales in 2023.

Another embarrassing blunder...

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/05/c...

Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) at gamebird rearing farm in North Yorkshire An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) was confirmed yesterday at a large gamebird rearing farm in North Yorkshire. A 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance Zone have been…

Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) at large gamebird rearing farm in North Yorkshire ☠️

New blog ⬇️

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Thank you, Verity.

Thank you for your support.

RPUK blog reaches 16th birthday and passes 13 million views Today marks 16 years since this blog started and it has recently passed 13 million views. Thanks, as ever, to everyone who follows the blog and supports its aims. Particular thanks to the generous …

Raptor Persecution UK blog reaches 16th birthday and passes 13 million views.

Thanks to everyone who follows the blog & supports its aims 🙏

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/03/r...

NatureScot reinstates use of General Licences on Raeshaw Estate during appeal process On 10 February 2026, NatureScot imposed a three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate in the Scottish Borders (and on neighbouring Watherston Wood, which is understood to be under sepa…

NatureScot reinstates use of General Licences on Raeshaw Estate during appeal process.

New blog ⬇️

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/03/n...

Thanks, Alan. Looking forward to your new book.

Some commentary on the murder conviction of ex-Head Gamekeeper David Campbell Two days ago, a jury at the High Court in Glasgow returned a guilty verdict in the trial of former Head Gamekeeper David Campbell, 77, who had been accused of murdering his ex-colleague from Edrady…

Some commentary on the murder conviction of ex-Head Gamekeeper David Campbell.

#RaptorResearch

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Goshawk shot in Derbyshire – police appeal for information Derbyshire Police’s Rural Crime Team has issued an appeal for information after the discovery of a critically-injured Goshawk, which had to be euthanised due to the extent of its injuries. Th…

Goshawk shot in Derbyshire - police appeal for information.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

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Sentencing remarks & statement from Police Scotland after conviction of gamekeeper David Campbell for shotgun murder of ex-colleague Further to yesterday’s news that David Campbell, 77, the former Head Gamekeeper of Edradynate Estate in Perthshire was convicted of the shotgun murder of his former estate colleague, Brain Lo…

Sentencing remarks & statement from Police Scotland after conviction of gamekeeper David Campbell for shotgun murder of ex-colleague Brian Low ⚖️

#RaptorResearch

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Scottish gamekeeper David Campbell found guilty of murdering ex-colleague from Edradynate Estate, Perthshire BREAKING NEWS….. After a 13-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow, David Campbell, 77, the former Head Gamekeeper on Edradynate Estate in Perthshire, has been found guilty of murdering his f…

Retired gamekeeper David Campbell guilty of murdering ex-colleague Brian Low, with whom he worked on the Edradynate Estate. This estate was one of the worst for raptor persecution.

Lots to say about this one... glad they finally got him ⚖️

#RaptorResearch

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Help Stop the Criminal Killing of Birds of Prey Despite more than 70 years of full legal protection, raptor persecution remains a serious and persistent wildlife crime. The Yorkshire Dales is one of the UK’s worst-affected areas, with 152 confirmed...

I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Help Stop the Criminal Killing of Birds of Prey. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/he...

Three reforms to stop the criminal killing of birds of prey – new petition to UK Minister from Friends of the Dales A new petition has been launched calling on the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mary Creagh MP) to bring in legal reform to help stop the illegal persecution of birds of prey. The petiti…

We can only hope that the government gets behind these reforms - neither costly nor rocket science to bring about....

Three reforms to stop the criminal killing of birds of prey - new petition to UK Minister from Friends of the Dales raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/19/t...

Help Stop the Criminal Killing of Birds of Prey Despite more than 70 years of full legal protection, raptor persecution remains a serious and persistent wildlife crime. The Yorkshire Dales is one of the UK’s worst-affected areas, with 152 confirmed...

If you’d like to see an end to the wanton killing of our birds of prey, then sign this. I have: @theactionnetwork.bsky.social

actionnetwork.org/petitions/he...

Sign it everyone! This legal reform is needed.

Please consider signing this petition to stop raptor persecution criminality.

Three reforms to stop the criminal killing of birds of prey – new petition to UK Minister from Friends of the Dales A new petition has been launched calling on the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mary Creagh MP) to bring in legal reform to help stop the illegal persecution of birds of prey. The petiti…

Three legal reforms to stop the criminal killing of birds of prey - new petition to UK Minister from @friendsofthedales.bsky.social

Details & link to petition in blog 🔽

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/19/t...

Convictions for raptor persecution “must be the tip of the iceberg”, admits BASC chief Further to this morning’s blog about BASC’s acting chief exec Christopher Graffius urging his members to stop killing raptors (here), here’s some more detail. The Times article ha…

Sorry to hear of the passing of Christopher Graffius, former Director of Comms at BASC. One of the few in the shooting world leadership to stick his neck on the line & acknowledge the continued illegal persecution of raptors on gamebird shooting estates.

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2017/11/02/c...

Give this amazing guy a boost to do more for streets kids & urban wildlife in Nairobi: vote at vote.eaya.africa (wildlife conservation award)
#birds #kenya

Raeshaw Estate claims General Licence restriction “wholly unjustified” & intends to appeal Following yesterday’s news that NatureScot has imposed a(nother) three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate in south Scotland (here), based on evidence provided by Police Scotla…

General Licence restriction imposed in relation to shooting of Golden Eagle 'Merrick'. Raeshaw Estate claims this is "wholly unjustified" & says it will appeal the decision.

Statement from estate & commentary from me 🔽

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime

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Agreed. And whoever shot her, sneaked up on her whilst she was sleeping in a tree. Who kills a sleeping Golden Eagle, ffs?

Three-year General Licence restriction imposed on Raeshaw Estate (again), this time relating to shooting of Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’ NatureScot has today announced a three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate (and on neighbouring Watherston Wood, which is understood to be under separate management to Raeshaw), in r…

Three-year General Licence restriction imposed on Raeshaw Estate (again), this time relating to the shooting of Golden Eagle Merrick.

Statement from NatureScot & commentary from me ⬇️

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/10/t...

More commentary on the sentencing of Yorkshire Dales gamekeeper Racster Dingwall Racster Dingwall, the now former Head Gamekeeper on Conistone and Grassington Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, pleaded guilty at York Magistrates’ Court last month to conspiring t…

MORE commentary on the sentencing of Yorkshire Dales gamekeeper Racster Dingwall ⚖️

Pertinent points made by the Northern England Raptor Forum (NERF), representing raptor fieldworkers.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍

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