THERE were 182 confirmed persecution incidents involving birds of prey in Scotland over a 10-year period, a report has shown.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) documented cases of raptors being shot, poisoned and trapped between 2015 and 2024.
Victims of the wildlife crimes included:
- 9 golden eagles
- 10 peregrine falcons
- 12 goshawks
- 27 red kites
- 52 common buzzards
The patterns of persecution report found there were a total of:
- 62 shooting incidents
- 54 poisoning incidents
- 41 incidents involving the illegal use of traps
The charity says there is still “a long way to go” despite recent regulations around countryside management.
The RSPB investigations team assists Police Scotland by speaking to local land managers and liaising with the community.
Ian Thomson, RSPB investigations manager, said: “This report makes horrendous reading for anyone who cares about the protection of some of our rarest and most spectacular species.
“Documented incidents were widely scattered across the country, from the Scottish Borders to the Western Isles, but it is telling that a significant majority, almost two thirds of recorded incidents (64.3%), occurred on land managed for gamebird shooting.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland’s head of land management, said: “The Scottish Parliament has recognised the adverse impact that criminal incidents on some grouse shooting estates have had on Scotland’s birds of prey and introduced legislation, the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, licensing grouse shoots.
“We hope that the very welcome passing of this legislation, during the last year covered by our report, has created a significant deterrent to these crimes, and that the skies above our grouse moors will be safer for eagles, hen harriers, red kites and peregrines.”
He added: “Time will tell, but recent incidents of raptors being shot, suspicious disappearances of satellite-tagged eagles and illegal trap use suggest that there is still a long way to go.”
Scotland passed the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill in 2024 introducing a licensing scheme for the grouse shooting industry in a bid to end the illegal killing of birds of prey.
The first licenses were issued in the summer of that year, and the legislations is considered a blueprint for tougher legislation across the UK.
Guilty parties must have access to a vehicle, equipment such as a firearm, opportunity and motive.
RSPB data shows that at least 54% of all confirmed incidents in the last 10 years (2014-2023) have been linked to land managed for pheasant, partridge and grouse shooting.
The association of these crimes with the gamebird industry is also evidenced by criminal court records. Of all individuals convicted of bird of prey persecution related offences from 2009 to 2023, 75% were connected to the gamebird shooting industry and 68% were gamekeepers.
