ENDANGERED and rare birds of prey are still being illegally killed in Barnsley’s countryside despite decades of legal protection and strict campaigns being stepped up.
According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who published their report on Wednesday, dozens of incidents have been logged locally out of the 921 confirmed attacks since 2015.
Conservationists allege that the majority of the attacks although accidental came on land which is open to game shooting parties and it’s believed birds of prey were caught up in the crossfire.
Buzzards were the hardest hit with 319 confirmed incidents recorded, followed by 157 red kites and 97 peregrines.
Mark Thomas, the RSPB’s head of investigations, said: “Concerningly as these crimes take place predominantly in remote and often inaccessible areas of the countryside, not all are detected.
“For too long we’ve been exposing these crimes yet we are still only scratching the surface.
“Without stronger laws and real accountability, birds of prey in places where they should be thriving will continue to be shot, trapped and poisoned.
“It might be easy to look at a report like this and just see numbers, but each number represents an amazing bird of prey that everyone in Yorkshire should be seeing flying high in our skies.
“People in our county are rightly proud of our wildlife and will be as outraged as we are that anyone would intentionally kill these spectacular birds.”
Investigators vowed to use two recent convictions which saw a Barnsley pensioner receive a four-figure bill for gunning down a protected sparrowhawk and a gamekeeper beating a buzzard to death as examples to help.
Peter Smith, of Clifton Close, Barnsley was charged with killing a sparrowhawk at Hope Street Allotments, Mapplewell, in February 2024 while Thomas Munday was convicted having been filmed beating a buzzard on a pheasant shooting estate.
James Robinson, the RSPB’s chief operating officer, added: “As this report shows, existing UK laws continue to fail to protect our magnificent birds of prey.
“Without a meaningful deterrent, these crimes will continue eagles will be poisoned, hen harriers shot and buzzards beaten to death in traps.
“All of these crimes are utterly unacceptable.
“Frustratingly, under existing laws, those committing these crimes have been able to do so with little fear of retribution this needs to change.
“Regulation in the form of a licensing system is the most appropriate and fair way to achieve this providing an effective and meaningful deterrent to those willing to commit these crimes and finally give these incredible species the protection they urgently need.”
