Unholy Alliance.

This is a blog that deals with my wildlife spotting excursions and not a platform for my views or opinions however sometimes something happens that just cannot be ignored. I'll state right now that I did not vote for either of the main political parties and any comment that I make has nothing to do with any political agenda. Unfortunately some issues  provoke such anger that I have to say something and the matter of Hen Harrier persecution in Britain is one of those.

Natural England have effectively capitulated in the battle to save England's Hen Harrier population. Having signally failed to curb the illegal activities of the serial criminals that run many of the grouse moors in the north of the country they've given their consent to an idiotic scheme that involves taking chicks from the wild and raising them in captivity. Said chicks will then be released after fledging back into the areas from where they were removed. People associated with the driven grouse shooting industry have given their full support to this lunatic scheme while no independent conservation body appears to have given their endorsement.

Evidently it's easier to "brood manage" Hen Harrier nests than enforce already existent raptor protection laws. There were three successful nests in England last year, none on any grouse moor, and this in a country that could apparently support a population of 300 pairs. If Natural England want to retain any credibility at all they should stop the illegal persecution of raptors by commercial interests, prosecute the criminals involved and bring an end to an industry that seemingly depends on illegal activity in order to survive. When the petition to end driven grouse shooting garnered enough signatures to warrant the attention of parliament the government stated flat out that it would not debate the future of commercial grouse shooting under any circumstances.

I understand that the question of jobs in rural areas informs part of the government policy and yet it's strange that similar concerns were not aired when other industries have either collapsed or failed. Some other less legitimate "businesses" that operate in depressed areas contribute to their local economies but I'm guessing that government support for drug dealers will not be forthcoming. Crime is crime irrespective of who commits it and those responsible should feel the full force of the law. Brood management of Hen Harriers? Nah, manage the criminals instead and bring an end to any industry that depends on their activities for its survival.

Sorry about that little rant but this is a preposterous scheme endorsed by people who set themselves up as protectors of the environment, Hen Harriers head for extinction while hypocrisy seems hale and hearty - madness.