Illegal persecution of Britain’s raptors continues despite decades of protection

Britain’s most endangered raptors continue to be shot, trapped and poisoned in what the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) characterises as a persistent and widespread illegal campaign. A scathing recent report, to be published on Wednesday, documents 921 verified incidents on protected raptors from 2015 to 2024, with more than half occurring on or near land managed for game shooting. Species targeted include white-tailed eagles, red kites, peregrine falcons, hen harriers, goshawks and barn owls. The RSPB’s investigation team, comprising former police officers and bird experts, has assisted in obtaining three convictions this year alone, but the organisation argues that prosecutions alone are inadequate to halt the killings.

A chronic crisis for Britain’s raptors

The extent of the problem becomes clear when reviewing the RSPB’s meticulous documentation methods. The charity only classifies cases as “confirmed” when substantiated with forensic evidence, first-hand evidence or video footage, suggesting the true figure of illegal killings is almost undoubtedly considerably greater. Mark Thomas, head of the RSPB’s investigations unit, is blunt about the motivation behind the persecution: “It’s about money.” Raptors are deliberately pursued to prevent them from taking young pheasants, partridges or grouse, leaving more gamebirds available for clients to shoot. This profit motive sustains what amounts to an organised campaign against some of Britain’s most iconic wildlife.

The three convictions secured in 2024 demonstrate the severity of the incidents. Two cases concerned birds being beaten to death after capture in traps—a buzzard and a goshawk—despite regulations requiring such traps to be inspected frequently and non-target species let go without injury. The most notable case involved hidden RSPB monitoring at a hen harrier roost in the Yorkshire Dales, where hidden cameras and audio recordings captured evidence of a planned attempt to kill one of the UK’s scarcest birds of prey. Head gamekeeper Racster Dingwall was captured on camera arriving with a shotgun and debating the killing of safeguarded species, ultimately given a fine of £1,520.

• 921 confirmed bird of prey incidents recorded from 2015 to 2024
• More than half took place on shooting estates for game
• Three successful prosecutions obtained by RSPB investigators in 2024
• Evidence includes covert camera footage and covert audio recordings

The economics of systematic abuse

The persecution of Britain’s raptors is fundamentally driven by financial incentives within the game shooting industry. Estates across England and Wales deliberately cull raptors to increase the quantity of pheasants, partridges and grouse available for wealthy clients to shoot. The RSPB’s research have shown that over 50 per cent of the 921 confirmed attacks between 2015 and 2024 occurred on or near estates used for game shooting, demonstrating a direct link between game shooting enterprises and raptor deaths. This is not incidental wildlife conflict but rather a calculated business strategy intended to protect profit margins.

The economic pressures are substantial. Game shooting produces considerable income for rural estates, with hunters willing to pay considerable sums for the chance to hunt large numbers of gamebirds. Each raptor that survives constitutes a potential loss of income, establishing a powerful economic motive for their elimination. Mark Thomas from the RSPB underscores this reality: the killings are fundamentally “about money.” This economic driver accounts for why killings continue in spite of decades of legislative safeguards and repeated prosecutions, as the economic motivation to eliminate competing predators remains constant and substantial across the industry.

Safeguarding wild gamebirds no matter what

The approaches used to remove raptors demonstrate the scale to which estates will go to safeguard their commercial interests. Shooting, poisoning and trapping are used systematically against birds of prey, with perpetrators often displaying little regard for animal welfare or legal repercussions. The RSPB’s investigations have uncovered cases where birds have been beaten to death after capture, revealing the brutal nature of abuse. These are not one-off occurrences but evidence of a wider pattern of illegal conduct intended to remove any predator that might decrease gamebird populations and therefore cut shooting revenue.

The hunting of threatened species such as hen harriers and white-tailed eagles—of which fewer than 150 breeding pairs are found in the UK—demonstrates that commercial concerns supersede wildlife protection entirely. Even species facing extinction are removed if they represent a perceived threat to gamebird stocks. This preference for commercial interests rather than species survival represents a fundamental conflict between the field sports sector and environmental goals, one that cannot be settled through industry self-policing or voluntary industry standards alone.

Investigations and legal proceedings

The RSPB’s enforcement division staffed by ex-police personnel and avian specialists, has increased activity to identify and prosecute those accountable for bird of prey persecution. The charity’s thorough methodology to gathering evidence has yielded tangible results, with three successful convictions secured in the ongoing year alone. These court proceedings illustrate that when enough evidence is assembled, the courts are prepared to hand down sentences on those convicted of slaying protected raptors. The investigations unit employs sophisticated techniques, comprising concealed camera monitoring and hidden observation of known persecution hotspots, to construct airtight cases against perpetrators working on hunting properties.

The significance of forensic evidence

The RSPB’s categorisation system confirms that only cases underpinned by compelling evidence are documented as confirmed persecutions. Forensic investigation, eyewitness testimony and video documentation constitute the basis of successful convictions. This strict approach indicates the 921 confirmed attacks recorded between 2015 and 2024 constitute only those incidents where evidence is beyond dispute, indicating the actual extent of persecution could be substantially greater. The reliance on forensic evidence has been shown to be crucial in achieving successful prosecutions, as it provides courts with objective proof that cannot be disputed or reinterpreted through competing explanations.

The use of hidden monitoring technology has proven especially effective in obtaining legally acceptable evidence. Hidden cameras placed near raptor roosts and nesting sites have recorded incriminating footage of perpetrators in the act of harming protected species or outlining their intentions. Audio recordings of conversations between gamekeepers debating the destruction of protected birds provide damning evidence of intentional criminal intent. These technological approaches circumvent the problem of witnesses refusing to come forward in rural communities where shooting interests prevail, enabling investigators to build cases without relying on local cooperation or support.

Proposed solutions and industry resistance

The RSPB’s suggested approach centres on introducing a permit scheme for gamebird shooting across England and Wales reflecting the framework established for red grouse shooting in Scotland. Under this system, shooting estates would stand to have their licences suspended or withdrawn at the civil threshold, a considerably lower threshold than the criminal standard of proof needed for criminal prosecution. This regulatory framework would allow authorities to act against estates where protected birds are killed, even when achieving criminal prosecutions presents difficulties due to the rural character of rural estates and the reluctance of witnesses to testify in insular shooting communities.

The shooting industry has reacted strongly to these proposals, with organisations firmly rejecting that persecution is prevalent within the sector. Shooting representatives maintain that illegal killings are carried out by a small minority of individuals who do not represent conventional operations within the industry. They argue that the vast majority of estates conduct operations responsibly and oppose persecution completely. However, the RSPB’s record of 921 confirmed attacks, with more than half taking place on or near game-shooting land, suggests the problem surpasses isolated incidents and points to systemic issues within certain quarters of the shooting community.

• Licensing system would permit suspension and removal at civil standard of proof
• Shooting organisations assert targeting confined to small minority of individuals
• RSPB contends criminal prosecutions by themselves insufficient to address ongoing issue

The road ahead

The evidence provided by the RSPB indicates that incremental progress have occurred in recent years, with documented cases of raptor persecution declining. However, the charity’s investigations unit remains resolute that legal reform is essential to break the cycle of illegal killings. The introduction of a licensing system would constitute a significant change in how gamebird shooting is controlled, placing responsibility on landowners and managers to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding Britain’s most endangered raptors. This approach would align England and Wales with Scotland’s current system, creating a consistent standard across the United Kingdom and indicating that conservation of wildlife is prioritised over shooting for profit.

For conservation efforts to succeed, the shooting industry must recognise the extent of the issue and engage constructively with measures intended to eliminate persecution. The RSPB’s call for licensing is not intended as a challenge to legitimate shooting practices, but rather a mechanism to ensure that those who act responsibly can be separated from those who do not. Without structural reform, the organisation argues, Britain’s most vulnerable raptors—including the white-tailed eagle, with fewer than 150 pairs remaining—will continue to be threatened by those prioritising commercial interests over long-term ecological recovery and legal compliance.