The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
FURY OVER GULL CAUGHT IN ILLEGAL TRAP
Wildlife: Gull had to be put down after being caught in cruel device
Callous criminals have set traps to catch and kill some of Scotland’s most iconic birds of prey on a shooting estate bordering the Queen’s Deeside summer retreat.
A common gull had to be put down after being found by two walkers snared in the Cairngorm National Park.
A dead rabbit had been used as bait, and last night RSPB Scotland investigators said they had found evidence of eight more spring traps at Geallaig Hill on the Invercauld Estate near Ballater.
They were attached to stakes and also baited with dead animals.
The RSPB said the gull was not the intended victim of the trap – and that it was “almost certainly targeting birds of prey”.
The charity – which has contacted the police – said golden eagles, red kites and hen harriers were all “at serious risk” from the devices.
Last night, a spokesman for Invercauld Estate stressed that police searches had uncovered no evidence of illegal activity on its part. Three dead gull chicks, which are believed to have starved to death, were found close to where the adult bird was discovered.
Hen harriers and golden eagles are all known to nest in the eastern Cairngorms.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said the find was evidence that raptor persecution was still taking place in Aberdeenshire.
He added: “We obviously don’t have any idea how long this trapping operation had gone on.
“There is a fairly high likelihood that the gull trapped was not the first victim, they were only discovered by sheer luck.
“These are remote areas seldom accessed by members of the public. We don’t know whether we are detecting 5% or 95% of incidents in a given year.
“I am not going to point fingers at any individual or group of individuals but this is going on and on. And over 80% of raptor persecution between 1994 and 2014 was on land managed for game bird shooting.” Peter Argyle – convener of the Cairngorm National Park Authority (CNPA) and Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor – said: “The park are very concerned that it appears to be an instance of raptor persecution within the national park. We have had a number of instances in the eastern Cairngorms of raptors being shot, trapped or poisoned.
“I know the Scottish Government is looking at it very seriously.”
A spokesman for Invercauld Estate said: “We have spoken to the police who we understand searched the site and we have also undertaken our own internal investigation. We understand the police did not find evidence of illegal activity and our own inquiry has led to a similar conclusion. Nevertheless, we are extremely concerned by the allegations made in the RSPB press release and condemn outright any unlawful activity.”
Police have urged anyone with information to contact them on 101.
It is embarrassing and worrying that as one country estate celebrated the arrival of hen harrier chicks, illicit raptor traps were discovered on neighbouring land within Cairngorm National Park.
Nine spring traps strung out across more than 600ft of moorland at Invercauld Estate, near Ballater, have caused widespread concern. The Invercauld Estate, which borders the Queen’s Scottish home at Balmoral, immediately denied any involvement.
Tensions in the countryside over some of Scotland’s most iconic wild birds, such as golden eagles, are never far from the surface. Legally-endorsed culling is one thing, but cruel and illegal actions are intolerable.