Birds of prey face illegal persecution from shooting, poisoning, and trapping across their range, causing significant individual welfare harm and population-level conservation threats.
Raptors killed illegally through poisoning, shooting, or trapping suffer welfare harm ranging from acute to prolonged. Birds poisoned by carbofuran or illegal compound baits may suffer neurological symptoms for hours before death. Those caught in pole traps sustain leg injuries and die from exposure or starvation if not found quickly. The conservation impact extends beyond individual welfare: persecution of breeding adults collapses populations of long-lived, slowly reproducing species over years and decades. The social dimension — that illegal persecution is often connected to game management industries — creates enforcement challenges where perpetrators are economically powerful and witnesses scarce. Camera evidence and satellite tracking are beginning to shift the evidentiary balance.