Chris Packham has branded gamekeepers who claimed he made up death threats against him as “bonkers” and “desperate”.
The BBC Springwatch presenter has been cleared by police of forging a letter sent to his home during a row over bird shooting.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) had reported the naturalist to police, alleging his claims of being threatened were an attempt to smear them.
After police dropped the probe, Packham, 59, said: “It’s the desperate action of desperate men in an industry in a state of desperation. Bonkers.”
Hampshire Constabulary’s decision followed a two-year dispute between Packham and the pro-shooting lobby.
In 2019, he campaigned against the gunning down of “pest birds” such as crows and pigeons, leading Natural England to revoke general licences needed to kill 16 species of wild bird.
But this sparked a petition, which got 165,000 signatures, urging the BBC to sack him.
Two dead crows were hung from the gate of his home in the New Forest, Hampshire, days after he condemned Boxing Day hunts, and a dead fox that had been snared was dumped at the house.
He said he received death threats, human excrement in the post, and an appearance at a dog festival was cancelled over fears protesters would cause violence.
Packham also claimed he found a dead badger strung up outside his home.
In February, the SGA said Packham – who opposes grouse shooting – had made the threats up.
It claimed two handwriting experts had found similarities between a letter containing a threat and the broadcaster’s own handwriting.
