Hen Harriers and Giant Pandas - a letter to my MP.

Dear Ms Bradley

This week the plight of two iconic animals have made the national news. One, the Giant Panda, has a very well known background, henceTian Tian, a female panda resident in Edinburgh zoo, made the headlines because she has conceived and is expected to give birth fairly soon. The other species is the Hen Harrier, a raptorial bird whose fate is intimately linked to the so-called “glorious twelfth”, in other words, the first day of the grouse shooting season.

Even though it is a British native species, the history of the Hen Harrier is probably not as well-known to the public as is that of the Giant Panda. However, like the pandas, they too are endangered. In fact, according to the RSPB and other ornithological organisations, they are close to being extinct as a breeding species in England.

In England, Hen Harriers breed in heathery moorland landscapes. The RSPB estimate that there is sufficient suitable habitat to support more than 300 breeding pairs - however this year only two, or possibly three pairs, have managed to successfully rear any young to fledgeling stage. The Peak District is one of the areas that holds suitable habitat for Hen Harriers, though in spite of this Hen Harriers are rarely seen in the Peak District. I have never seen one even though I regularly visit that park.

Because of this, last Sunday (10^th August 2014), I attended a protest gathering which was intended to highlight the plight of Hen Harriers. The meeting, and several others that were held at other sites in England on the same day. They all took place in upland areas which represent the sort of habitat in which Hen Harriers choose to breed. The one I attended was at the Derwent dam near Ladybower Reservoir in the Derbyshire Peak District - a place I chose because I walk and watch wildlife there.

Hen Harriers, their nests and young are protected from being harmed or disturbance under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. And yet there is overwhelming evidence that the lack of successful breeding Hen Harriers in England is due to their illegal persecution by the gamekeepers who manage driven grouse moors. The gamekeepers believe that, without ridding the moors of Hen Harriers and other wild grouse predators, their moors will not support profitable Red Grouse shoots. This may be true, but even if it is, this cannot possibly justify breaking the law. So the purpose of the Hen Harrier Day gathering was to publicise the issue and to encourage grouse moor managers/owners to admit that they are acting illegally and to urge them to stop doing so. (Incidentally there has been a body of research into methods of reducing Hen Harrier predation on Red Grouse – so gamekeepers are not helpless to act to control grouse predation by Hen Harriers)

Chris Packham, from BBC TV's Springwatch, attended Hen Harrier Day in the Peak District and he gave an emotional talk on his feelings about the ruthless killing of Hen Harriers. He compared the act with slashing the paintings of John Constable. As he said, both are part of the culture of the English landscape. If someone were to go in to an art gallery and slash one of those paintings there would be a public outcry and no-doubt politicians would be calling for the full force of the law to be vented on the culprit. In contrast when Hen Harriers are poisoned, shot or otherwise illegally killed we are told there are insufficient resources to investigate the crimes and prosecute the perpetrators. We want this to change. We want the government to allocate sufficient funds to the police and wildlife charities to investigate these crimes. We want this issue to be taken seriously.

I hope you agree with me that the laws protecting Hen Harriers should be upheld. I hope that you will use your position as MP to urge the appropriate ministers (DEFRA and Home Secretary) to ensure that grouse moor managers and owners comply with the law, and that the wildlife crimes investigators have adequate resources to carry out their jobs.

Chris Packham talkng to Hen Harrier Day protestors. 

In spring Hen Harriers indulge in a spectacular aerial courtship display in which each of the pair demonstrates their how strength and agility will enable them to successfully rear a brood of chicks. It is called “skydancing”. If we act now there is a strong chance that we too will be able once again to watch this breathtaking phenomenon in our local National Park!