Birds of prey including hen harriers, red kites, and buzzards face illegal persecution on shooting estates and farmland, causing welfare harm and population suppression for species that have recovered from legal protection.
Raptor persecution welfare harms are acute and cruel: poisoned raptors die slowly from haemorrhage and neurological damage; trapped birds suffer until discovered; shot birds die immediately or suffer injured escape. The scale extends beyond individual animals — persecution suppresses entire populations, preventing natural recovery of species that have been protected by law for decades. The welfare harm is compounded by the ecological loss of apex predators from British ecosystems. Effective law enforcement and cultural change within land management communities are required solutions.