Yorkshire’s councils are being urged to join the battle to save the county’s peat moors from being damaged for grouse shooting. In a letter sent to council leaders, Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire’s Moors has sought support from local authorities for a ban on moorland burning, an ecologically-destructive practice that involves shoot […]
Grouse moors investigated over ‘illegal’ bird trapping
Natural England is investigating allegations that grouse moors have unlawfully trapped wild birds on their land to maximise the number of grouse for shooting. The habitats watchdog launched its investigation after being passed evidence of more than 50 wild bird traps located on grouse moors over the spring which the wildlife […]
Police back tougher penalties for bird of prey crime
Leading police officers have met with senior government ministers to seek stronger powers for investigating and prosecuting bird of prey persecution. It comes as a wave of wildlife crime continues on grouse moors with birds of prey having been found illegally shot, poisoned and trapped. Incidents have included five dead buzzards—four of […]
Grouse moor burning season closes with prospect of ban
New figures showing the shocking scale of grouse moor burning across Yorkshire have been released by a wildlife organisation as the season officially closes today. Wild Moors has compiled more than 550 reports of the county’s heather moorland being burnt — an ecologically-destructive practice performed to engineer habitat for grouse which […]
Major landowners put a permanent end to grouse moor burning
Three major landowners have ended heather burning on moorland across Northern England in a landmark move welcomed by wildlife campaigners.Yorkshire Water, United Utilities and the National Trust — which collectively own 34 sections of moorland spanning Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire — enforced the decision last week by asking tenants to halt the practice until further […]