Buzzard found shot in Cambridgeshire village
A buzzard was shot and killed in a Cambridgeshire village.
A member of the public found the bird of prey while walking in a wooded area of Horseheath on January 29.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) is now working with the RSPB to find the culprit after shotgun pellets were found in its body and wings.
PC Alun Bradshaw, from the RCAT, said: “Someone has deliberately shot this bird and we urge anyone with information to contact us.
“All birds of prey are protected by law. If you notice a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances, please notify us and the RSPB.”
RSPB assistant investigations officer Tom Grose added: “Many of us will have enjoyed watching buzzards lately on our daily walks.
“They are a natural part of our countryside and a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Buzzards and other birds of prey are protected by law, yet all too often we received reports of them being illegally shot, trapped and poisoned.
“At a time when the natural work and its wildlife are increasingly under threat, we all have an important role to play. If you have any information which may help this investigation, please come forward.”
The RSPB recorded 19 incidents of raptor persecution in Cambridgeshire between 2007 and 2019, including the poisoning of a red kite, and the shootings of a peregrine falcon and a buzzard in 2019.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police online via https://bit.ly/3ivIgJs or call 101 quoting incident 239 of 30 January.
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