Bird of prey found dead in Cambridgeshire
Police are appealing for information after a buzzard was found dead in a Cambridgeshire village.
A member of the public found the bird of prey in a wooded area in Horseheath last week, it had been shot.
The bird was found to have shot gun pellets in its body and wings. Cambridgeshire Police's Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) has launched an investigation working with the RSPB.
PC Alun Bradshaw from the RCAT said: “Someone has deliberately shot this bird and we urge anyone with information to contact us.
Despite legal protections, many birds of prey are killed, poisoned or trapped each year.
Figures in the RSPB's most recent bird crime report show that 32 buzzards were killed or injured in 2019.
The charity also says that since the country first entered lockdown last year, its investigations team have been inundated with reports of crimes against birds of prey.
RSPB Assistant Investigations Officer, Tom Grose, added: “Buzzards and other birds of prey are protected by law, yet all too often we received reports of them being illegally shot, trapped and poisoned.
“At a time when the natural work and its wildlife are increasingly under threat, we all have an important role to play. If you have any information which may help this investigation, please come forward.”