Inquiry after red kite chick shot (BBC News) (1 Viewer)

A bird of prey is shot after 30 red kites were sent to Ireland to help rejuvenate the country's stock.

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Very sad news, let us all hope this is a one off, although that said one is to many. The Red Kite is indeed a wonderful bird to see, lets just hope they can flourish again in the beautiful country that is Ireland.

ROD, a great admirer of the RED KITE.

Very sad. On a recent trip to UK managed to see ten of these beautiful birds between Stokenchurch and Princess Risborough without any effort and we were [ unfortunately ] not on a birding trip.

It´s more than sad. I live in Co. Wicklow, the 30 kites kindly donated by the Welsh Red Kite Trust were released 30 km south of where I live. Some friends have seen them already. There is an outcry, from Government, Farming, Shooting and Community organisations (it´s reported on the front page of this week´s "Wicklow Times", with a colour photo of the dead kite, electronic tags and all). I´m not sure an outcry has any effect at all on the kind of barbarians with shotguns roaming the countryside. It seems shooting half-tame, hand-reared pheasant, and docile overstuffed woodpigeons, isn´t enough of a challenge to them. One down, twenty-nine to go. Once again, it´s an embarrassment to be Irish - we can´t help disgracing ourselves whenever we get the opportunity. (I don´t fancy the chances for the White-Tailed Eagles released some months ago in Kerry....interestingly, no-one seems to know where they´ve disappeared to..... ). I´d recommend that the Welsh Red Kite Trust don´t send any more kites over here, keep them in the UK where they´re safe, what´s the point in sending them over here where the attitude to wildlife belongs in the Dark Ages. Right, that´s my rant over, but if you could see the photo of the dead kite, you´d understand.