Report into bird deaths highlights need for Wildlife Crime Unit - Social Democrats

A recent report detailing the harm done to birds of prey “highlights the urgency for the establishment of a Wildlife Crime Unit” according to the Social Democrats.

As AgriLand reported this week, the use of poison accounted for 71.5% of illegal incidents that impacted raptors since 2007, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) review of incidents that have been recorded to impact native Irish birds of prey between 2007 and 2019.

Social Democrats spokesperson on climate action Jennifer Whitmore said that the report, in detailing the “deliberate killing of hundreds of birds of prey”, highlights the urgency for the establishment of a Wildlife Crime Unit.

Minister of State Malcolm Noonan said he intends to pursue the establishment of a Wildlife Crime Unit next year. Under the remit of the NPWS, the aim of the unit will be to tackle wildlife crime, including illegal hunting.

Commenting, deputy Whitmore said:

“The report revealed that the vast majority of Ireland’s birds of prey killed by human attacks or other activity were poisoned. It found that over 300 were found to have been poisoned or suffered some form of unnatural death between 2007 and 2019.

This illustrates how important it is to have a dedicated crime unit in this area. Incidents where animals have been targeted have been recorded in all parts of Ireland but prosecution levels have been extremely low.

“There were 338 incidents confirmed and recorded on the RAPTOR database during the period concerned – which is unacceptably high.”

She has also urged Minister Noonan to ensure that the unit is “adequately resourced so it can carry out its remit in an effective manner”.

“It will hopefully lead to an increase in the prosecution of cases and act as a deterrent to repeat offenders who are involved in crimes against animals.”

RAPTOR review

The NPWS review, called Recording and Addressing Persecution and Threats to Our Raptors (RAPTOR), showed that between 2007 and 2019, 199 incidents of that could be termed ‘illegal’ (involving direct persecution or misuse of poisons) were recorded.

Poison incidents (involving poisoned meat bait or illegal poisons) accounted for 71.5% of such cases, while shootings accounted for 28% and trapping/mutilation accounted for 0.5% of such cases.

A total of 392 individual animals were impacted by such incidents, including a total of 164 birds of prey.

Poison and persecution incidents have been recorded in every county, with particular blackspots in the east and south-west.

The highest number of incidents in any 10km grid square was in north Co. Dublin, primarily involving birds of prey that had died with rodenticides in their systems, while a specific area in Co. Laois with 10 incidents had a number of birds of prey illegally targeted for persecution. Co. Wicklow had the highest number of incidents for any county, followed by counties Tipperary, Kerry, Dublin and Cork.

In total, poisons were detected in a total of 197 incidents, involving a total of 510 individual animals killed or injured (including raptors, other animals and domestic animals).

A total of 12 different types of poison were detected and their prevalence. Poisons were regularly found acting in tandem, particularly in the case of rodenticides.