Lancashire Police are appealing for information after the sudden
‘disappearance’ of a satellite-tagged hen harrier earlier this month.
This was posted on the Lancashire Rural Police Facebook page yesterday:
‘Following information being received that a sat tagged hen
harrier had gone missing, and the tag suffering catastrophic failure, we
have been working with our colleagues in the National Wildlife Crime
Unit to try to locate the bird.
Today we have conducted a section 19 search, utilising tracking
equipment, where the harrier was last known to be, this was in the
Mallowdale area near to Kirkby Lonsdale.
Unfortunately we were not successful in locating the bird, which
went missing over the 4th and 5th May, we are asking for anyone who has
any information to contact Lancashire Police Rural Crime Task force via
101 or email RuralTaskForce@lancashire.police.uk and quote log number
LC-20230516-0307‘.
There aren’t yet any further details about which hen harrier this is.
The harrier ‘disappeared’ the same day that the RSPB announced that
20 hen harriers had ‘vanished’ in the last year alone, most of them on
grouse moors (here)
and the day before Natural England described the mutilation of another
hen harrier, whose leg and head had been ripped off whilst the bird was
still alive (here).
The latest disappearance took place a week before the RSPB published a
new scientific paper which confirms the ongoing and illegal killing of
hen harriers on UK grouse moors (see here).
The latest ‘disappearance’ also coincided with Natural England’s
announcement that the five-year hen harrier brood meddling ‘trial’
(conservation sham) is set to continue for a further five years (here),
despite knowing that at least 92 hen harriers have been confirmed
killed or have ‘disappeared’ since the ‘trial’ began in 2018 (here).
Now there’s yet another one to add to the list. This is the 8th hen
harrier to ‘vanish’ since the start of this year, and it’s still only
May.
How many more?
UPDATE 19th May 2023: The Forest of Bowland AONB posted the following on its website yesterday:
Yesterday, Lancashire Police’s Rural Crime Taskforce reported the
disappearance of a satellite-tagged hen harrier in the Forest of Bowland
AONB.
The bird went missing, with the tag suffering catastrophic failure,
over 4th/ 5th May in Mallowdale, an area of moorland to the south of the
village of Wray. The Rural Taskforce and National Wildlife Crime Unit
have since carried out a search of the area but have been unsuccessful
in locating the missing bird.
Lancashire Police have issued an appeal to the public for
information. Please contact the Rural Crime Taskforce via 101 or email RuralTaskForce@lancashire.police.uk and quote log number LC-20230516-0307.
Elliott Lorimer, Forest of Bowland AONB Partnership Manager commented:
“The disappearance and failure of this satellite tagged Hen
harrier is very concerning. The Forest of Bowland is often considered a
stronghold for this protected species, with conservation efforts in the
area aiding the recovery of this threatened bird. So, any loss in such
circumstances is particularly upsetting. I would strongly urge members
of the public to contact Lancashire Police if they have any information
that could relate to the disappearance of this bird.”
