Figures for last year have been published, showing that 2009 was one of the worst years on record for wild bird poisonings in Scotland.

At least 27 protected birds of prey poisonings were recorded, with these figures also significantly lower than the reality as many poisonings go unreported. Amongst those 27 birds were:

• 2 Golden Eagles
• 4 Red Kites
• 19 Buzzards

The head of species at RSPB Scotland, Duncan Orr-Ewing has called on the police to step up and take faster and firmer action:

“We ask the authorities to deploy the full range of sanctions against the perpetrators of this indiscriminate activity… experience tells us that these figures represent just a fraction of the true scale of this illegal activity.”

The government minister in charge of looking into this issue is Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Environment Minister. She’s come out to say:

“The protection of Scotland’s wildlife has never before occupied such a prominent position politically or in terms of the law. I am hugely grateful to those partners working together to tackle these appalling crimes and I hope that our joint efforts will result in a safer environment for our birds of prey.”

Despite the right words being said it’s clear that something more needs to be done. Back in 2008 a review was conducted stating that a dedicated wildlife crime officer would be employed for every Scottish police force but this has never materialised.