UKC

I live just a few miles from North Glenbuchat Estate where the radio tagged sea eagle vanished around 10th April.On May 5th 2011 a poisoned golden eagle was found on the same estate.
There was a lot of police activity in the glen this time but as usual there will be no charges brought against anyone, one of the reasons being that the estate is owned by George Ivar Louis Mountbatten the 4th Marquess of Milford Haven who is related to the queen....nuff said wink wink
This is on top of the wholesale slaughter of red kites near Conon Bridge although from what I've heard that is down to a farmer.
Anyway theres a lot of angry people round here who like to spot an eagle now and again and who dont like the reputation the area is getting as a black hole for raptors.

In reply to Jack Gillespie:




Alternatively this is down to it being extremely hard to gather evidence to link this crime to a suspect, especially beyond reasonable doubt, let alone even prove that this is a deliberate crime targetting a specific species.



This being a prime example - evidence of "what I've heard" seldom being admissable at court. Though I guess you have gone to the police to say "X told me that the farmer has done it".

In reply to Jack Gillespie:



Your point is?

In reply to Jack Gillespie:

Until the value of land, both in financial terms and in perceived value, is not related to the "sporting" potential, this will continue.

Game keepers kill non-game species - that is what a head keeper said to me two weeks ago.

Apart from the wildlife crime, most sporting estates don't do this, a sporting estate is one of the most unproductive, unrepresentative and dis empowering ways of owning and managing land.

In reply to mypyrex:


In the UK land, power, privilege go together.

In reply to mypyrex:

I'm just cynical-I think if you are connected to the royals it confers a degree of invulnerability

In reply to Saor Alba & Jack Gillespie:
This has the potential to degenerate into a royalty bashing slanging match.

In reply to mypyrex:

It does if you view it that way. Land, power and title are all related in the UK. If that is uncomfortable then best to bow out but it's a fact.

In reply to Saor Alba:


They might be, however the statement : - "but as usual there will be no charges brought against anyone, one of the reasons being that the estate is owned by George Ivar Louis Mountbatten the 4th Marquess of Milford Haven who is related to the queen....nuff said wink wink"
- is entirely unsupported and is just pandering to lazy prejudice and stereotyping.

It may well be that a sporting estate is :- "one of the most unproductive, unrepresentative and dis empowering ways of owning and managing land." but it really has very little to do with how difficult it is to gather evidence and prove cases with this type of crime.

In reply to off-duty:

Off Duty talks sense, the only 'conspiracy' is the system that lets people inherit and retain that much wealth.