A copy of the story from today's website
Sir Ian Botham has reopened a row with one of Britain’s leading wildlife charities, accusing it of being "dishonest" and "milking" the disappearance of a rare bird of prey.
The former England cricketer said the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) had “milked it” when a bird in Scotland, believed to have been a golden eagle, went missing in March, and then “swept it under the carpet” when a landowner claimed to have spotted the bird a month later.
The RSPB maintains the eagle is still missing and accused Sir Ian, an advocate of grouse shooting, of “PR spin”.
The case bears similarities to an incident in February when the charity revealed that a rare hen harrier, also thought to have been hunted illegally, had been seen alive and well after going missing for 10 months.
Asked what changes he would make to the organisation in an interview with the Shooting Gazette, Sir Ian said: "I think they [the RSPB] need to be more honest.
"We had the story not long ago about a peregrine falcon being shot in Scotland and later being spotted alive. The RSPB made headlines and milked it when the bird disappeared but when it reappeared they swept it under the carpet. It shouldn't work that way."
He added that he would like to see some "young blood" and for the organisation to bring someone in "with a different outlook". Grouse shooting is blamed by some conservationists for the illegal persecution of birds of prey.
The RSPB says the sport is driving some rare birds to extinction. But research commissioned by the shooting industry this year and carried out by the universities of Newcastle and Durham found many birds were flourishing on moorland estates.
Bird 338, a golden eagle nesting at the North Glenbuchat Estate in Aberdeenshire, was pronounced “missing, presumed murdered” last March when a satellite tag it was fitted with for conservation purposes stopped emitting a signal.
The RSPB claimed it was the latest in a series of similar incidents at the estate and launched an inquiry with Police Scotland.
But a month later the estate released video footage claiming to show the bird alive. It accused the charity of making “reckless and defamatory” allegations and threatened legal action, but no case was brought.
Sir Ian, who has criticised the RSPB’s calls for tougher regulation for grouse shoots, said the shooting industry played a vital role in moorland wildlife protection.
“Many people seem to think that moors and all that happens on them would still exist if gamekeepers and shoots didn’t look after them. Wake up,” he told the magazine. “
If you want to see what happens to a moor that is not managed have a look at a couple of the RSPB [managed] ones because they’re dead.”
In February, the RSPB sparked a separate row with grouse shooters and landowners when it emerged that a hen harrier, also presumed dead, had been spotted about 30 miles from its original nesting site in Lancashire.
The bird was also wearing a tracking tag which was thought to have stopped working. Responding to Sir Ian’s comments, the RSPB cast doubts over the North Gelnbuchat Estate's video evidence and said Bird 338 remained "missing in suspicious circumstances".
Jeff Knott, the charity’s head of nature policy, added: "Ian Botham is entitled to his opinions but the comments he has made contain inaccuracies. He's playing to a particular gallery, which isn't doing the shooting community any favours. We need constructive dialogue leading to meaningful change."
Sir Ian Botham has reopened a row with one of Britain’s leading wildlife charities, accusing it of being "dishonest" and "milking" the disappearance of a rare bird of prey.
The former England cricketer said the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) had “milked it” when a bird in Scotland, believed to have been a golden eagle, went missing in March, and then “swept it under the carpet” when a landowner claimed to have spotted the bird a month later.
The RSPB maintains the eagle is still missing and accused Sir Ian, an advocate of grouse shooting, of “PR spin”.
The case bears similarities to an incident in February when the charity revealed that a rare hen harrier, also thought to have been hunted illegally, had been seen alive and well after going missing for 10 months.
Asked what changes he would make to the organisation in an interview with the Shooting Gazette, Sir Ian said: "I think they [the RSPB] need to be more honest.
"We had the story not long ago about a peregrine falcon being shot in Scotland and later being spotted alive. The RSPB made headlines and milked it when the bird disappeared but when it reappeared they swept it under the carpet. It shouldn't work that way."
He added that he would like to see some "young blood" and for the organisation to bring someone in "with a different outlook". Grouse shooting is blamed by some conservationists for the illegal persecution of birds of prey.
The RSPB says the sport is driving some rare birds to extinction. But research commissioned by the shooting industry this year and carried out by the universities of Newcastle and Durham found many birds were flourishing on moorland estates.
Bird 338, a golden eagle nesting at the North Glenbuchat Estate in Aberdeenshire, was pronounced “missing, presumed murdered” last March when a satellite tag it was fitted with for conservation purposes stopped emitting a signal.
The RSPB claimed it was the latest in a series of similar incidents at the estate and launched an inquiry with Police Scotland.
But a month later the estate released video footage claiming to show the bird alive. It accused the charity of making “reckless and defamatory” allegations and threatened legal action, but no case was brought.
Sir Ian, who has criticised the RSPB’s calls for tougher regulation for grouse shoots, said the shooting industry played a vital role in moorland wildlife protection.
“Many people seem to think that moors and all that happens on them would still exist if gamekeepers and shoots didn’t look after them. Wake up,” he told the magazine. “
If you want to see what happens to a moor that is not managed have a look at a couple of the RSPB [managed] ones because they’re dead.”
In February, the RSPB sparked a separate row with grouse shooters and landowners when it emerged that a hen harrier, also presumed dead, had been spotted about 30 miles from its original nesting site in Lancashire.
The bird was also wearing a tracking tag which was thought to have stopped working. Responding to Sir Ian’s comments, the RSPB cast doubts over the North Gelnbuchat Estate's video evidence and said Bird 338 remained "missing in suspicious circumstances".
Jeff Knott, the charity’s head of nature policy, added: "Ian Botham is entitled to his opinions but the comments he has made contain inaccuracies. He's playing to a particular gallery, which isn't doing the shooting community any favours. We need constructive dialogue leading to meaningful change."
