merrion street

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, is seeking help from the public after a Peregrine Falcon was found shot at Ballynastraw near Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The bird had to be euthanised due to the severity of its injuries.

Peregrine Falcons, native birds of prey, receive the highest possible legal protection under Irish and European law. Peregrine Falcons are a protected species and deliberate killing of such a bird is a criminal offence.

An X-ray has confirmed that the Falcon was shot with shotgun pellets in its wing and leg. An identification ring, which had been placed on the bird’s leg in June of this year, showed that it was a young bird on one of its first flights.

Veterinary advice was that the injuries were so bad that rehabilitation was not likely to succeed; this resulted in the Peregrine Falcon being euthanised.

Speaking today Dominic Berridge of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, based on the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, said: ‘There seems to have been an increase in the deliberate killing of peregrines in recent years with several unexplained nest failures in the south-east. The finding of this bird is not an isolated incident. There have been attempts to poison and shoot birds at a number of nests and if people see anything suspicious like a tethered pigeons or a trap, NPWS staff should be called’.

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, added: ‘It is intolerable for protected birds of prey to be persecuted, poisoned or shot. Not only is this activity illegal and barbaric, it also harms our reputation as a country that values its wildlife. I would urge anyone to report such incidents to the National Parks and Wildlife Service in my Department’.

If anyone can help NPWS to investigate this problem we would be very grateful. Dominic Berridge can be contacted at 076 100 2660.