Wild bird crime rising in Wales

01/11/2007 00:00:00 Birdcrime 2006
The number of reported crimes against wild birds in Wales is rising, according to Birdcrime 2006 - an RSPB report. The RSPB’s Investigations Unit received reports of 143 incidents of wild bird crime occurring in 2006 in Wales, compared to 91 incidents in 2005. However, Welsh incidents still only account for 13% of the UK total - the same as in 2005 – as the number of reported incidents has increased across the UK.

Wild bird crime has continued to rise despite 2006 marking the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), the primary legislation to protect animals, plants and certain habitats in the UK.

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB’s conservation director, said: ‘After 25 years of legal protection, we should be seeing dramatic cuts in wildlife crime. Of particular concern is the number of reported crimes against birds of prey. We mustn’t allow age-old attitudes towards these magnificent birds put them under threat.’ Birdcrime 2006 indicates that 52 incidents were reported in Clwyd, accounting for more than a third of the total in Wales, making it a Welsh blackspot for wild bird crime. Clwyd also features in the RSPB’s UK worst ten counties with the highest number of reported crimes against birds of prey.

The most common incident reported in Wales was the shooting of wild birds, followed by intentional nest destruction and poisoning. A substantial proportion of all incidents in Wales targeted birds of prey, including buzzards, peregrines and sparrowhawks, as well as red kites, which are an iconic species for Wales.

The full Birdcrime 2006 report will be available to download from Tuesday 11 September at www.rspb.org.uk/birdcrimereport.