Raptor persecution

I think there really needs to be something done to get those few "bad eggs" out of a position where they are able to persecute BoP - and remove those landowers that promote illegal persecution by their staff.  Unfortunately, I do live in a BoP persecution hotspot - and people around here KNOW areas where persecution goes on, and they have good ideas who/which estates are responsible, but the problem is proving it.  There is little surprise really when news hits that a BoP has been poisoned in certain areas though there is still a lot of anger, especially when the golden eagle was poisoned recently. 

It isn't even as simple as poison being placed on the land being due to people that work on the land.  A relative of mine rented a farm cottage and the poison was placed on the farmland without the landowner knowing about it, several dogs were poisoned as a result and with children around it was a huge concern that some unknown person was illegally putting down illegal poison.

The big problem seems to be getting the actual evidence that X person laid poison/shot a BoP, and if they did so under the orders of the owner of the land.  As these things happen in remote areas, there are further problems in actually finding the victims of the crim and also to find where the poison is located.  With no body there can be no proof of a crime.  In all honesty, I think it would take someone going undercover around these hotspots to catch the culprits and bring them to justice.

Unfortunately right now it is very difficult to get the proof needed to bring forward a court case, especially against the landowners who can plead ignorance as they aren't so stupid as to commit these acts themselves, they have others do their dirty work for them.  The people behind the persecution know that the chances of them getting caught are very slim, and that is probably why it continues.  There isn't a high chance of firstly being caught, and secondly if they are caught being successfully prosecuted.  Very few cases ever make it into court, and in all honesty I don't think the penalties are even that high (but then I do think that in general in our whole legal system - we are far too soft on criminals).

So in conclusion, I think it would take undercover work, which has been successful in many other cases of illegal killing/trade of species, to really bring down those that are leading BoP persecution, but I don't think it is something that would be high on the agenda.

I wholeheartedly accept that there are plenty of conservation minded landowners and farmers out there but, unfortunately there are more than a few horrendously bad ones too. The establishment appears to operate under the illusion that all shooting estate operators are basically decent sorts who just need a little incentivisation to become born again conservationists. Sadly nothing could be further from the truth.

So what to do......

Well I'd have all commercial shoots operating under annual licences linked to strict conditions regarding non- harrassment of protected species. A hefty licence fee would fund monitors who would identify nesting sites of Hen Harriers etc and keep an eye on them. Monitors would be assisted by special forces personnel as part of their training in close target reconnaissance.

The Estate Owner/manager would automatically be held accountable  where transgressions occurred. Penalties would include properly serious fines and loss of shoot licences for periods of not less than one year.

Where an estate employee was found to have committed a wildlife related criminal offence revocation of his/her shotgun certificate would be automatic and immediate. 

These are reasonable measure that a democratic and just society would rightly expect and demand. If, however, I was running the UK as a dictatorship you may rest assured that I would implement absolutely guaranteed effective measures to stamp out wildlife crime and any form of cruelty to wild or domesticated animals (then I'd invade Malta and do some sorting out over there).