A critically injured buzzard has been found near Malton, North Yorkshire and is now in the care of specialist raptor rehabilitator Jean Thorpe.
The adult female bird was found “down, shocked and injured” on Beverley Road, Norton on 9 May 2017. She has severe lacerations to her head and feet, believed to have been caused by trying to escape from a cage trap. An x-ray also revealed a shotgun pellet lodged on her right leg/foot. (Photos from Jean Thorpe)
After a couple of days of expert care, Jean provided an update yesterday:
“Shot and cage-trapped buzzard has eaten at last. Been hand feeding and she’s had lots of warm fluids. She is far from well and sadly is knuckling on the shot foot. Way to go yet“.
Anybody with information about this incident please contact Police Wildlife Crime Officer Jez Walmsley at Malton Police Station, crime ref no: NYP4710517.
Please also consider making a donation to help support Jean’s work in caring for injured wildlife – she does this on an entirely voluntary basis and it must cost her a fortune. Let’s help her to help these persecuted birds – donations here please.
North Yorkshire is consistently rated as the worst county in the UK for raptor persecution crimes, particularly against buzzards and red kites. Barely a month goes by without news of another victim. Ironically, last month North Yorkshire was declared ‘the safest area in the country’ in terms of officially recorded crime statistics (see here). Clearly, wildlife crime statistics were not included in the analysis.
UPDATE 8 June 2017: Buzzard successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
Again! How many more poor birds have to suffer. Please inform on those responsible. What is the matter with the people of N Yorkshire. No honour or humanity. Guess it,s a Tory area. Says it all. I am from West Yorkshire so we have vastly different values.
Agree with most of what you say but keep political comments to yourself.
I agree with you Chris, I’m getting quite annoyed by the increasing number of comments suggesting a direct political link with raptor persecution.
Well, a survey of convicted wildlife criminals and their political affiliations would be interesting…
Wildlife crime is political – get over it.
Yeah… Just because a certain political party is campaigning on a return for bloodsports, has donors who make large money on bloodsports, has cabinet ministers who own moors and estates used for bloodsports, and is supported by the farming industry who campaign hard for the right to kill whatever animals they see fit with no oversight… Yeah there is no connection between the Tories and wildlife crime at all.
Quite right ,it was probably a bus load of student nurses or those damned single parents at it again they are well known for shooting and trapping Buzzards, the bastards ,pity some some gamekeepers hadn’t come to the birds rescue and thrown them off the land.
Donated to this amazing woman. Vicarious liability for wildlife rehabilitation too – hit the estates in their pocket!
Considering how widespread raptor persecution is, the few rogue gamekeepers must do an awful lot of travelling in the UK.
No comments to yourself, let us be heard ‘basted consrvatives. Vote for May and it will get far worse.
How many landowners are in the Communist Party? If you are upset at people bringing in politics TOUGH!!
Thanks for that. Thought we lived in a democracy with freedom of speech for all and not just a privileged few.
Thankyou for the publicity. The bird has perched for the first time today and is eating well , way to go yet, fingers crossed.
Thanks for the update, Jean. It breaks my heart – these birds are just trying to live their lives just like us. Sometimes the human race just depresses me but at least there are some of us that respect the lives of the other beings on this planet.
A wonderful woman doing sterling work that would break the hearts of most. As for those committing the crimes .. how bloodthirsty would you be if your victims could shoot back?
All praise and thanks to Jean. A lady with true humanity who deserves all the support she can get.
As for the person/ people responsible they will eventually be found and brought to justice.
Well said and here’s hoping re. the latter.
I have avoided spending any money in Yorkshire for many years.
As a tourist, I choose my holidays carefully.
Ethical spending power.
Keep up the pressure !
First, thank you Jean for the wonderful work you do.
Second, the person responsible for the bird’s injuries may eventually be found but, based on the reports of proceedings posted here on an almost daily basis, I think it extremely unlikely anybody will be brought to justice.
Third, whilst it may be unpalatable for some to read comments with a political slant, it’s hard to divorce what is going on from politics. There may be people of all political persuasions with a penchant for blood sports but, I think it would be naive in the extreme to think there was not a stronger connection with right wing political leanings and support for the the appalling activities frequently reported here. I think it unlikely we will see any decrease in incidents, in all likelihood quite the reverse, if the Conservative party is successful in forming the next government.
Perhaps we could ask the Royal family to give Jean some well deserved recognition? Jean you’re absolute magic.
Thank you for that logical and well reasoned statement re the continued persecution of raptors, who may be responsible and the likelihood of justice prevailing if T May is returned to power.
Political parties have nothing to do with this. This is small minded individuals who deserve to have the same fate
If ever a region needed to see shooting estates licenced – then its this hot bed wildlife criminality
Now this is a bit tricky. First, just to be clear, I have never voted Conservative and never will. Second, I think it is fair, reasonable, normal, to view wildlife crime from a political perspective. Most public issues are political and wildlife crime is no exception. I have no real difficulty with any of the ‘political’ posts on today’s blog. It’s fair to question traditional Tory values even if there are Tory voters with different values. And, of course there is a Westminster Parliament election so comment is timely. So why do I have a sneaking sympathy with Chris Davies first post? It’s certainly not because of any disagreement with Tony Dickinson. I think my objection is that certain political posts (not his) are too easy, a substitute for action. Blame the (UK) government; job done. Blame ‘the establishment’; job done. Voting matters, of course it does, but we need more. The challenge is to move on from ‘its all a conspiracy amongst those in power’ to effective action (even if there is a conspiracy). Jean Thorpe is a shining example. We can’t all do what she does of course but if, for every social media post saying blasted Tories, judges, police etc there was a matching letter to an MP or MSP then that would progress matters.
It might be wrong to declare all Conservatives to be complicit in the horrendous persecution of raptors and other wildlife, but to believe that politics does not affect the problem is either naive or being in a state of denial. It seems to me blatantly obvious that once Theresa May consolidates the Government majority in June, our task in fighting raptor persecution is going to become far more difficult, probably even more difficult than some RPUK readers imagine. This is not to let the opposition off the hook entirely, but I can’t see Jeremy Corbyn agreeing to restore fox hunting or doffing his cap to the landed gentry.
In Scotland the SNP is a bit of an enigma when it comes to the topic of game shooting. Roseanna Cunnigham can say the right things, but apart from her personal and honestly outspoken opinion, the Scottish Government unequivocally endorses the “Gift of Grouse” propaganda exercise, despite their blatant misrepresentation of the truth. The Government’s simplistic belief (I use that term lightly), that the activity stimulates the local economy, ignores the fact that most of the profits made by the business end up in offshore tax havens, so the national economy actually suffers a net loss! It’s a “win, win” situation again for the super-rich and global capitalism. The term “post-truth” seems to be currently out of favour with the media, the topic now being tagged as “fake facts”, but whatever it’s called, the game industry thrives on it, as RPUK exposes so effectively. We just need to get this message across to a far wider audience. Come on RSPB, how’s about it?
much of the killing of wildlife is done by game keepers as a part of their job working for large estates and to protect thei pheasant shoots or the driven grouse shooting from the loss of the few birds. I also believe that the Tory party cares very little, if anything, for most wildlife. witness the support of fox, hare and deer hunting. Licences are issued by Natural England to shoot buzzards and Andrew Sells was put in his job there to ensure this by Osborne…………….