Police hunt for poisoner after rare red kite is found dead

Published on Friday 12 June 2009 23:11

AN INVESTIGATION is under way after the carcase of a red kite was found on a country estate near Galashiels, in the Borders. The rare bird of prey had been poisoned.

A number of houses have been searched, but no-one has yet been arrested.

Officers from Lothian and Borders Police and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are trying to find who was responsible for leaving the poisoned bait out in the wild.

The Scottish Borders has been identified as a particular black spot, with a golden eagle dying after being poisoned in August 2007.

Five years ago, a Peeblesshire gamekeeper was fined 5,500 for killing 16 buzzards and a goshawk in what was described at the time as Scotland's worst wildlife crime.

Conservation groups have been working to convince landowners and gamekeepers that red kites pose no threat to livestock and game shooting, as they are primarily scavengers, though they also prey on small mammals, such as mice.

The red kite is believed to have been one of the most common birds of prey in Britain several centuries ago, but they were persecuted to the brink of extinction during the 20th century. Only 15 pairs remained by the 1980s, in Wales.

The bird was reintroduced to England and Scotland, and there are now an estimated 450 pairs across Britain. However, they are regarded as one of the rarest bird species north of the Border.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "On 2 June a red kite was found dead in the Scottish Borders, having been poisoned. As a result, a number of house searches have been carried out. Inquiries are continuing, and anyone with information regarding wildlife crime is asked to contact us."