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(not satire – it’s the UK today!)
Britain’s wealthy landowners are secretly waging war on Britain’s rarest wild birds in order to make it easier to develop land or use it for so-called ‘sports’ such as grouse shooting.
And even when they break the law they’re getting away with it.
Every year, hundreds of beautiful wild birds are killed or their eggs and nests destroyed – the majority by gamekeepers wanting to illegally rid grouse moors of potential predators on shooting estates.
And just last year, the government secretly allowed landowners to destroy eggs and nests from previously protected wild birds such as robins and starlings in order to make it easier for them to develop land.
In theory, it’s not just the gamekeeper or developer who is liable to be prosecuted if it is proven birds, eggs or nests of protected species are destroyed. The landowner is liable too.
Which is probably why the wealthiest landowners are escaping prosecution by hiding their identity behind a network of offshore registered businesses.
A gamekeeper on a shooting estate in Aberdeenshire was recently jailed for four months after being found guilty of killing a rare bird and setting traps illegally to capture others.
The wealthy landowners, however, got off scot-free because ownership of the shooting estate is hidden behind a company registered in Jersey with no named directors.
For its part, the Royal Society for Protection of Birds has been doing a sterling job trying to protect our birds from destruction in the face of outright hostility from some landowners:
Which is why the organisation has also been viciously attacked recently by some very high profile people in the press:
RSPB cleared after ‘dictatorship’ claim by Sir Ian Botham
One of Sir Ian Botham’s main businesses, incidentally, is organising commercial grouse shootings on his country estate.
Coincidence, I’m sure.
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The reason the Tories are allowing the destruction of robin eggs and nests
Complaints against the RSPB rejected
UK’s worst place for killing birds of prey
Gamekeeper George Mutch jailed for killing rare bird
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The Coalition Government Colouring and Activity Book is now available for download as a PDF and in print:
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Reblogged this on nearlydead.
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Pingback: How wealthy landowners are destroying Britain’s wild birds – and getting away with it | Alternative News Network
These people are truly dispicable – while they are destroying our wild life wholesale from hunting foxes and stags illegally, killing rare birds and their nests and eggs, to destroying habits, they are getting away with it. We know as far as hunting is concerned that seemingly the police are turning a blind eye to reports of illegal hunting even going so far as arresting peaceful sabs and monitors for fabricated offences rather than illegal hunters. We also know that even when these cases do manage to get taken up by the CPS or the Courts, more often than not they fail. Furthermore the perpetrators of these crimes are ‘bad-mouthing’ our wildlife and animal charities even going so far as to conduct a vendetta against the RSPCA in an effort to disempower it from prosecuting these criminals..What is going on in this country for heaven’s sake? Methinks we need a change of government to tighten up our laws and bring in much heavier penalties.
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Just as worrying is the annexation of the organisation by forces who’s interests are wholly at odds with its aims.
Two years ago I lost a battle with a major developer to protect a tiny but vital piece of woodland from development.
Home to thirty species of bird, several of which were listed as endangered or critical, as well as rare moths and butterflies, hedgehogs and bats, the veteran woodland should have been easily defended.
Despite several appeals for help I received no response from the RSPB.
In the end our local authority, who acted as agents for the developer throughout the process, ignored the law (national and local) and granted planning permission.
I subsequently discovered that the developer in question had entered into a major sponsorship deal with the RSPB.
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
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Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
This is a continuing scandal, and has been for a very, very long time. I remember that in the 1990s there was a series of stories about the poisoning of birds of prey on Lord McAlpin’s estate in Scotland. This went on, though nobody was ever charged for it. It was also probably coincidental that McAlpin was a prominent member of the Tories and Tory donor.
And the royals have also been involved. A hen harrier was found shot at the same time either Harry or Wills was out shooting with his friends on one of the royal estates. By the time the rozzers arrived, however, the evidence had vanished so no prosecution was possible.
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Reblogged this on Mitherings from Morningside.
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bloody foreign birds taking our native grouse habitat.
So are these off shore companies receiving the EU grant for having fallow fields? If so surely this should be stopped as they are NOT British (or even possibly EU companies). OK they may trace back to UK but why not use their tactics against them.
Not subject to our taxes etc then NOT entitled to reciprocal benefits
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Reblogged this on HUMAN RIGHTS & THE SIEGE OF BRITAIN POLITICAL JOURNAL.
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Reblogged this on HUMAN RIGHTS & THE SIEGE OF BRITAIN POLITICAL JOURNAL.
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the idea of conservation via neglect, has vanished in our manicured industrial agricultural landscape, and who are the benefactors of that? not we the people that’s for sure.. http://tlio.org.uk/welfare-reform-is-ending-the-bribe-for-the-theft-of-our-land/
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OBD – I think we agree about conservation via neglect! I’m just going for a little lie down now……
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Reblogged this on L8in.
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