'SENSELESS KILLING' OF RED KITE SLAMMED
ONE of the Red Kites released into local skies during the summer has been found shot dead in Leitrim.
The incident, which took place during the past week, has been slammed by the RSPB as a "senseless killing".
Tests carried out by the PSNI suggest the bird may have been killed deliberately and that both wing tags and an identifying leg ring had been removed before the bird had been recovered by the RSPB.
RSPB NI Director Aidan Lonergan said they were shocked and angered by the senseless killing of one of the recently released Red Kites.
"These magnificent birds were neither a threat to humans nor livestock, so we can only assume that the bird was blasted from the sky by an ignorant person or by someone who gets some perverse sense of enjoyment from killing birds of prey," he added.
"We believe that there will be much anger not only from local people in the South Down area, but from right across Northern Ireland. Red Kites are a globally threatened species and their reintroduction locally became a celebration of the return of an iconic species to Northern Ireland.
"Red Kites were hunted to extinction in Ireland over 200 years ago, at a time when there was much misinformation about kites and birds of prey in general. In 2008, there can be no such excuses.
"This Red Kite would have been no more than four months old and represented a threat to no-one. This comes at a time when the RSPB will be going into local schools to tell pupils all about the Red Kites.
"One local school will now be deprived the opportunity to name and track one of the birds through our 'Adopt a Kite' initiative," Mr Lonergan added.
"Anyone with information on this incident should contact their local PSNI Station."
Commenting on the incident, PSNI Constable Alex Beck said: "Wildlife crime is taken seriously by the PSNI, and it's significance cannot be underestimated.
"Red Kites, like all wild birds, are protected by law under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. As such, any person involved in this type of crime, could find themselves subject to a report to the Public Prosecution Service. I would ask anyone with any information to contact their local PSNI station on 0845 600 8000."
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Weather for Banbridge
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
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