The red kite recovery programme is one of Britain's great conservation successes, but feeding stations and illegal persecution raise ongoing welfare questions.
The red kite recovery story illustrates both the successes and ongoing challenges of large-scale wildlife reintroductions. Individual welfare concerns include illegal persecution — poisoning using banned substances like carbofuran causes prolonged, painful deaths — and problems arising from supplementary feeding of unsuitable food. Kites fed meat containing high bone fragment content develop fatal gastrointestinal blockages. The welfare of reintroduced populations depends on both the absence of persecution and the quality of supplementary feeding where it occurs. Public feeding of kites is a welfare issue that requires more active management.