Crimes against peregrines are on the rise and some of the most gruesome cases have taken place in the West Midlands, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) claims.The welfare charity has been inundated with reports of birds being poisoned, trapped and shot, and of their chicks being taken from the nest. This year is shaping up to be one of the worst on record for crimes against peregrines, according to the charity, with 50 incidents reported in the UK and more waiting to be processed.
The RSPB is now urging the Government to add peregrines to its list of priority species for wildlife crime enforcement.
In Walsall in February, a racing pigeon was found with a pill capsule taped to its leg. A tip-off that some pigeon fanciers in the area were targeting peregrines led to the capsule being sent for tests. Results showed it had been filled with the banned pesticide Aldicarb.
In 2008, a peregrine was poisoned by Aldicarb near Tamworth. Anybody with information should contact West Midlands Police on 0845 113 5000.
In March, a peregrine crash-landed in a back garden near Lichfield with its leg caught in a spring trap. It later died of its injuries.
A search of nearby quarries by RSPB officers found three more illegally-set traps on a ledge used by peregrines. The traps had been covered with soil to hide them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact WPC Ellie Sewell, Wildlife Crime Officer with Staffordshire Police, on 0300 123 4455.
To sign the RSPB’s on-line pledge to end the illegal killing of birds of prey, visit rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey
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