Wildlife

Wild Red Kite Reintroduction Welfare

Red kite reintroduction in England and Scotland from 1989 onwards has been one of the UK's greatest conservation success stories, with welfare lessons for future raptor reintroductions.

Key Facts

Red kites were persecuted to extinction in England and Scotland by the early 20th century
Reintroduction used birds from the Welsh stronghold and from Spain and Sweden
Populations have grown from 13 birds in 1989 to over 2,000 breeding pairs today
Lead poisoning from gamebird carcasses and illegal poisoning remain the primary welfare threats
Red kites are now a flagship species for Scottish Highlands wildlife tourism

Welfare Considerations

Red kite recovery is a conservation triumph, but illegal poisoning and lead ammunition continue to cause preventable deaths. Eliminating these threats is the remaining welfare priority.

What You Can Do

Report suspected illegal poisoning of raptors to wildlife crime authorities
Support lead ammunition phase-out campaigns in shooting and hunting contexts
Donate to red kite monitoring and anti-poisoning awareness programmes
Celebrate and share red kite recovery stories to build public support for raptor protection