Two ravens were poisoned on two separate occasions in a Newry estate recently.
The incidents have prompted officers from Newry Local Policing Team, along with partners from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the PSNI’s Wildlife Office, to visit the estate to talk to residents and employees.
The products consumed, which poisoned the two ravens – large all-black corvid birds – were confirmed to be insecticides, one of which is totally banned and known as Aldicarb.
Alpha Chloralose was also consumed in one case which is used primarily to poison mice, but a substance that can only be administered by professional users only, and limited to indoor use in bait boxes.
Commenting, National Wildlife Crime Unit’s, James Leonard, said: “This was a sad outcome and we are deeply concerned by not only the confirmed poisoning of these rare birds, but also that they were found in protected areas where wildlife should be safe from harm.
“Deliberately leaving out poisoned bait is an illegal practice and can affect not only birds of prey, but it can also harm pets, livestock and humans, if handled incorrectly. These two occurrences should not have happened and the birds involved should have been left free to roam.”
Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Jon Lees, added: “This is a really sad situation but we were able to use it as an opportunity for police and partners to come together, and for us to collectively engage with local people in the area to provide them with information on what to look out for, preventing these incidents from happening again.”
Newry Local Policing Team Constable Nelson commented: “Police would encourage the public to avoid handling any dead birds (believed to be poisoned) they may find, particularly if in and around more rural areas. If you discover any dead birds that you suspect to be poisoned please report this to police straight away.
“Unfortunately all investigative measures on these incidents have been exhausted, but we very much encourage the public to come forward should there be any information and/or you wish to make a report to police, regarding any concerns you may have about birds of prey in general being targeted near you.”
Please phone our non-emergency number 101 or 999 in live time. A report can also be made online via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ .
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