Raptor persecution

[2] Understanding and suppressing raptor persecution is complex, because the reasons behind it are shaped by local, cultural and historic conditions.

[4] Campaigning groups in Germany have identified hunting and poaching hotspots on migratory routes across the continent.

[6] Birds of prey are protected species in the United Kingdom, and criminal offences against them are covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

But it is a crime that is difficult to monitor, due to the remoteness of many of the areas in which the birds live and cultural and social pressures in certain sectors of the rural community which discourage reporting.

[7] Incidents of egg thefts and illegal killings of birds of prey, including red kites, peregrine falcons and barn owls, increased in England during the lockdown periods of the COVID-19 pandemic as the absence of the public emboldened gamekeepers and miscreants.

[24] In June 2023 the Guardian newspaper published details of raptor persecution allegations pertaining to the Royal estate at Sandringham.