Germany: Hobby hunter poisons birds of prey

An unprecedented case of environmental crime was discovered in the Cloppenburg district.

Nine poisoned, dead birds of prey were found and seized in a small area of the municipality of Cappeln.

Dyed bait animals and poison eggs

«I received individual photos and information that in a remote patch of woodland, near new high seats, conspicuously turquoise-blue dyed wood pigeons had been placed as bait. In addition, eggs had been laid out there, and a buzzard was also lying there dead. That immediately set off alarm bells for me,» recounts Ludger Frye, the NABU district chair in the Vechta district, visibly appalled. His immediate follow-up with the person who made the discovery confirmed that, apparently for hunting purposes, completely unprotected and openly dyed bait animals and poison eggs had been laid out in a woodland complex.

This prompted conservationist Frye to take action — he had already dealt with illegal persecution of birds of prey in the Vechta and Diepholz districts on multiple occasions and knew what needed to be done. This is a method of persecution that has been strictly prohibited and subject to criminal prosecution for decades. «This colouring of the bait animals is typical of the use of extremely potent contact poisons banned across Europe, such as carbofuran or mevinphos,» said Ludger Frye. These substances are also life-threatening to humans upon contact. The person who made the discovery had unsuspectingly and carelessly touched the bird of prey.

Ludger Frye immediately contacted the criminal police directly to report the urgent suspicion of a serious environmental crime and an ongoing dangerous situation. A joint search of the sprawling area in the municipality of Cappeln was promptly arranged — located near Darrenkamp, between the villages of Schwichteler and Vestrup, very close to the district boundary between Cloppenburg and Vechta.

Nine dead birds of prey found

The search, which lasted over five hours, then revealed the incredible extent of the horror. In various parts of the search area, which covered more than five hectares, dozens of poison-coated wood pigeons and chicken eggs with injection holes were conspicuously and openly placed on tree stumps in clusters. Carcasses of domestic pigeons, pheasants, ducks, and hares — also dyed blue — were likewise laid out. The search yielded a shocking number of dead birds of prey, some lying directly beside the bait.

In total, the criminal police and NABU together found nine dead birds of prey, including seven common buzzards, two goshawks, and individual corvids. The bait, eggs, and victims were documented and then collected as completely as possible for official examination. "And to rule out any further risk of poisoning to humans and animals," the conservationist explained the necessity. The remote location of the finds and their obvious visibility clearly point to the perpetrators, Ludger Frye is certain.

None of the local hobby hunters could have overlooked the scale of the dead birds.

NABU calls for revocation of all hunting licenses

Bait and victims of varying ages also suggest a prolonged period of deployment. "This is not something that happened just once," he is certain. "That is why NABU is immediately calling for the provisional revocation of the hunting licenses of all hobby hunters active in the area, until the full extent of the criminal offense and individual responsibilities have been clarified!"

Police are now investigating a hobby hunter believed to be responsible for the deaths of nine birds of prey. Overwhelming evidence was found during searches, police announced today. "We discovered liquid substances that appeared to be poison." More on Crime and hobby hunting.