Call to jail bird killers after rare falcon is shot

A RARE peregrine falcon has been shot dead, prompting calls from a wildlife expert for jail sentences to protect the birds.

The male, which was four years old and ringed, was one of a pair living high up on a 19th-century mill in the town of Belper, Derbyshire.

It was taken to a local vet on Wednesday after being found injured with two shotgun pellets in its body.

On Thursday, one of the lead pellets was successfully removed but the bird died following surgery to remove the second.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust official Tim Birch said: “This is the only place where you can get so close to these amazing peregrines.

“Hundreds of people would come to watch them fly. This will affect them and many will be devastated.

“We need jail sentences for this type of offence because it is so important to protect the natural world. It is like shooting an elephant in Africa.”

The bird and its mate lived in the town for over a decade and the female may be due to lay eggs. But experts say it needs a mate to help hunt food to feed any fledglings.

Derbyshire Police are investigating the incident but no arrests have been made.

The UK has just 1,500 breeding pairs of peregrines, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Mr Birch said there were reports of peregrines being targeted by gamekeepers because they take grouse.

“The law is really, really clear,” he said. “It is a serious criminal offence to shoot and injure a wild peregrine.”