Wildlife Crime Officer claims no illegal persecution on his watch?

[terry pickford]

English Hen Harrier Extinction Debate.

Please visit www.raptorpolitics.org.uk and read the Wildlife Crime Officer's comments that there is NO illegal persecution of Hen Harriers in the Forest of Bowland. His remarks are contained with the Shooting UK article, follow the enclosed link in our article. After reading both the “Hen Harrier on the Brink of Extinction” article, together with the Crime Officer’s remarks on our web’s Home Page, you are being asked to judge the evidence and make up your own minds. We urge everyone to post a comment after reading the details in our article and the remarks in the Shooting UK article made by the Wildlife Crime Officer.

[JB Kemp]

I would like to take a different look at the Hen Harrier debate. The whole controversy seems to centre mostly on an area south of an imaginary line stretching roughly from the Solway to Berwick-upon-Tweed (England). From here we constantly hear emotive words such as 'massacre', 'shooting' and 'extinction' to name a few. The impression given is that the Hen Harrier as a species is next to finished in the British Isles. This may be correct for the small population in northern England but for once can we look at the entire picture.
Recent reports on the Hen Harrier in the UK use words/phrases such as 'increasing' and 'Future Trend-stable'. It may surprise some people to learn that joint BTO/ JNCC reports on Hen Harriers in UK during 1998 mention 570 territories with an increase to 806 territories in 2004. Another report states a 41% increase between 1998-2004. Figures vary a little depending upon the source.
I mention this because the publicity/media campaign seems happy to forget about the entire UK Hen Harrier population as it strengthens their argument. I fully support a crackdown on the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers but I want to see all the data and despise the attempts at manipulation, half-truths and omissions which treats the public as fools. Crying 'wolf' too often they will only foment distrust and apathy.

[terry pickford]

I would suggest everyone should read the comment posted yesterday on the Raptor Politics web site by Brian Etheridge. Brian is one of Britain's most respected Hen Harrier Scientists. If you are not convinced by what Mr. Etheridge has to say, you never will be.