Man Poisons Birds of Prey to Protect Personal Exotic Waterfowl Collection

A man poisons birds of prey to protect his collection of exotic waterfowl. A 67-year-old waterfowl enthusiast who killed numerous raptors and other birds received a sentence.

At Dumfries Sheriff Court, Barry Nicolle, the owner of a wildfowl breeding farm, admitted to using prohibited poisons carelessly. It is said to be the first conviction involving the use of poison to kill several raptors.

Nicolle was sentenced to 216 hours of unpaid community service and issued a community payback order.

Man Poisons Wild Birds

Additionally, he admitted guilt to illegally utilizing a crow trap, possessing a number of very dangerous pesticides, and violating air weapon license laws.

Nicolle laced bait with outlawed pesticides between May 2019 and February 2020 at locations in Dumfries and Galloway.

On the fence posts around his property, which is roughly 164 yards from Springholm Primary School, he also hid poisoned bread.

In an effort to defend his personal collection of exotic waterfowl from possible danger, it was done, drawing in, and killing scavengers.

Barry Nicolle's conduct resulted in the unlawful killing of numerous red kites and rooks, according to Fiona Caldwell of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), who spoke after the sentencing.

Caldwell added that Nicolle had displayed a complete disdain for the wildlife rules that are intended to protect these species by setting bait that was poisoned.

The court was informed that multiple reports of red kite deaths that seemed suspicious were made to police, the RSPB, and Scottish SPCA inspectors in the Kirkpatrick Durham and Springholm areas.

Several terrified red kites were discovered lying lifeless on the ground and had to be put to death.

The grounds of Springholm Primary School were the scene of the discovery of ten poisoned rooks, BBC reports.

The SRUC Veterinary Investigation Centre's subsequent post-mortem investigations and the Sasa's Chemistry Branch's toxicology analyses showed a pattern and cause of death connected to Aldicarb, a banned carbofuran-based pesticide.

Since each fatality occurred close to Nicolle's land, authorities were permitted to search Wickerty Snook.

Aldicarb, Bendiocarb, and Phostoxin, which contain aluminum phosphide, have been identified during the search of his property in February 2020. Poisoned bait and traps, including an unauthorized Larsen trap, which are wild bird traps that entice the target species with a live decoy, typically a crow or magpie, were also discovered, News Chain reports.

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Children at Risk

According to Ian Thomson, head of investigations at RSPB Scotland, it is unlawful, risky, and indiscriminate to place poison baits in plain view.

The fact that Nicolle's recurrent actions did not seriously hurt a young child, Thompson continued, is extremely fortunate.

The biodiversity of Scotland is one of its main draws, according to Det Insp. Dean Little and this is particularly true in the region where we live. In addition to being careless and cruel to the birds it killed, Nicolle's use of illegal poison endangered the environment and anyone who came across them due to its risk to the public, Yahoo reports.

Tags poisons, birds of prey, exotic waterfowl, waterfowl, exotic animals