Hen harriers are one of the UK's most persecuted raptors, illegally killed on grouse moors to protect driven shooting, and their welfare is severely compromised by decades of systematic human persecution.
Hen harrier welfare suffers from systematic illegal persecution that is among the best-documented wildlife crimes in the UK. Satellite-tagged birds vanish at statistically impossible rates over grouse moors, with tag signals ceasing suddenly rather than gradually failing. Illegal killing involves shooting, trapping in spring traps, and poisoning - all causing acute welfare suffering. Nest destruction prevents successful breeding and causes the welfare cost of failed reproductive investment. The scale of persecution means the hen harrier exists at a tiny fraction of its ecological carrying capacity in England, representing not just a conservation failure but an ongoing welfare catastrophe for individual birds.