Buzzard’s attackers ‘will face toughest sanctions’

A SENIOR police officer has warned that anyone found guilty of persecuting wildlife will face tough sanctions after a buzzard has become the latest bird of prey to be targeted in North Yorkshire.

The buzzard was found injured near Shipton Grange, close to Shipton-by-Beningbrough, and xrays later showed that it had been shot.

The male bird was found by a farmer who called the RSPCA and the charity’s Inspector Claire Mitchell collected the buzzard before it was taken for medical treatment.

North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force Inspector, Matt Hagen, said: “This is yet another despicable act of someone deliberately injuring a bird of prey in our county. I would urge anyone who has any information about this incident or might have seen anything which could help our investigation to please get in touch with us.

“North Yorkshire should be a haven for wildlife and we will do everything in our power to ensure we deal with the individuals who target our birds of prey in this way.”

The x-rays showed the buzzard, which was found injured on March 29, contained five pieces of shot, with two pieces in one of its feet, another in a leg and two pieces in a wing. The bird is now being cared for at a wildlife centre and will be released back into the wild once it has recovered.

A study by the RSPB last year revealed North Yorkshire was the worst blackspot in the country for persecutions of birds of prey.

The county accounted for more than 10 per cent of the 1,242 incidents nationally during the 200718 financial year, with 132 cases.

Anyone with information about the latest incident is asked to call police on the non-emergency number of 101.