Red kite is killed by poisoner

Jan 22 2005 By Graeme Wlhitfield, The Journal

Gamekeepers could be to blame for the poisoning of a rare red kite released into the North countryside in a high profile project last summer.

The body of the bird of prey was found in the Northumber-land countryside in October, with tests later showing that it had been deliberately poisoned with a banned pesticide.

The kite was one of 20 released into the wild last summer as part of a joint RSPB and English Nature project to reinstate the rare bird into the region 150 years after its last appearance.

It was found next to a dead rabbit which had been sprinkled with the pesticide carbofuran - with police saying that it was likely the poisoned bait had been laid by people involved in the game rearing industry.

Officers yesterday appealed to members of the rural community to come forward with information on the incident, saying that the pesticide - found only 150 metres from a footpath - could also have poisoned people in the area.

Northumbria Police's wildlife crimes officer PC Paul Henery said: "We don't know who is responsible for this but the statistics point to gamekeepers as being the kind of people most likely to want to kill a red kite.

"Between 1985 and 2003, of the 86 individuals convicted for offences of this type, 73 had game rearing interests and 68 of them were gamekeepers.

"You've got to ask yourself who has the motive to persecute birds of prey and it boils down to one group of people.

"Within that group, I'm sure it is a minority of people who are living in the past and would do this." PC Henery said that the poisoned bait had probably been laid for a fox or another bird of prey, as the red kites released last year had mostly stayed in the Derwent Valley.

The bait was laced with so much poison that the bird would have died immediately.

The kite was found in the Tynedale area in October after the Northern Kites team, responsible for introducing the and tracking the birds, traced signals beamed from a tiny radio transmitter fitted to the creature.

The bird had been adopted by children at Winlaton West Lane Community Primary School, in Gateshead.

Yesterday headteacher Angela Exley, said: "I had to announce to the children in assembly that Flash had been killed and the children were very shocked. There was a tremendous hush across the room.

"The fact that I had to tell them that somebody actually went out of their way to kill Flash was also hard because they couldn't understand why anybody would want to do that."

Anyone convicted of killing a red kite with carbofuran could be fined as much as £5,000 and face up to six months' jail.

But RSPB North of England director Andy Bunten said a loophole in the Wildlife and Country Act meant it was not illegal to possess pesticides.

Gateshead Council leader Mick Henry said: "It was a world first for us to have the kites released into a semi-urban area and whoever has done this has really let the region down."

Police have questioned one man but do not have enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. Anyone with information can call PC Henery on (01661) 868 514.