LEGAL EAGLE. New wildlife law bites. The RSPB s investigations newsletter. OCTOBER 2003 No 38. Page 2 Gamekeeper narrowly avoids jail

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1 LEGAL EAGLE The RSPB s investigations newsletter Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) Page 2 Gamekeeper narrowly avoids jail New Scottish legislation promises better protection for Scotland s birds, such as the white-tailed eagle New wildlife law bites Page 5 Registration scheme proves its worth Page 10 Moth case leads to law change OCTOBER 2003 No 38 The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 was given Royal Assent On 26 March 2003, reflecting how seriously such crime is viewed by members of Scottish Parliament.The Act is the result of years of work that included data collection, lobbying parliament and presenting evidence to government committees. Most of that work was done by the RSPB and police wildlife liaison officers (WLOs), through the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS). The impetus for these changes was a number of court cases that failed because the hard work of those involved in the criminal justice system in Scotland was undermined by inadequate legislation. As expected, the new powers available to police were used soon after Royal Assent was given. Within a week, a gamekeeper in the Stranraer area became the first person to be arrested and detained over alleged bird of prey poisoning offences. To date, six people (all gamekeepers) have been detained and interviewed by the police about alleged offences involving the destruction of birds of prey in Scotland. Destruction of birds of prey and their nests is the most commonly-reported crime against wild birds in Scotland and we hope that the new powers will deter potential criminals. The continued poisoning of red kites and white-tailed eagles in Scotland in 2003 underlines the urgent need for action. Egg theft in Scotland is at an all-time low. We believe that this reflects the deterrent effect of the CRoW Act amendments to the Wildlife and Countryside Act in England and Wales. The growing number of jail sentences imposed on egg thieves south of the border often for possession of eggs taken in Scotland seems to be having a major impact. We hope that the new Scottish legislation will strengthen the deterrent effect in this country, too (see page 7). A Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill has been announced to further strengthen the Wildlife and Countryside Act and Scottish wildlife legislation. We expect this to be introduced to the Scottish Parliament soon. There has been wide consultation on the Bill and we hope that it will enjoy the same almost unanimous backing as did the Criminal Justice Act.

2 PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS Gamekeeper narrowly avoids jail Inspector Nevin Hunter, Devon and Cornwall Police WLO, reports on a case involving the illegal use of pesticides. Having received allegations about the illegal use of pesticides on the Oakford shoot near Tiverton in Devon, Devon and Cornwall Police with officers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the RSPB and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals executed several search warrants on the estate in September Guy Shorrock (RSPB) Guy Shorrock (RSPB) Three containers of pesticides and two syringes were found in a pick-up truck belonging to head gamekeeper, Alan Hetherington. He had tried to hide these before we searched the vehicle. Analysis confirmed that the pesticides were carbofuran and bromadiolone. Carbofuran is the most regularly abused pesticide for the illegal poisoning of birds of prey. It was withdrawn from use in June 2001 and it is now illegal to store it. The syringes contained traces of the same pesticides, as well as warfarin. We found a number of other pesticides in a storage barn. These included an agricultural pesticide that is no longer approved for use. Of particular concern was a cache of Yaltox (containing the Charlie Wilson from DEFRA with the cache of Yaltox hidden in the woods active ingredient carbofuran), which we found in a box buried in woodland near the storage barn. Hetherington admitted placing the box there. We searched several pheasant release pens, assisted by air support from the force helicopter. In two pens, we found a dead pheasant poult laid out as poison bait. It had been injected with the same pesticides found in the syringes in Hetherington s vehicle. Our investigation identified a systematic and deliberate campaign to poison birds of prey. Hetherington denied any involvement, claiming that he had been set up by anti-shooting campaigners. Further enquiries showed that he was also using legitimate pesticides without proper training and failing to maintain the necessary records. Hetherington was prosecuted at Exeter Magistrates Court on 15 July He pleaded guilty to nine charges relating to the illegal use of poison. Six of these were brought under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, two under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and one under the Protection of Animals Act The magistrates said they were considering a custodial sentence and adjourned the case pending further reports. They also stated how seriously they viewed Hetherington s offences. However, at the sentencing hearing Hetherington received 240 hours community service and was ordered to pay costs of 250. Hetherington (right) being questioned about his illegal cache of Yaltox by Sgt Knight from Devon and Cornwall Police Unusually, Hetherington was dismissed from his employment and we hope that other shooting estates will consider similar action if staff are convicted of serious wildlife offences. 2

3 PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS Fined for possessing shot hobby Guy Shorrock (RSPB) Merseyside WLO Andy McWilliam reports on another successful wild bird prosecution. Courtesy of Merseyside Police While attending an incident at the home address of David Green, in Rawson Road, Seaforth, Merseyside, PC Hamish Rawcliffe noticed a stuffed bird of prey. I accompanied him to the address two days later and identified the bird as a hobby that appeared to have been shot. Green was arrested on 18 March 2003 for possessing a Schedule 1 bird. He admitted ownership of David Green was fined for possession of a shot hobby the hobby and said that he knew it had been shot. He denied having shot the bird and claimed that it had been given to him. Green did not meet the criteria for a caution, so he was charged with the offence. He pleaded guilty at South Sefton Magistrates Court on 24 March 2003 and was fined 100 plus 60 costs. The bird was confiscated. Durham Police and the RSPB seizing a pole-trap from the Croglin Estate Pole-traps and pesticides An innovative use of DNA testing has helped to convict two gamekeepers of the use of a pole-trap and the killing of a short-eared owl. Head keeper David Dixon and underkeeper Ian Joseph Smith, of the Croglin Estate, Stanhope in County Durham, pleaded guilty at Bishop Auckland Magistrates Court on 12 May 2003 to using a pole-trap and the possession and killing of a short-eared owl. They also admitted three offences, each contrary to the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA), relating to improper storage and use of the pesticide Cymag. They were fined 1,270, including costs. Their employer, Croglin Estates Ltd, pleaded guilty to five offences under FEPA, relating to the failure to ensure that pesticides were safely used and stored by Dixon and Smith. It was fined 10,210. The court heard that in May 2000, a walker found a pole-trap set on a grouse moor managed by Croglin Estates. Pole-traps were historically used for killing birds of prey. It has been illegal to use them since 1904, but they are still found on occasions. The trap was removed and the RSPB contacted. A site visit indicated that an owl had already been caught. In 2002, another pole-trap was found set in the same location. On both occasions, a hen harrier was seen in the area and it was suspected that this species was the target. In April 2002, following observations by the RSPB, Dixon and Smith were filmed resetting the trap, and Dixon was seen hiding an object on the moor. The corpse of a short-eared owl was later found buried in the peat. The trap was seized and traces of feathers and blood were found on it. Forensic testing by the Central Science Laboratory confirmed that they contained the DNA of a shorteared owl. We believe this to be the first time that DNA testing has been used on an illegal trap. Dixon and Smith were arrested on suspicion of attempting to take a hen harrier. This was the first arrest of a gamekeeper under new police powers brought in by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act Smith said he was trying to catch a corvid and Dixon denied any involvement. A container of the fumigant pesticide Cymag was found in Smith s vehicle. There was no safe pesticide store available and enquiries revealed that Smith and Dixon had committed offences in relation to this product. Croglin Estates Ltd had failed, on a number of counts, to ensure that both men had used and stored pesticides safely. In sentencing, the district judge, Mr Kitson, said that the employer must accept the main responsibility for health and safety issues. The RSPB would like to thank PC Peter Gowland of Durham Police and Bill Brabban of the Crown Prosecution Service for their help with this case. 3

4 PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS Court ruling on Larsen trap Phil Wilson, from the RSPCA s prosecutions department, reports on how a district judge s ruling on a case involving cruelty and a Larsen trap was overturned by the High Court. Courtesy of the RSPCA RSPCA Inspector Nayman Dunderdale visited Norman Shinton from Mendip Close, Little Dawley in Telford, in Shinton was using a Larsen trap to catch magpies in his garden, in order to protect songbirds. A live magpie had been confined in the trap as a decoy throughout its use. We seized the bird and trap. The magpie s feathers were covered with a dirty, greasy film; it had broken primary feathers on both wings, 90 per cent of the feather vanes were disrupted and it had two broken claws. The Larsen trap involved in the court ruling The bird s poor condition was consistent with confinement over a period of weeks. The RSPCA served summonses on Shinton for offences contrary to the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act Shinton s defence relied on the decision reached in Barnard-v-Evans (1925) which concluded that causing unnecessary suffering means doing something that is not reasonably necessary to do and which is not justified. On 8 April 2002, the District Judge, Philip Browning, dismissed the charges. Because the use of the Larsen trap in this case was lawful, it was argued that the suffering endured by this bird was a necessary part of that lawful activity. The RSPCA appealed against this decision on a point of law. The appeal was heard at The High Court of Justice at The Strand in London on 30 June In giving his judgement, Mr Justice Leveson said, I do not accept that the fact that the trap was being used lawfully means that this does not constitute an offence under the 1911 Act. He concluded that the District Judge was in error when he dismissed the charge under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 offence. This case highlights the need for all those using Larsen traps to ensure that they meet the welfare needs of the decoy bird. Search nets a wild bird trapper Daniel Amos, of Norfolk Avenue, Tottenham, London, appeared at Enfield Magistrates Court on 28 April Police had been called to investigate reports of an old man hiding in scrub by a roadside and found Amos watching a netted area that was baited with seed. They also found many wild birds in cages at his home address. Amos pleaded guilty to five charges relating to the taking and possession of wild birds. He was fined 500 and ordered by the court to pay 200 costs arising from the case. 4

5 PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS Registration proves its worth to police again PC Dave Cove, WLO for the Metropolitan Police, reports on a recent case involving a failure to register Schedule 4 birds. In May 2002, DEFRA contacted the Metropolitan Police over concerns that Basheer Kielaney, of Norman Way, Acton in London, had failed to register several Schedule 4 birds. Kielaney had ignored letters sent by DEFRA for more than 12 months. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Police In June, we executed a warrant and found a peregrine and a gyr/saker hybrid both unregistered in an aviary. When interviewed, Kielaney admitted that the two birds were unregistered. He produced documentation for two other peregrines and two hybrid falcons which, he claimed, had either escaped or died as a result of fighting. Kielaney was summoned for six registration offences and several cruelty offences. One of the birds discovered by police at Kielaney s home On 16 April 2003 at Ealing Magistrates Court, Kielaney pleaded guilty to four registration offences. He was fined 100 for each offence and ordered to pay veterinary costs of 383. The two birds seized from his address were forfeited. These offences would not have come to light without the current registration scheme. It is also worth noting that intelligence about the passing of birds to the UAE and a number of offences relating to keepers of birds of prey in the north of England and Wales was gathered during the case. Mike Read (rspb-images.com) A peregrine in the wild and again Merseyside WLO Andy McWilliam reports on another offence that may never have come to light but for the Bird Registration Scheme. In July 2002, Wesley Muat, from Mardale Road in Liverpool, advertised a pair of breeding peregrines for sale in Cage and Aviary Birds magazine. James Dobbie, from Craignethan Crescent, Netherburn, Larkhall, Scotland, answered the advert and purchased the birds. When Dobbie applied to register the birds with DEFRA, it became apparent that one of the birds was wild-disabled and not covered by an Article 10 certificate. I arrested Muat for selling a Schedule 1 wild bird. Strathclyde WLO Phil Briggs and RSPB Investigations Officer Dave Dick interviewed Dobbie, and the peregrine was seized. Muat and Dobbie admitted that there was no Article 10 certificate for the bird and were charged with the sale of and the purchase of an Annex A specimen respectively. These are offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 (COTES). Both pleaded guilty at separate hearings at Huyton Magistrates Court in Merseyside. Muat was sentenced to a 100-hour community punishment order and ordered to pay costs of 55 on 7 March Dobbie was fined 250 and ordered to pay 55 costs on 22 May 2003, and a confiscation order was made for the peregrine. 5

6 PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS PROSECUTIONS Pesticides seized after Cheshire red kite poisoning Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) Cheshire Police, Derbyshire Police, DEFRA (Rural Development Service) and the RSPB searched outbuildings at two premises, following the discovery of a poisoned red kite near the Cat and Fiddle public house on the moors above Macclesfield in March The kite had been poisoned by the banned pesticide carbofuran. A number of pesticides were seized for analysis by DEFRA from outbuildings at a farm near Buxton, although none were believed to include carbofuran. The RSPB is concerned about bird of prey persecution in the area following the kite death and the desertion of a hen harrier nest in suspicious circumstances. A fresh shotgun cartridge was found at the nest following the disappearance of the female bird. Poisoning of red kite led to search David Kjaer (rspb-images.com) A yellow wagtail was among birds discovered at the premises of Philip Vellas Court slaps 10-year ban on collector A Berkshire man who was caught trapping wild birds by the RSPCA has been banned from keeping any bird for 10 years. Philip Vellas, of Powney Road in Maidenhead, was seen putting out traps for wild birds on farmland. When the RSPCA and Thames Valley Police raided his premises in September 2001, they found cages and aviaries containing about 200 native British birds. These included dunnocks, redstarts, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, willow warblers, whitethroats, yellow wagtails, wrens, long-tailed tits and some of the more usual finches, buntings and thrushes. Vellas pleaded guilty to 11 charges relating to the trapping of wild birds. He was also found guilty on 21 further charges involving possession of wild birds and cruelty offences, to which he had entered not guilty pleas. On 13 June 2003, Bracknell magistrates sentenced him to a 220-hour community punishment order and banned him from keeping birds for 10 years. All the birds were forfeited and he was ordered to pay 5,000 costs. Vellas has now lodged an appeal. 6

7 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS Peregrines under pressure The hen harrier is the UK s most persecuted bird of prey, but we shouldn t let the resulting publicity hide the fact that the more widely distributed peregrine also suffers at the hands of persecutors, bird of prey keepers and egg collectors. Birdcrime 2002 showed that: eight (25%) of the 32 birds of prey shot or trapped were peregrines three (43%) of the seven bird of prey nest destruction incidents involved peregrines eight (24%) of the 33 birds of prey found poisoned were peregrines 21 (66%) of 32 bird of prey nest thefts involved peregrines (the 2003 data is similar, with 13 (59%) of 22 bird of prey nest robberies involving peregrines). Why are so many peregrine nests robbed each year? The peregrine has always held a special attraction for egg collectors and bird of prey keepers. The awarding of custodial sentences to egg collectors since the introduction of the Peregrines are suffering badly at the hands of persecutors Countryside and Rights of Way Act in 2000 seems to have reduced the level of egg collecting. However, thefts from peregrine nests remain at an unacceptable level. If egg collectors are not responsible for these robberies, then perhaps there is an increasing problem with those wanting to keep peregrines in captivity Egg collecting trends or those who sell wild-taken birds under the guise of having been captive-bred. Registration and DNA testing will be essential tools in reducing the persecution of a species that is still in demand by falconers across Europe and one that we have an international responsibility to protect. Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) Number of incidents Year Source: RSPB species protection database Since the introduction of the CRoW in 2000 and the issuing of prison sentences to six egg collectors, there has been a decline in the number of reported egg collecting incidents, suggesting that the CRoW provisions are having a deterrent effect on egg collectors. However, there are worrying indications that egg collectors are going abroad to take wild birds eggs where the legislation is not as strong nor the enforcement as thorough. The legislation in the UK does not allow any action to be taken for offences committed abroad or for the possession of eggs that were taken illegally outside the UK. The RSPB believes that the UK government has failed to implement the EC Birds Directive fully and is pressing for legislative change to close this loophole. 7

8 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS South Wales s peregrines protected by partnership Peregrines nested on a pylon in Devon for the first time in 2003 publicity stopped the birds being poisoned In April 2003, a scheme to help protect one of Wales s most persecuted birds was launched at Dare Valley Country Park in Aberdare, Mid Glamorgan. The RSPB and the RSPCA installed a camera to monitor the peregrine nest site and beam live pictures to the visitor centre. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and RSPB Cymru funded the project following a number of peregrine poisoning incidents in South Wales (including the Dare Valley) over the last few years. Throughout the breeding season, hundreds of people visited the park to see the birds. In May, three chicks hatched and successfully fledged in the summer. Sgt Ian Guildford of South Wales Police, seconded to CCW, said, peregrines across South Wales are still heavily persecuted and projects like this are vital if we are to educate people about the conservation issues surrounding these wonderful birds. Sadly, the RSPB is aware of at least six peregrines that have been deliberately poisoned elsewhere in the UK this year one in Strathclyde, one in Cumbria, two in Gwynedd and two in Gwent. A further three birds were shot off a nest in North Yorkshire. WLO faces a dilemma over Devon pylon nest Inspector Nevin Hunter, Devon and Cornwall Police WLO, reports on a dilemma concerning a peregrine nest site to tell or not to tell? In June 2003, I received an anonymous letter expressing concern that breeding peregrines were at threat of poisoning by pigeon fanciers. It included a crude map showing the location of the nest, which I realised was on the edge of Honiton, the town in which I grew up. I called Peter Robinson, former head of the RSPB s Investigations Section, who lives in Honiton. He checked the site and confirmed that peregrines had two chicks in an old rook nest on an electricity pylon. The pylon was within 30 yards of a busy main road, less than 100 yards from the A30 and less than 400 yards from the town centre. Concerned that we were unlikely to be able to set up a 24-hour watch on the site, I discussed other means of protecting the birds with a number of organisations. Revealing the breeding location of a Schedule 1 bird can be problematic but, on this occasion, we agreed that publicising the fact that the birds were breeding on a pylon a first for Devon would ensure that potential offenders would know that we were watching the site and be deterred from poisoning the birds. I arranged media coverage and ensured that local police officers visited the site regularly. Our strategy was successful; two peregrines fledged in early July. When visiting the site on one occasion, a local pigeon fancier told us that the peregrines had bred there the previous year and that he was concerned they might target his pigeons. Peter Robinson is now trying to organise nestboxes on other pylons further from the town, to address the concerns of pigeon fanciers so that the two can co-exist. A practical problem-solving approach clearly works and may be worth considering by other WLOs. 8

9 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS Protection of Peaks pays profits The Peak Nestwatch scheme (see Legal Eagle 31) has been in operation for three years. Encouragingly, the results of the 2003 season show that peregrines, goshawks and ravens have bred successfully in the Upper Derwent Valley. Ravens are among the birds to have bred successfully during the 2003 Nestwatch scheme Roger Wilmshurst (rspb-images.com) Mark Thomas (RSPB) The scheme aims to protect the Peak District s birds of prey and is supported by a consortium of partners including the RSPB, Severn Trent Water, the National Trust, Peak District National Park Authority, the Forestry Commission, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire Police forces and the South Peak Raptor Study Group. Over the past three years, the initiative has involved a variety of surveillance measures and intelligence sharing, and has received much media interest. In 2001, the high profile approach included the live beaming of CCTV pictures of a goshawk nest to the Fairholmes visitor centre in the Upper Derwent Valley. In the same year, the number of fledging goshawks soared in the valley. Eleven chicks fledged from seven nests in stark contrast to a single chick from the same number of nests the previous year. Enforcement action undertaken by Merseyside Police and the RSPB during 2002 assisted in the jailing of a Liverpool man who admitted stealing two goshawk chicks from the valley in 2001 (see Legal Eagle 36). Another major investigation this year will see a local gamekeeper in court in October, facing multiple charges relating to bird of prey persecution. Goshawk nest site saw point Peter Cairns (rspb-images.com) 2003 Nestwatch co-ordinator, Matthew Capper, said, Nestwatch shows what a difference can be made when several organisations are prepared to work together towards a common purpose has been a good year, and one on which to build for the future. Plans are already underway for next season. These include the use of innovative CCTV technology for watching remote nest sites, further DNA protection and public events to increase awareness of the issues surrounding bird of prey persecution and to show visitors these spectacular birds. A raptor worker monitoring a goshawk nest in Nottinghamshire in May 2003 was shocked to find the tree half sawn through. He alerted RSPB staff, who found a ladder and a saw in undergrowth nearby. Climbing iron marks on the tree trunk indicated a failed attempt to climb the tree to steal chicks from the nest for the illegal bird of prey trade. The half-sawn-through tree (left) contained the nest of a goshawk, pictured above Presumably, felling the tree was the next best option for the nest robbers! A watch was kept on the tree, but there were no further incidents and three young eventually fledged. A number of items were removed from the vicinity for forensic analysis and enquiries are continuing. 9

10 ACTION FOR BIODIVERSITY ACTION FOR BIODIVERSITY Moth case leads to law change The law protecting invertebrates in the UK is set to change following an investigation by the RSPB and Buglife (the Invertebrate Conservation Trust) into the activities of two moth collectors. The collectors were stopped and searched by police in April 2002, and found to be in possession of several hundred caterpillars of the slender Scotch burnet, a rare but legally unprotected moth that is found only on the Isle of Mull. Guy Shorrock (RSPB) The men were persuaded to allow some of the moth larvae to be returned to the wild but the incident illustrated the species vulnerability to overcollection. As a result, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has proposed that it is included on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act During raids that followed the Scottish incident, evidence of trade in species listed on Annex IV (a) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC the Habitats Directive was found. This directive is implemented in the UK by the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations Trade in any wild-taken Annex IV species is supposed to be banned throughout the EU. However, two Annex IV species of butterfly seized during the raid the southern festoon and the scarce large blue were found not to be listed in Collector charged with possessing rare moth A butterfly and moth dealer has been charged with possession of a rare moth following the seizure of a number of specimens after a search warrant was executed at a house in Folkestone in Kent. Southern festoon butterflies are protected in Europe but not in the UK The charges followed an incident that occurred on the west coast of Scotland in April Two collectors were stopped and searched by Northern Constabulary Officers near the only known UK colony of New Forest burnet moths, whose population at one time was only 20 moths (see Legal Eagle 34). Tony Rouse, of Densole Lane, Densole, Folkestone, was charged with possession of six Sussex emerald moths, a species listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act Sussex emeralds are rare, with the last remaining colony confined to a shingle beach on the south coast of England. The case is expected to be heard in autumn No charges have been brought against the other collector. 10 the UK regulations. These regulations list only species from Annex IV that are native to the UK and exclude those that occur only in other EU states. Buglife raised the issue with the EC, which replied that the UK was failing to protect the 290 animals (including 71 invertebrates) listed on Annex IV(a) from trade adequately. In response to a formal notice from the commission, the UK government has acknowledged that it is not compliant with the legislation. It has committed to introducing laws to protect these species from trade in the UK. The timetable for compliance is expected to be autumn 2003 in Scotland, later in 2003 in England and Wales, another three months later in Gibraltar and 2004 in Northern Ireland. It is not clear how this will affect pending legislative reviews, but we hope that trade in the 349 plant species listed in Annex IV (b) will be addressed, as well as the issue of nonnative birds, which the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 fails to protect because it is not in compliance with the Birds Directive.

11 INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL Red kite disaster on Menorca Until the end of the 1980s, red kites were abundant on the Balearic island of Menorca, with a population of 135 pairs. Since then, there has been a dramatic decrease and in 2003 there were only 10 pairs. The main cause of this decline is the death of birds (mostly adults) from the poisoned baits used by some hunters. A conservation programme is currently underway to address this problem. Smuggler had common scoter eggs Icelandic duck smuggler arrested Mark Hamblin (rspb-images.com) Chinese laundering helps conservation Cranes were among a staggering amount of endangered species found in raids on restaurants and hotels in China Carlos Sanchez (rspb-images.com) A man travelling to Düsseldorf in Germany was arrested at Egilsstadir airport in eastern Iceland for carrying 30 common scoter and Barrow s goldeneye eggs. The breeding populations of these species in Iceland are 300 and 800 pairs respectively. The man was also in possession of a map indicating the species breeding sites. The RSPB is aware of a black market in Europe for rare ducks that are highly prized by specialist collectors. Steller s eider, king eider and even the globally threatened scaly-sided merganser are all species believed to have been targeted by collectors in the wild and smuggled into the EU from Russia. The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak has had a positive result for conservation. Because it is possible that it started with a virus leaping between animal species, the Chinese authorities have cracked down on the smuggling and eating of endangered species. 11 Some 170,000 forestry officers raided 14,900 animal fairs and 67,800 hotels and restaurants, and found a staggering 838,500 endangered animals. These included cranes, snakes, pangolins, anteaters and turtles. More than 1,428 people have been arrested as a result.

12 Full-time WLO role lost Full-time WLO Sheila Wright retired from Thames Valley Police in July Sheila has worked closely with the RSPB Investigations team and we wish her well for the future. Unfortunately, we understand that Sheila will not be replaced, a decision that the RSPB urges Thames Valley Police to reconsider. Jemima Parry-Jones at work at the centre Guy Shorrock (rspb-images.com) On the web Visit a useful website about the wildlife trade that has been created by TRAFFIC. Goodbye, Mima The Wales This Week website covers a number of recent prosecutions of egg collectors and pigeon fanciers. WLOs Andy McWilliam and Ian Guildford were featured on the Wales This Week television programme. Write to be read We welcome contributions to Legal Eagle. Please let us know about wildlife crime initiatives, news, events and prosecutions in your force. Send your articles to Joan Childs, RSPB Investigations Officer, by to joan.childs@rspb.org.uk or by fax on The views expressed in Legal Eagle are not necessarily those of the RSPB. Please also help us keep the WLO contact list up to date by letting Rosemary Venner know of any changes. Jemima Parry-Jones, director of the National Birds of Prey Centre in Newent, Gloucestershire, will be well-known to many of you. This December, she will be moving with over 200 birds of prey to new premises in South Carolina in the US. Jemima is known for her outgoing personality and non-stop energy, and her list of achievements over the years speaks for itself. Following spells at drama school and the Royal Academy of Music, she became increasingly involved with her father s bird of prey centre and bought it in The centre houses one of the world s largest collections of birds of prey and has captive-bred more species than any other establishment. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1997 with a visit from The Princess Royal. Jemima has also worked with a wide range of organisations involved with captive and wild birds of prey, including the Federation of Zoos and the Hawk Board. She has produced a number of books and papers, and lectured widely on the captive breeding and management of birds of prey. Over the years, Jemima has given a great deal of assistance to police, HMCE, DEFRA, the RSPB and other agencies. This has included the housing and care of many seized birds, running raptor handling courses for WLOs and appearing as an expert witness in several high profile prosecution cases. The centre will be taken under new management, and falconer Mark Parker, who will still be involved with the business, has stated that it will continue to offer assistance where possible. The RSPB wishes Jemima every success in her new venture and would like to express its thanks for all the help and assistance that she has given over the years. BirdLife INTERNATIONAL The RSPB works for a healthy environment rich in birds and wildlife. It depends on the support and generosity of others to make a difference. It works with bird and habitat conservation organisations in a global partnership called BirdLife International. The RSPB UK Headquarters, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL. Tel: Northern Ireland Headquarters, Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QT. Tel: Scotland Headquarters, Dunedin House, 25 Ravelston Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 3TP. Tel: South Wales Office, Sutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AB. Tel: Registered charity no