Lincolnshire Police Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) are investigating the suspected poisoning of three birds of prey in the Belchford area of Horncastle.  On 4 October 2022, the team conducted multi agency searches in the area along with officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), the RSPB and Natural England. During the searches we […]

A Weeting gamekeeper admitted shooting and poisoning several birds of prey. Matthew Stroud, age 46, of Fengate in Weeting, appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 5 October 2022 and admitted: Six counts of killing a Common Buzzard Three counts of using poisoned bait One count of intentionally killing a Northern Goshawk One count of possessing […]

THREE tawny owls were seized at a house in St Helens as police carried out a raid as part of an investigation into an alleged “wild bird disturbance” in Cheshire. Officers in St Helens joined Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team to execute the warrant on Monday morning. The raid was in connection with allegations of […]

    A dead kite which was shot has been found a public footpath in Wiltshire.  Wiltshire Rural Crime Team posted on Facebook appealing for information, after the bird was found close to Hens Wood, Axford, on April 20th 2022. This followed a report from a member of the public. Further forensic work into the cause […]

The carcasses of two birds of prey have been found beside a bus stop in Gloucestershire. Police are investigating after a dead goshawk and a dead sparrowhawk were found close to Aylburton in the Forest of Dean. The male goshawk was just shy of 17-years-old and X-rays show it had been killed with a shotgun. […]

A Wiltshire gamekeeper has been sentenced after he was found in possession of dead buzzards, red kites and a herring gull. On 1st June 2022, Archie Watson, 21, was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order for being in possession of five dead buzzards, three red […]

Archie James Watson, a 21 year old gamekeeper/farm worker from Pewsey has been summoned to appear before Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday 25 May at 10am, on 6 charges under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and 3 Firearms Offences. The case has been brought after almost two years of detailed investigation and forensic analysis in […]

A protected bird of prey found dead in a ditch had been shot and then glued to a bamboo stick, police have said. The sparrowhawk, which had been killed with a pellet gun, was dumped in a drainage ditch inside a plastic bag in Thorne, near Doncaster. It was discovered by a member of the […]

Police have carried out searches at several locations this week (27 May 2022) in connection with suspected raptor persecution and poisoning of birds of prey.  Officers from Durham and Northumbria attended the addresses across the two force areas following information received from the public.  Suspicious substances were seized from some of the locations and taken […]

Police have advised dog walkers to keep their pets on a lead in a forest in case they are poisoned. Dorset Police said a dead buzzard was found in the Ashmore area of Dorset, though its cause of death is yet to be determined. The poisoning of three white-tailed eagles was also investigated by police earlier this […]