Red Kite poisoned with banned pesticide
What should we do if we find a posioned bait or bird?
A few days ago Police Scotland announced that a post-mortem examination and toxicology testing of the body of a Red KIte found in June had revealed that the bird had ingested high levels of rodenticide and had also ingested the banned pesticide aldicarb.
The Red Kite was found near a nest to the north west of Braco, in the Perth and Kinross area. Kites are a Schedule One species protected in England, Wales, and Scotland by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Wildlife Crime coordinator, Detective Sergeant David Lynn, said the poisons would have resulted in a “very painful and distressing death” for the bird.
Red Kite persecution
Red Kites are frequently targeted on farms and estates. Amongst numerous examples of illegal persecution of Red Kites:
A 2016 report in the Northern Echo reported concerns were “growing for the region’s Red Kite population after another of the birds was shot in North Yorkshire – the tenth to die in the past two months”.
IN 2017 Red Kite ‘Black 5W’, was found dead with gunshot wounds in County Down. He was born just three months earlier at a nest site near Downpatrick.
In 2020 three Red Kites were shot and killed in a ‘horrific’ attack near Newtown (mid-Wales).
A Red Kite was killed in an illegal trap on an unnamed Berkshire pheasant-shooting estate.
A Red Kite was found shot and killed near Leeds.
A poisoned Red Kite was found on the Moy Estate (near Cairngorms National Park) – which partly led to the estate having its General Licence removed in 2022.
A Red Kite was found shot in Cirencester near one of Gloucestershire’s largest pheasant shoots.
In 2022 Wiltshire gamekeeper Archie Watson was sentenced after dumping the body of a shot buzzard into a covered well that was later found to contain eleven buzzards and four Red Kites.
In December 2022 Raptor Persecution UK reported that Police Scotland had released news of a young Red Kite found poisoned on a grouse moor (Dava Moor) in May 2021: no further details were released.
In March 2023 Police Scotland appealed for information after a witness reported a Red Kite being shot on a grouse moor estate near Grantown-on-Spey.
In March 2023 a Red Kite was found shot and dying on a grouse moor in Co Durham.
The body of a Red Kite was found near North Creake in Norfolk in August 2023: tests proved the bird had ingested bendiocarb.
Vivienne, a well-known individual because of her pale plumage, was shot in Co. Newry in April 2024. She was later euthanised by the vet treating her.
In November 2024 the RSPB released news that a Red Kite had been found poisoned with carbofuran near Dornoch in East Sutherland.
Poisons and poison baits
The use of poison and poisoned baits to poison wild birds is illegal, but is still taking place across the whole of the UK, particularly on some shooting estates and farms. Some fast-acting chemicals cause death within minutes (raptors have been found lying dead next to poisoned baits) while anticoagulant rodenticides cause a slower, more drawn-out death over days or weeks. Poisoning is always silent compared with shooting and also less labour-intensive – no need to wait around for a bird of prey to return, just lay the bait, walk away, and come back to check every so often.
Raptors like Red Kites and Buzzards, scavengers which are easily attracted to baits like dead rabbits or pigeons, are especially vulnerable.
The 2024 RSPB Birdcrime report reported that
“In the last 15 years (2009-2023) there have been 506 confirmed bird of prey persecution incidents involving the illegal use of poisons. At least 488 birds of prey, including White-tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles, Red Kites, Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines, have been the victim of illegal poisoning.”
There have been 64 confirmed incidents of abuse of banned or highly toxic chemicals to target birds of prey in Northern Ireland alone since 2009.
These, remember, are just the birds that were found and reported. No one knows how many birds have died on remote estates, been picked up and disposed of by gamekeepers, or have just dropped into dense vegetation and are never recovered…
Could this Kite have been poisoned by accident?
Though this incident has been widely reported (eg by the BBC and national newspapers), we can’t find any information on which rodenticide was found in the bird. However, what is known as ‘anticoagulant secondary poisoning’, where a bird like a Kite (or Buzzard or owl) ingests a poisoned rodent, moving the anticoagulant poison up the food chain, was recognised as a serious issue decades ago. So-called second generation rodenticides (SGARs) like brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and difenacoum, first introduced in the 1970s, are 100 to 1,000 times more acutely toxic than ‘first generation’ poisons like Warfarin. They have been detected in almost all Barn Owls tested for it. Most Kestrels tested in the UK also contain rodenticides, despite the fact that they don’t usually take rats (contamination is probably through eating Wood Mice and voles that have eaten bait laid for rats).
After long campaigns, in June 2023 the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) announced that legal authorisation was being withdrawn by the Health and Safety Executive for open area and waste dump rodenticide use (in other words, outside and away from buildings) for the only two SGARs that were still being allowed to be used that way: bromadiolone and difenacoum. While both poisons can still be bought online and home delivered, it became illegal at the end of 2024 to use any SGAR product to treat a rodent infestation not associated with a building.
That means that NO rodenticides can legally be used outdoors. Ingestion may be ‘unintended’ but it should no longer be excused as an accident.
Could the Kite have ingested Aldicarb accidentally, then? Absolutely NOT. Because of its extremely high toxicity to humans and wildlife, as well as concerns over groundwater contamination, Aldicarb was banned in a European Union-wide decision in 2003, with the UK’s specific approval for Aldicarb being fully revoked by 2007. No products containing it are approved for use in the UK.
Pesticide ‘amnesties’ are held quite regularly (though should be less frequent as these products are handed in and not replaced). The Scottish Government ran a free, anonymous, and confidential pesticide amnesty scheme in 2015 to allow farmers and others to safely dispose of illegal pesticides like Carbofuran, Mevinphos, and Strychnine. The scheme, supported by PAW Scotland, aimed to purge illegal poisons from the countryside that could be used to harm wildlife and posed a risk to people and pets.
Whoever used this highly dangerous poison has been storing it illegally and has used it unlawfully. Almost certainly they will have used it deliberately…
What should we do if we think we’ve found a poisoned bait?
A poisoned bait may be as simple as small chunks of meat sprinkled with poison or it may take the form of a pigeon or rabbit carcass. Carcasses are often split up the middle and grains of poison sprinkled inside. Many poisons are brightly coloured in line with marking WHO toxicity levels (carbofuran, for example, is bright blue). Poisons used in baits are often insecticides – a carcass with DEAD flies on or near it (rather than buzzing around it) can be a sign it has been poisoned.
If we think we have found a possible poisoned bait we MUST NOT TOUCH it with bare hands. Poisons like the banned agricultural pesticides Carbofuran or Bendiocarb are extremely dangerous. Just a few grains or granules will kill a bird of prey by breaking down its nervous system, and the poison can be quickly absorbed through our own skin. Carbofuran, for example, can affect us if we just breathe it in. Exposure can cause weakness, sweating, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and blurred vision. Higher levels can cause muscle twitching, loss of coordination, and may cause breathing to stop.
If we are walking a dog, we need to get them out of the area immediately. If you suspect they may have ingested some poison (perhaps they found the bait) get them to a vet as soon as possible.
If possible warn other members of the public of your suspicions.
Remember too that unless the poison can be seen – and it often can’t as such small quantities are used – it is very difficult to be certain that none is present.
Reporting poisoning
Even if we only suspect a poisoning, it is always best to call the Police: they will deal and investigate any offences and they will involve partner agencies (Natural England, RSPB etc) when appropriate to do so.
Expect the police to advise us to be very careful and warn us of the dangers to our health of any poisons.
If a crime is in progress (ie we find someone laying a poison) call 999. If we find a dead bird or bait and the culprit is not on the scene call 101. Give details as requested, and ask for a crime reference number.
Suspected poisoning using pesticides can also be reported from anywhere in the UK to WIIS (the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme) on 0800 321600.
If we have information about someone killing raptors, and want to remain anonymous, we can also call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.
For more information please see Protect the Wild’s Protectors of the Wild page on Poisoning/Poison Baits and the Law
Birds and mammals do of course die of natural causes. Not every corpse found in the countryside is a sign of an attempted poisoning. But if the corpse of a bird of prey is found on a grouse moor or shooting estate and there are no visible signs of injury (eg gunshot wounds or collision damage) it is safest to treat the corpse as if it may have been poisoned and report it.