TUT TUT TUT prison term warning for gamekeeper

[akton 15]

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/12/04/p...-gamekeeper-33/ for full story

 

 

Prison term warning to gamekeeper, 33

 

Roger VentonA former south Shropshire head gamekeeper has been warned that he could face a prison sentence after he admitted using traps to take or kill wild birds.

 

Roger Venton appeared at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday. He admitted that between July 16 and 27 last year, at the Kempton Estate, near Craven Arms, he used a spring trap to take or kill a wild bird.

 

The 33-year-old, of Aston on Clun, also admitted that on May 5 last year he allowed assistant gamekeeper Kyle Burden to use a caged trap for the purposes of killing a wild bird.

 

Another three similar charges were dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence. Sentencing was adjourned until January 2.

 

As a result of the case the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is launching a confidential hotline to help catch wildlife criminals.

 

At court yesterday, Mr Geoffrey Dann, prosecuting, said the incidents came to light after another gamekeeper became concerned about the high number of birds of prey being killed on the estate in Aston on Clun.

 

Kyle Burden has already been sentenced.Mr Dann said the RSPB identified a pole trap on the estate.

 

He said a spring trap in itself was not illegal, but being set on a pole meant it was, while tying a raven to it as a decoy bird was illegal.

 

He said Venton had told Burden to take the traps down, but admitted Burden may still have used them.

 

Mr Huw Williams, mitigating, said: “Venton is a man of exemplary character and this will be his first and last appearance at a criminal court.†Venton had since resigned his position.

 

Deputy District Judge Robert Cockrell said he could not rule out imprisonment.

 

Speaking outside court, Mark Thomas, RSPB investigations officer, said: “The people who commit these crimes, or who pressure others to commit them, are not only breaking the law, they are dragging the good name of gamekeeping through the mud.â€

[Guest ferret feller]

saw that in the star (my local paper) didnt think much of it after the article about the keeper killing countless brocks from round hear

[trappa 518]

Im probably going to be contraversial here but i hope he does get a jail term, it might put others off. Birds of prey are persecuted round here and before people say that im talking sh*t i know of plenty of cases personally.

[zig zag wanderer 0]

I agree with Trappa. (Some) gamekeepers have been bringing pest control into disrepute with these sort of activities for generations now.

 

Until they get out of the mindset that all predators are the enemy then there will always be a problem. Predator control is a balance and the law is the law.

[Guest Rod&dog]

Obvously you two lads have not seen the damage buzzards and the like can do to a pen of pheasant poults ,,When i was working as a keeper,, When birds had gone to pen maybe 2 or three birds (From each pen) you would find in the moring from buzzards,, And when youve got six pens thats 12 a day,,, and you think what is lost each week due to B.O.P Can a keeper on any shoot cope with loosing that many birds?

 

Im not supporting the killing of buzzards or bops,, But just hope you realalise what some keepers are driven to,,And buzzards are harldly not under threat around here,, Infact there numbers are soaring,, And there nice to have around Its sad that the likes of RSPB can not understand that something should be going on to controll numbers when poults go to pen.

 

If it was your livelyhood would you let it happen?

[trappa 518]

Rod, i know exactly where you are coming from, buzzards actually do need to be controlled in certain areas, but certain keepers are putting out poisoned bait to indiscriminatly kill any predator, and killing any "hook beak" they come across. I personally know of goshawks and peregrines being shot and slayed "just because" !! There cant be more than 500 pairs of gosses wild in the country yet i know of one case where a keeper i know shot one not 3 miles from my house.

 

Buzzards need controlling in some areas, but until this happens every bop countrywide is being persecuted regardless of whether its causing a problem or not.

Edited December 6, 2008 by trappa

[Guest Rod&dog]

Rod, i know exactly where you are coming from, buzzards need to be controlled in certain areas, but certain keepers are putting out poisoned bait to indiscriminatly kill any predator, and killing any "hook beak". I peresonally know of goshawks and peregrines being shot and slayed "just because" !!

Buzzards need controlling in some areas, but until this happens every bop countrywide is being persecuted regardless of whether its causing a problem or not.

 

Yeh i can see where your coming from aswell.

 

Im sure everyone (Including keepers) wants to see the wildlife around now,, In our countryside in 50 years time,,And the way you mentioned is not a way to go about ,, Alough anyway is illegal,, But i feel thats the problem certain people are doing what you mentioned,,If there was a strict controll laws then that would not happen.

[Guest MY LAW]

Obvously you two lads have not seen the damage buzzards and the like can do to a pen of pheasant poults ,,When i was working as a keeper,, When birds had gone to pen maybe 2 or three birds (From each pen) you would find in the moring from buzzards,, And when youve got six pens thats 12 a day,,, and you think what is lost each week due to B.O.P Can a keeper on any shoot cope with loosing that many birds?

 

Im not supporting the killing of buzzards or bops,, But just hope you realalise what some keepers are driven to,,And buzzards are harldly not under threat around here,, Infact there numbers are soaring,, And there nice to have around Its sad that the likes of RSPB can not understand that something should be going on to controll numbers when poults go to pen.

 

If it was your livelyhood would you let it happen?

every thing should have some thing to keep them in axceptable numbers otherwise we all know what happens ,[so what keeps the BOP in check ,nothing ],i agree with what he done ,laws of this kind only up set the balence of nature .the BOP have risen to unexeptable numbers now just look around and see and it is all down to the so called RSPB and all they seem to care about is BOP because that is where they get the most suport from.take a look at the decline in the wild birds because of this ,and what do the RSPB blame that on ,not their prescious money making BOP.dont get me wrong i like to see BOP but when they start geting out of hand like it is now then some thing should be done before it is to late ,

[Guest MY LAW]

Rod, i know exactly where you are coming from, buzzards actually do need to be controlled in certain areas, but certain keepers are putting out poisoned bait to indiscriminatly kill any predator, and killing any "hook beak" they come across. I personally know of goshawks and peregrines being shot and slayed "just because" !! There cant be more than 500 pairs of gosses wild in the country yet i know of one case where a keeper i know shot one not 3 miles from my house.

 

Buzzards need controlling in some areas, but until this happens every bop countrywide is being persecuted regardless of whether its causing a problem or not.

in the forest of dean and sourounding area the foristry comision know of 60 plus nesting pairs of goss ,these birds where introdused to keep the grey squirels in check but it back fired they dont bother the squirels to mutch at the moment they are feeding on the wild bird population ,yes they will start on the squirel pop when they run out of the wild birds ,because they have been aloud to keep breeding ,and what for.tell me that.

[Guest MY LAW]

just one other thing you might not know the RSPB admited 10 years ago that atleast 250,000 song birds get eaten every day by BOP ,i wonder just how many that is now ,500 pairs of goss in the country ,i thing you are missing a few 00 .

[chimp 299]

i'm not a great fan of keepers but this guy does not deserve to go to prison , yes ok he has been caught and should be punished but our prisons are over flowing at the moment and im sure giving him a big fine and some community service would sort him out.

 

the joke is he will probably get more time then a rapist

Edited December 6, 2008 by chimp

[Guest Rod&dog]

the joke is he will probably get more time then a rapist

 

Sadly thats probbally true.

[Penda 3,368]

I dont agree with the bloke getting a jail sentence all the blokes trying to do is earn a living and as for his mates grassing him up you dont do things like that just shows what people will do or how low they will go to get sumthin off sum1

[trappa 518]

just one other thing you might not know the RSPB admited 10 years ago that atleast 250,000 song birds get eaten every day by BOP ,i wonder just how many that is now ,500 pairs of goss in the country ,i thing you are missing a few 00 .

I know enough mate,. The last study i was looking at was that wild birds of prey killed 0.02% of all mammals and birds killed in britain whereas cats killed 79%., now if your saying 0.02% equals 250,000 birds alone, never mind mammals, then cats have certainly done some damage! Lets not go there.

 

Its one thing to take out a pair of buzzards or sparrowhawks if they are seriously affecting your pheasants (though still illegal) but killing birds of prey indiscriminatly by poisoning or pole traps is wrong.period.

Edited December 6, 2008 by trappa

[Guest MY LAW]

just one other thing you might not know the RSPB admited 10 years ago that atleast 250,000 song birds get eaten every day by BOP ,i wonder just how many that is now ,500 pairs of goss in the country ,i thing you are missing a few 00 .

I know enough mate,. The last study i was looking at was that wild birds of prey killed 0.02% of all mammals and birds killed in britain whereas cats killed 79%., now if your saying 0.02% equals 250,000 birds alone, never mind mammals, then cats have certainly done some damage! Lets not go there.

 

Its one thing to take out a pair of buzzards or sparrowhawks if they are seriously affecting your pheasants (though still illegal) but killing birds of prey indiscriminatly by poisoning or pole traps is wrong.period.

i agree with indiscriminatly ,and with the cats ,but if you get a estermated figure for the number of BOP ,that take wild birds that are in this country then x it by 2 that is what they need to kill to stay alive each day , you will see the damage that they do with out the cats and corvids ,then you can xit by 4 in the breading season .the figure of 250,000 was only an estermate that the RSPB came up with it is prob more ,imagin what it is now 10 years on .what was the years the studie you looked at ,and can you realy distinguish betwen any BOP they are all doing considerable damage to all sorts ,when will it ever be under controll [when it is to late ]like every thing else that man interfears with .im only being realistical .ask the RSPB for a rough estemate of the number of BOP in this country then do the figures i have given you, i think you will be susprised.