| Bird Cruelty | The ten worst counties in England with confirmed crimes against birds of prey between 1995 and 2006 are as follows: - Northumberland, (41)
- Devon, (34)
- Norfolk, (30)
- North Yorkshire, (29)
- Cumbria, (29)
- Derbyshire, (24)
- Lancashire, (20)
- Nottinghamshire, (17)
- Shropshire, (16)
- Merseyside, (15)
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Despite, or perhaps because of, its rural nature Devon has just been named and shamed by the RSPB for its record of bird cruelty. The information about Devon's embarrasing record came out in a report by the RSPB, which coincided with the launch of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, based in Edinburgh. Information extracted from the RSPB crime database shows that between 1995 and 2006 there were 1,113 confirmed persecution incidents against birds of prey in the UK. Scotland had the highest total of recorded incidents with 494, while England suffered 454 incidents. Wales and Northern Ireland recorded 142 and 23 incidents respectively.
 | | A Red Kite |
Only Northumberland were worse than Devon in the placings and the RSPB鈥檚 director of conservation, Dr Mark Avery has admitted it's currently causing problems in their conservation efforts. "Persecution of birds of prey is holding back the recovery of several species," he said. "Peregrines, hen harriers and red kites are all too frequently the victims of illegal persecution and we welcome the creation of National Wildlife Crime Unit and hope that it will finally stamp out those crimes which were outlawed decades ago." Devon has had a reputation as a centre of bird crime, highlighted last year by the poisoning of peregrine falcons in South Devon. However, Devon's high number of incidents could partly be down to the positive working relationship between Devon and Cornwall Police and the conservation charity. The RSPB worked closely with local wildlife crime officers on last year鈥檚 incidents in South Devon and on follow-up initiatives to raise public awareness of the issue.
 | | A Hen Harrier on the hunt |
"We were very impressed with the police initiative to track down the perpetrators of the peregrine poisoning," said RSPB conservation officer, Chris Townend. "Sadly, 'Operation Speckled Jim' didn鈥檛 lead us to the culprits, but it showed how seriously Devon and Cornwall Police take wildlife crime." Buzzards are also a prime target for bird criminals in Devon, with several shooting incidents being recorded. "The trouble is there are some people out there who will mindlessly take pot shots at these magnificent birds," said Chris. "Often just because they are large and visible and an easy target - but it is absolutely sickening that it still goes on." | 
