A total of 34 birds of
prey were poisoned or shot across Ireland including
Donegal last year, new figures show.
The report shows that the common buzzard was the
most frequently targeted bird followed by the
peregrine falcon and the sparrowhawk. Kestrels;
white-tailed sea eagles, red kites and barn owls
were also high on the hit list, according to the
report from the National Parks and Wildlife Service
(NPWS).
There were three confirmed reports in Donegal in
2014 including a buzzard which had been lured by
sheep carcass bait in January; a poisoned domestic
duck found as bait in a tree in May and a poisoned
kestrel found in June.
The NPWS report notes that the number of recorded
incidents is likely "only a fraction" of what is
actually happening across the country.
The statistics are from the fourth annual report
from the Recording and Addressing Persecution to our
Raptors (RAPTOR) scheme.
The data was drawn from analysis of samples by the
Department of Agriculture's regional veterinary
laboratories and the State Laboratory.
It shows that of the 29 cases involving poisoning,
11 were lured by poisoned meat baits including
pigeon and chicken. The report also notes that in 13
incidents, the poisoning of protected wild birds was
most likely not intentional, occurring after a bird
ingested prey such as rats that had ingested poison.
Illegal persecution of birds can also include nest
destruction or setting traps.
Meanwhile, there were five separate incidents where
birds of prey were shot while a number of
unconfirmed incidents were also noted.
Last year's figures were the highest since the
RAPTOR monitoring scheme began in 2011. They
represent a 100% increase on the 17 incidents noted
in 2012. |
