By Tom Grose, RSPB Investigations Officer
On 16 February 2023, Dorset gamekeeper Paul Allen received a 15 week prison sentence (suspended for 12 months) at Weymouth Magistrates Court, Dorset after pleading guilty to the possession of dead raptors and poisons.
A poisoned Red Kite found next to a dead rat on the Shaftesbury Estate
This investigation was triggered when a walker found a dead Red Kite next to the carcass of a rat on the Shaftesbury Estate near Wimborne St. Giles in November 2020. Worried that the rat was a poisoned bait, they took the responsible step of contacting Dorset Police. Later analysis by Natural England (NE) under the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) showed that both animals tested positive for the pesticide bendiocarb, a fast-acting poison. This is now banned in most forms but frequently used to target raptors. Further forensic DNA analysis by SASA (Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture) confirmed that the bird had fed on rat before its death. Worryingly, the kite also contained nine times the lethal dose of the rodenticide brodifacoum, the most lethal rat killer on the market, which is being increasingly detected as the cause of death in birds of prey.
The area in question was managed at that time for pheasant shooting by gamekeeper Paul Allen, a former employee of the estate and apparently also employed by another company operating on the estate at some point. In March 2021, Dorset police searched his property and surrounding land on the estate, accompanied by specialist staff from NE, the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and the RSPB.
Police and partners search the estate
At the rear of Allen’s house they made a series of shocking discoveries. Discarded under a barrel were a pile of four dead Buzzards and, close by, the bodies of two more next to the remains of a fire. Among the ashes, the bones of several other birds were protruding. Perhaps the Buzzard bodies were intended to be disposed of here... Next to the bodies, under an old plastic pond liner, were two tins of the pesticide Cymag, banned since 2004. This incredibly dangerous substance releases hydrogen cyanide gas when in contact with moisture and was originally authorised for use to kill some burrowing animals.
Meanwhile police officers found a loaded shotgun negligently left unsecured in Allen’s house, and a box of rifle ammunition in an outbuilding. The storage of guns is strictly regulated and leaving a loaded weapon lying about was of particular concern.
The search also uncovered a toxic list of poisons in Allen’s unsecured sheds. Two bottles of the banned pesticide strychnine, improperly stored brodifacoum and an open sachet of Ficam W insecticide (which contains the active ingredient bendiocarb, banned in 2020). Three small tubs of powder were found in the footwell of Allen’s vehicle, which toxicology testing revealed to contain bendiocarb.
Further forensic analysis was then undertaken by the unsung experts at SRUC (Scotland's Rural College) and FERA (Food and Environment Research Agency) who carried out post-mortems and toxicology testing of the various exhibits in the case. This was funded by the Forensic Analysis Fund: a fund supported by the likes of Wild Justice and critical to providing ‘behind the scenes’ analysis in many previous significant raptor persecution cases.
Four of the six shot Buzzards
All six Buzzards were X-rayed and appeared to contain shot, which was confirmed at a post-mortem. One of them was fresh and had died within the previous 24 hours. Incredibly, forensic analysis showed it had survived two previous shootings before being killed by a shotgun blast at close range. Other bodies were weeks and possibly months old. The bones from the fire were sent to the Natural History Museum where an avian specialist established that they belonged to at least three further Buzzards.
Here was yet another example of a significant raptor persecution investigation, initiated through the public discovery of a dead raptor on a lowland gamebird shoot and the subsequent sentencing of a gamekeeper for possession of dead raptors and poisons. It became clear that Allen had lived on the estate for over 25 years, and enquiries indicated he had held all three banned pesticides for a number of years. Specifically, the finding of bendiocarb and the casual attitude to brodifacoum, which is all-too frequently seen, were alarming.
The story continues
I had no way of knowing but I was destined to return to the same estate only 10 months later and before the investigation had been concluded. On that occasion it was again with Dorset Police, to recover the body of a satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle. To see this huge dead raptor up close was truly shocking, especially when subsequent toxicology results showed it was killed by seven times the lethal limit of brodifacoum – a fate only possible through an illegal act. As has been documented elsewhere, this investigation and in particular a planned multi-agency land search of the estate (to look for further evidence) was suddenly and unexpectedly closed down by Dorset Police. In light of the already ongoing significant poisoning investigation, to not look for further evidence after the finding of a confirmed poisoned eagle left us and our partners baffled. Its certain that the eagle died through an illegal act carried out by an unknown perpetrator.
A White-tailed Eagle, poisoned with seven times the lethal limit of brodifacoum
We have seen many raptor persecution cases on lowland shoots but the frequent occurrence of the highly toxic Brodifacoum and related rodenticides in raptor deaths is a significant emerging and concerning problem. In the case of Brodifacoum, it seems that abuse of this rodenticide has spiked since the ‘indoors only’ use of the product was relaxed by the Health and Safety Executive. We know from public reporting on the Government’s own data that we now need to see an urgent change to deliver tighter controls over its use, and otherwise we consider that more protected wildlife and raptor fatalities are certain.
The Birdcrime report in November 2022 found that 71% of confirmed raptor persecution incidents in 2021 were in relation to land managed for gamebird shooting. The RSPB believes there needs to be improvements to rules governing the use of rodenticides as well as enhanced regulation including licensing of gamebird shooting introduced conditional on compliance with wildlife protection laws to provide a meaningful deterrent to raptor crime.
Will we be in this situation again? Without action, almost certainly.
We’d like to thank the partner agencies mentioned above for their work securing this prosecution, particularly former Dorset Police Officer Claire Dinsdale and her Rural Crime Team. Thanks also to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), NE, NWCU, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation White-tailed Eagle project, SASA, SRUC, FERA, The Natural History Museum, BT Archives, the PAW Forensic Working Group and Wild Justice.
Finally, a huge thanks goes to the member of the public who rightly reported the Red Kite, which led to this successful conviction. If you notice a bird of prey dead or injured in suspicious circumstances, contact the police immediately on 101 and the RSPB at: www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-to-report-crimes/