On a northern England grouse moor, an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) investigation unveils a shocking and covert act of wildlife crime against one of the UK’s most vulnerable birds of prey—the hen harrier. This bird, renowned for its graceful flight and known as one of England’s rarest raptors, faces a threat in the very areas it seeks for nesting: the grouse moors. These areas are often managed by gamekeepers who prioritize high grouse numbers, a practice that unfortunately conflicts with the hen harrier’s need to hunt in these same moorlands.
The RSPB, concerned by the declining population of hen harriers, set up surveillance cameras to monitor the activities on a particular grouse moor. These cameras, deployed discreetly due to the sensitivity of the area, captured hours of footage that would later reveal a disturbing sequence of events. What was initially intended as a passive observation turned into the gathering of incriminating evidence as the surveillance footage caught gamekeepers not only discussing methods to deter hen harriers from nesting but also conspiring to kill one if it dared to return.
The recorded footage is grimly telling. In one part, the gamekeepers are heard discussing how hedgehogs disrupt grass management efforts. They believe that the birds eat too many grouse, thus reducing the game birds available for shooting. Driven by financial motives, the gamekeepers plot to take aggressive action against the henharrier population, a species that has been legally protected due to its endangered status. The footage subsequently captures the men positioning a trap and bait in an area frequented by a female hen harrier. The trap, designed to ensnare and injure the bird, highlights the gamekeepers’ lack of remorse for their actions, driven by the economic benefits of protecting grouse numbers at any cost.
The video then documents the harrowing moment when a henrier, lured by bait, becomes entangled in the trap. One of the gamekeepers approaches, and in a heartbreaking act, kills the bird, disposing of the body to conceal the evidence. This footage offers a rare, albeit grim, insight into the struggles between conservationists and some members of the grouse moor industry. For the RSPB, the footage provides irrefutable evidence of the deliberate and illegal killing of a protected species, which they hope will catalyze further protective legislation and enforcement efforts.
Conservationists argue that the video should serve as a wake-up call to tighten laws around grouse moor management. The systematic persecution of hen harriers has led to dangerously low populations, with estimates indicating that only a fraction of the harrier population that could inhabit the UK’s uplands actually exists today. The grouse moors’ preference for maintaining a high grouse population for shooting events continues to clash with the natural balance of the ecosystem. Critics argue that without reform, more hen harriers will continue to die, making their eventual extinction in the region a real possibility.
The RSPB released the footage to authorities, igniting public outrage and strengthening the call for stricter oversight on grouse moors. This incident highlights the ongoing battle between conservation groups and certain factions of the game management industry and raises awareness of the ecological toll taken when financial incentives outweigh conservation ethics.
