Hen harrier vanishes in North Yorkshire
The disappearance of a hen harrier is “deeply concerning”.
A juvenile hen harrier has been reported missing from Upper Swaledale, North Yorkshire.
The young male, named Mick, is the fifth hen harrier to vanish in Northern England in just four months and his loss has been described as a ‘serious blow’.
Mick fledged in Northumberland last summer and was satellite tagged by a hen harrier expert from Natural England in July. His tag stopped transmitting in the Thwaite area on 21 December but searches have found no trace of the bird or equipment.
Natural England has reported the disappearance to North Yorkshire Police and is working with wildlife crime officers, local landowners, the Moorland Association and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
Rob Cooke, a director at Natural England, said the disappearance of a hen harrier is “deeply concerning”.
David Butterworth, chief executive at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, added: “It’s incredibly disappointing that the Yorkshire Dales’ reputation as a wonderful place to visit is being damaged by incidents like this. We have pledged to provide whatever support we can to help the Police and Natural England find out what happened in this particular case.”
Police are asking anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. When passing information, quote the reference number 12170014975.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
