[Science] Plan to remove hen harrier eggs and raise them in captivity criticised – AI

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[Science] Plan to remove hen harrier eggs and raise them in captivity criticised – AI


34 hen harrier chicks fledged in England in 2018Nature Picture Library/Alamy By Adam VaughanEngland’s nature regulator is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to take hen harrier eggs from the wild and rear the birds in captivity. Hen harriers are struggling to survive in the UK because they are being killed illegally. A recent satellite-tracking study found the birds of prey are more likely to disappear over grouse moors, which are managed for game shooting. Hen harriers do eat grouse, but these are thought to form only a small part of their diet. Today, Natural England said that the conditions had now been met for a license issued eighteen months ago that allows the removal of hen harrier eggs, which would normally be illegal. The license is heavily redacted, and we do not know who will be removing the eggs or where they will be taken to for rearing in captivity. It is understood that the eggs will be taken from a site in the north of England. The deadline for this removal is January 2020. Advertisement The move to implement a “brood management” plan has been condemned by conservationists. Mark Avery, a former director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds who launched a failed legal challenge against the license last year, says: “I think it’s just wrong. If you are a hen harrier you wouldn’t make this management plan. The only people in favour of it are grouse moor owners.” ‘Utterly pointless’ The plan is a distraction from the real issue of tackling illegal persecution, he adds. “Even if this crackpot scheme resulted in a few more hen harriers fledging [and] getting to the flying stage, if they are all going to be shot a few weeks later, it is utterly pointless.” The RPSB has expressed disappointment, saying brood management was the “wrong tool” and illegal persecution must end. But the Moorland Association, which represents grouse moor estates, welcomed the scheme and said there was a “genuine will” among landowners and managers for it to succeed. Natural England, which has appointed a panel to monitor the project, defended the step as a way to protect the birds. “This decision takes forward but one element in a far broader recovery strategy for the species,” Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said in a statement. One of the conditions for the license is that the density of hen harriers at a certain location must be above a certain threshold to warrant moving their eggs elsewhere. There are signs hen harriers may be recovering in England. In 2017, seven pairs attempted to nest, with three successful in fledging 10 chicks, rising to 14 pairs with nine successful and 34 chicks fledged in 2018. More on these topics: conservation birds

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