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Gamekeepers, a law into themselves?

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gamekeepers pest controllers wear masks as part of their camouflage when dealing with pests.   I was under the impression that the suspected vandals were people... so no need for masks unless they are up to no good.  people wearing a hoodie are not even allowed to walk through some shops

 

the masked people we see on tv everyday are almost always terrorists i will therefore consider any masked people that i see to be terrorists if they approach me  they will be ignored and if they touch or obstruct me i will defend myself as though they are terrorists.

 

 

 

 

the question of the traps... ... .larson traps were mentioned..  and the question of them being there should be the first thing raised... are there to help control vermin or magpies then their deployment is justifiable but i imagine not in public spaces.     magpies which organ ise themselves and hunt in groups are i'm told largely responsible for the reduction in numbers of nearly all the smaller bird species.  so naturalists what do you want...  diversity of wildlife or just mobs of maggies.

 

if justified and on private land the terrorist thug looking types were right to contact the police and it would appear the the naturists claiming to be do-gooders were in fact suspected of having caused malicious damage and were attempting to flee ( walking away is fleeing) the scene in which case the apparent terrorists were possibly justified in trying to prevent the fleeing of  the 'do-gooders' if they had been advised that they the apparent terrorists were carrying out a citizens arrest.

 

all gets quite complicated especially when we do not have all the facts

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On 28/02/2019 at 18:53, Alsone said:

Yes it is only a few rogue individuals and organisations such as the BASC don't support it and enlist their members to try to bring those involved in any crime to book:

Well, this paper disagrees:-

 

https://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/BB-Raptor-persecution.pdf

 

It says the killing of raptors in the Dark Peak area by gamekeepers / grouse shooting estates is "systematic":-

 

"the spread of systematic persecution was evident in the stronghold of the Upper Derwent Valley"

 

and "routine":-

 

"the only plausible explanation for our results is that Goshawkand Peregrines are routinely killed illegally and their nests destroyed in the Dark Peak"

 

and that self-regulation by organisations such as BASC doesn't work:-

 

"the Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative (2011), led by the National Park Authority and consisting of partners from both the conservation and the shooting worlds, failed to reach any of its targets in each of its six years of existence. In short, self-regulation seems impossible, the persecution is intensive and the statutory bodies seem powerless. "

 

BASC may declare its opposition to illegal killing, but it has shown itself to be intransigent and unwilling to work with other stakeholders except on its own terms.  Fine words butter no parsnips.

 

 

 

 

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Birdwatchers confronted by masked men

22 February, 201925 February, 2019

On Tuesday evening two birdwatchers were confronted by masked men on Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust’s Wyming Brook nature reserve.

George Taylor and his girlfriend, both keen volunteers and supporters of the Trust, were returning from one of their regular walks through the reserve leading up to open access land at Ash Cabin flat, when they were met by men in balaclavas and camouflage gear who were blocking the car park exit and preventing them from leaving.

Liz Ballard, Chief Executive of Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, said:

“This must have been a frightening experience for George and his girlfriend, and certainly not what they expected at the end of an evening walk through through this beautiful reserve.”

The Trust understands the masked men were gamekeepers from the nearby Moscar Estate working with the police, who arrived to question and search George and his girlfriend. The police officer referred to some video footage and told them they were both suspected of snare tampering. In the end there was no such footage, or evidence of any kind, not even a damaged snare.

Liz Ballard with George Taylor at Wyming Brook nature reserve Liz Ballard with George Taylor at Wyming Brook nature reserve

As a result George has complained to South Yorkshire Police. The Trust understands from George that a Sergeant has since apologised on behalf of South Yorkshire Police for how they treated George and his girlfriend, stating that the officers involved were not trained wildlife crime officers and were out of their depth in dealing with something of this nature. From the apology that George has received from the police, it appears that his complaint was fully justified. There are still a number of unanswered questions that George is pursuing.

Liz Ballard added:

“We welcome the fact that South Yorkshire Police are taking such a proactive approach to ‘rural crime’ issues, it is something we ourselves have been calling for. However, it is disappointing to hear the full account as to how the police approached this situation. Officers need to be well trained in this area of law and consider the evidence before the accusation.”

We hope that South Yorkshire Police will be equally proactive in dealing with illegal snare setting. We would welcome the opportunity to work with the police and help bring the perpetrators of wildlife crime to justice as well as raise the public’s awareness of wildlife law. We are seeking the opportunity to discuss this with South Yorkshire Police wildlife crime officers.

Liz added:

“We really want to encourage people to continue to come and visit Wyming Brook Nature Reserve and help us look after this special place for wildlife”

We also want to be clear: Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust does not condone people tampering with, cutting or removing snares. This is against the law and criminal damage. Please don’t do it. If you do suspect an illegal snare has been set, then take a picture, with GPS and a date stamp, possibly even measure the height off the ground and then report it to the police, and share it with the Trust by emailing takeaction@wildsheffield.com. Please visit birdersagainst.org/rrr for more information about the best way to report wildlife crime.

There are some good examples of estates where land managers are trying to work with nature, such as the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate, who are improving habitat for golden plover. However, elsewhere, estates are intensively using snares and stink pits, often to the apparent detriment of non-target species. The Trust is firmly against the excessive use of snares and stink pints. We are concerned that snares and traps may be being set for badgers and affecting non-target species such as mountain hare. We believe stink pits should be banned and snares controlled as they are in Scotland. We call on these estates to consider alternative approaches to managing these internationally important moorlands for wildlife in the National Park. For more information about our campaign on this issue visit wildsheffield.com/campaign/our-moors

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Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust

Working towards a better future for wildlife, people and the green spaces we all rely on.
 

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A game keeper at Cresswell ,Whitwell area threatened to shoot or poison my old dog even though we were walking on a public path  ,the dog would never leave my side.

His boss who owned the land also threatened us ,The buzzards that had been nesting in the area mysteriously disappeared one spring ,when asked what had happened is reply was "don't know and don't care".

They even approached theCountry path way inspectors and asked them what they were doing on their land even though the inspectors were on the same paths as I have mentioned .

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I very much doubt that anything would be done if the gamekeepers had broken the law, even with the police present. Landowners have the police and the judiciary in their pockets.

A few years ago, Barlow hunt hounds ripped an alpaca to pieces. The thread on SF was mysteriously stopped and if you search the Sheffield Star, you'll find no mention of it.

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16 hours ago, melv said:

I very much doubt that anything would be done if the gamekeepers had broken the law, even with the police present. Landowners have the police and the judiciary in their pockets.

A few years ago, Barlow hunt hounds ripped an alpaca to pieces. The thread on SF was mysteriously stopped and if you search the Sheffield Star, you'll find no mention of it.

disappearing news/information  other than being surprising is more or less what i have come to expect.   far too many odd things especially in the countryside take place without apparent media interest.

 

one minute a small resevoir is a place of outstanding beauty and a nature reserve next minute its gone and yet some summers we are short of water..  where is the sense in that?   and that has happened quite few times around sheffield and derbyshire

 

but the management of the bits ofcountryside that largely depend on shoots to stay in business are the reason the countryside has its present appearance.  so put up with the actions of those disturbed people that kill for pleasure or watch as braken takes over, and all the arguably ill-effects of that

 

and do not forget that it is true many of the birds that are shot ( and no  don't agree with it) would never have lived were it not for the shooting and the protection they are given prior to that

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