Live baiting

[Colin Key]

This might be an "old chestnut" to some but over the past couple of weeks, through being a member of certain other more "photographically orientated" forums, I have just come to realise how widespread this practice of live baiting is, especially in N America. All those fabulous images of owls and raptors swooping in for the kill are not natural shots at all but a "set up" by the photographer who has dropped into the pet shop on his way to his photo location to pick up a box of tame mice (or any other small mammal which is for sale) with which to lure his subjects.

This would be illegal and a criminal offence in the UK and many other countries in Europe. I find it not just offensive but totally barbaric. Any other opinions on this? (and does anyone have any more detailed "insider" information?).

Colin :realmad::hmpf:

[john robinson]

Colin
Yes a very good "can of worms " subject. I have been baiting with dead day old chicks for many years. As you say it would be illegal in this country to use live bait.
BUT ! -without getting too deep - what is the difference in doing that and using live mealworms ?. ( which are being used for a mutitude of species) Is it because the bait is of a lower order that it becomes more acceptable ? As i say I don't want to get too deep on this one.
I also know of people who use live sticklebacks in tanks to do Kingfishers etc.
Ever wondered how the BBC guys get some of their stuff?!
The "great " photographers of the old days used to tie chicks down in the nest to stop them wandering off ! Imagine that nowadays.
Good topic though.
Cheers
JohnR

[Colin Key]

John,

Thanks for your response. I knew that this occurred but, as I said, it was not until recently that I came to realise just how common it appears to be. It is the human act of going to a pet shop to purchase mammals (but would also include reptiles, birds and maybe other animals if I thought enough about it) with the specific intention of sacrificing their lives in order to obtain "great shots". The inevitable cruelty through pain and suffering is, to me, indefensible. And yes, I would draw the line and say that I do not have the same feelings about mealworms and other creatures of a "lower order". Two people have said to me (I am not going to name names or even the forums concerned) that they see no difference between pegging out small mammals to attract raptors, and filling a feeder with seeds, nuts and berries to attract garden birds - that is a view which I find deeply disturbing.

I personally would not and could not do this even if I was certain it would get me the shot that would earn me the title of "wildlife photographer of the year". I have no problem at all with seeing a Barn Owl or harrier catching a mouse, vole or rat but I do have a big problem with the human intervention of artificially providing living animals to achieve the same effect at close enough distances to capture it in a photograph.

The older I get the more I value life and despise cruelty and those who cause it. As an example, we are overrun with Brown Rats in S Europe and I hate them. They eat everything in sight including all the citrus fruits, the electric wiring in my car and, on one occasion one got into the house for several days and eventually ate the outlet hose on the washing machine. I shoot them or kill them with a neck-break trap, my six cats and one dog kill large numbers very efficiently and quickly. I would never consider putting down warfarin bait because this is a slow, painful and quite horrific way for anything to die. If I were to happen to capture a live rat I could not possibly peg it to the lawn with fishing line and wait with camera poised to see what might come in to kill and eat it (and this is from someone who has Black-winged Kite on his garden list but can never close enough for a photograph).

Just one man's view. I will certainly never look at some of those raptor shots again with the same degree of awe and admiration of the photographer's skills as I did in the past.

Colin :no:

[Red-eyed Video]

I'm sure this practice is far more widespread than we would like to think in the wildlife filming arena where Osprey & Sea Eagles are filmed taking fish from the water. I've often wondered if the fish, which are obviously baited are dead or just left out of water for long enough to be able to flap about on the surface to attract the subject for filming.
The worst example of baiting I've seen was in the Harpy Eagle release programme museum in Panama where we were shown a film of a Harpy taking a sloth. The official version was the cameraman was out filming sloths when a Harpy came from nowhere and grabbed the unsuspecting animal from the tree it was climbing. It was obvious the poor thing had been released onto the single bare tree near a known Harpy nest and sacrificed for the sake of a good bit of footage.

[Colin Key]

I have just unearthed a relevant thread on another prestigious forum where someone has posted a link to a video which shows a tethered deer fawn being attacked and ripped to shreds by a large owl (I have not watched this so cannot vouch for the content, or the species of deer or owl). It was clearly a "set-up" since another forum member has proudly provided a link to a different but "higher quality" sequence of video of the same event. I wonder how many people were at this obviously pre-arranged event, and were they selling tickets?

Colin :eek:

[Phil]

The practice is not confined to photography. While birding in Eilat, Israel, I came across a pigeon flapping around on the ground. I was amazed to see it was somehow pinned down with wire. I was told it this practice was carried out by the ringing[banding] group to catch birds of prey. Not something I approve of and surprised a bird study group would go to these lengths. No fun for the bird pinned out in the blazing sun and again something I`m sure would attract police charges in many countries. I also saw Sparrows being used. Perhaps someone out there can confirm or deny if this was a ringing activity.

Phil

[Colin Key]

Thanks for this input Phil, seems like everyone is "at it". I remember a few years ago some "pigeon fanciers" (can't remember where but it could have been in S Wales) being prosecuted for attempting to poison Peregrines which were killing their racing pigeons; they had taken some of their "substandard" birds, doused them with strychnine, and then cut off their legs and broken their wings and left them near a Peregrine nest.

Nice, yes?

Colin

[Nighthawk]

I'm not totally naive by any means and have thought it far too 'conveniently' amazing just how people always seem to be in the right place at the right time to get such amazing photos. I never in my wildest dreams though it to be done using anything like the methods above though! However such evil monsters can pin birds down solely to await raptors and get photos is totally beyond me! They consider themselves human beings too I suppose. Callous lot of swine! Nature seeming cruel at times is natural but all the methods above are barbaric and unnecessarily evil. I agree with your thoughts about pain and suffering wholeheartedly Colin.

[Colin Key]

Thanks for your sympathetic reply Nighthawk; I had hoped to hear opinions from more people on this topic.

I find it a very depressing aspect of the human condition. My wife has until recently owned her own advertising agency and has had dealings with many professional photographers - as she says, "the shot counts, the cost is irrelevant" which more or less sums this up.

Colin