BirdWatch Ireland welcomes the three-month suspended prison sentence handed down to an individual for the possession of two dead Buzzards. In this case the Buzzards, which were shot using highly poisonous lead ammunition, were strung out onto posts on a farm, and displayed in a cruel and callous way.
The dedicated work done by the National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers to secure the conviction was central to this result and we thank them.
John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer at BirdWatch Ireland, said “This was a heinous wildlife crime where two beautiful Buzzards were shot and then hung out on posts wings outstretched. It is welcome to see the harder line being taken to address wildlife crime and we thank the Minister for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, for giving it much needed focus. A clear strategy and sufficient resources for the new Wildlife Crime Unit and the ranger network to ensure that wildlife crime is stamped out and perpetrators are brought to justice is needed”.
Notes: More information about Buzzards can be found here https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/buzzard/
