RSPB accuses falconers of theft

About our feeds

From guns and gundogs to the latest shooting news; the complete online network for the British shooting community.

Home
News

| Next

RSPB accuses falconers of theft

Falconers have hit out at the claims.

By Selena Masson, Shooting Times

Monday, 07 July 2008

Falconers have hit out at claims that they are behind the recent disappearance of three peregrine falcon chicks from a nest in Cheshire.

The RSPB has said that the chicks were taken by people trading illegally in birds of prey. The birds vanished from a nest at Beeston Castle, near Tarporley, last month.

The bird charity claims that, with no evidence of the birds being killed, they must have been stolen for use in falconry. Police said six men with ropes and rucksacks were seen on cliffs above the nest site at about the time the chicks vanished. The RSPB has also warned that proposals to remove the need for peregrines to be registered could lead to more being snatched.

Nick Kester, of the Hawk Board, the body that represents all falconers and birds of prey keepers in the UK, told Shooting Times that no responsible falconer would condone theft from the wild. The fact that chicks are no longer in the nest is not sufficient evidence that they were stolen for falconry: “The chicks could have died, been predated on or fallen from the nest and their bodies eaten by scavengers. I do not believe that the DEFRA plans for deregistration of peregrines and this theft are connected.”

He added it would be impossible to sell wild birds on: “An illegally acquired peregrine without a ring or a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Article 10 certificate could never be legally sold or exported, nor could it attend a falconry field meet. Any such falcon would remain below the radar forever.”

What is YOUR opinion?

Join other ST readers in our forums to discuss your views.

DEFRA says no to badger cull

DEFRA has decided against a cull of badgers in Eng...

Great Britain's Olympic shooting team announced

The hopefuls will soon jet off to Beijing to compe...

Guns

Umarex 850 AirMagnum air rifle review

Sporting Answers

Is buying two puppies together a bad idea?

We are purchasing an ESS bitch from a local litter and a dog from anot... Read more

News

FSA regulations one year on

The standard of game meat continues to improve, reflected by stronger ... Read more

Comments

Post your comment

What's in this issue?

In this week's issue, Shooting Times joins the Deer Initiative in Suffolk to investigate how the charity is fighting back against fallow damage, while David Hudson reports on all the action at the Pointer and Setter Champion Stake.