Raptor Persecution in Scotland: Challenges and Lack of Convictions

8min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

This chapter delves into the issue of raptor persecution in Scotland and the lack of significant reductions in this crime. It highlights the challenges in detecting and addressing wildlife crimes, particularly due to limited resources and lower priority for law enforcement. The chapter also introduces Mark Erinshire, the Acting Inspector of the North Yochturell Task Force, and discusses the importance of public reporting in combating raptor persecution.

In this special Age of Extinction mini-series from Science Weekly, which first aired in 2023, the Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, explores the illegal killing of birds of prey on grouse moors, and asks why it is so difficult to solve these crimes. In the third and final episode, Phoebe finds out more about the pressures that drive people to commit raptor persecution, discovers how the police investigation into the case of Susie’s crushed chicks unfolded, and how Susie, the hen harrier, is doing now. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod