Rare Peregrine falcons lost to Telford yob attacks
Three extremely rare birds of prey have had to be put down in Telford over the past fortnight after suffering serious injuries, officials said today. Three extremely rare birds of prey have had to be put down in Telford over the past fortnight after suffering serious injuries, officials said today. John Turner, chairman of the Shropshire Peregrine group, said it was possible the adult Peregrine falcons had been the victims of unprovoked attacks by yobs. There are fewer than 20 breeding pairs of the bird in the county and Mr Turner said he feared more attacks in the coming weeks. The latest attack happened in the Telford area on Tuesday, a day after a bird was found seriously injured at a site in the Wellington area. The first reported incident happened in the Redhill area on October 30 and is being investigated by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and police. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
Three extremely rare birds of prey have had to be put down in Telford over the past fortnight after suffering serious injuries, officials said today.
John Turner, chairman of the Shropshire Peregrine group, said it was possible the adult Peregrine falcons had been the victims of unprovoked attacks by yobs.
There are fewer than 20 breeding pairs of the bird in the county and Mr Turner said he feared more attacks in the coming weeks.
The latest attack happened in the Telford area on Tuesday, a day after a bird was found seriously injured at a site in the Wellington area.
The first reported incident happened in the Redhill area on October 30 and is being investigated by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and police.
Mr Turner said: "In the past fortnight no fewer than three adult peregrine falcons have been found with serious injuries in and around the Telford area
"The injuries sustained, mainly damage to the birds' wings, have unfortunately resulted in their having to be put down following a veterinary examination and X-ray.
"The cause of the injuries is unclear at the moment, however, it is possible that they were caused deliberately by human action."
He added: "Shropshire has a small breeding population of fewer than 20 pairs of these magnificent birds of prey whose survival remains under threat.
"The fact that three birds have been lost in such a short space of time will have a significant and adverse impact on the county's peregrine population."
RSPB spokeswoman Fenella Gerry said the cause of the injuries was unclear, but vets had ruled out shooting or poisoning. "There is a suspicion of human intervention," she added.
"From our perspective we are really concerned the birds have been targeted and we would urge the public to come forward if they have further information which would help us with our inquiries."
Anyone with information about the incidents is urged to contact police on 0300 333 3000, the RSPB on 0845 466 3636 or Mr Turner on (01743) 821678.
By Wayne Beese
