Now, before reading this , I acknowledge that there will be some people who feel the idea is monstrous, invasive, downright potty and presumptuous, or much worse. Well , by contrast, I'd simply say that, whilst there might be good formal reasons why such can't be considered, some action is required to counter the utterly disgusting level of raptor persecution in this country at the present time. Outrage and complacency from the anonymous depths of an armchair, that familiar refuge of the huff and puff brigade, might be a suitably healthy outpouring for the individual concerned, but it brings about not one jot of improvement!! Perhaps the submission of positive suggestions for improvement to the situation might be an alternative of which you can be proud?
Recently, Chris Packham, currently President of the Hawk and Owl Trust, issued some condemnatory remarks about raptor persecution, the need for change and so on. Doubtless these will be reported widely and add further weight to the calls for such deplorable activities to cease. Others too have added their voices to this cause, but is there a need to centralise such concerns and bring about a national, completely open focus on the problem, which will ultimately lead to stronger enforcement, more telling sentences and the placing of responsibility on both employers and employees associated with such activities within the shooting industry?
Presuming the BBC's "Springwatch" programme will go ahead as usual in a month or so, is there not an opportunity to link such a focus to the programme , which attracts countless thousands of viewers across the UK? A joint appeal from Kate Humble ( President of the RSPB ) and Chris Packham ( President of the Hawk and Owl Trust ) requesting people to write to their MP's condemning the slaughter of our birds of prey on so many of our sporting estates would doubtless generate both outrage and action. Yes, I'm sure some would say,"It's all been done before", well maybe , but there is a need to relentlessly ensure the problem is put before the eyes of the public until such time as improvements are wrought! It seems to me hypocritical that the beauty and sheer enjoyment we can all take from our wildlife is being extolled whilst, at the same time, this is being matched by the wanton destruction of our most iconic raptor species. Television has highlighted all sorts of problems in the past, including raptor persecution and egg collecting, but why not again, and why not link such publicity with dynamic engagement with the democratic process? The means by which all this could be achieved is not demanding. A small Working Group, archive film footage of raptors and of incidents , statistics for respective Web sites and advice on what to do. It's not beyond the wit of man to put together a compelling case why change is needed and how to achieve it!
Whilst the idea might just be picked up, I shall also be ensuring the suggestion is put directly to the above organisations concerned as I wouldn't wish to generate embarrassment by action being called for before due consideration of the ideas take place. It may be the BeeB can't countenance such direct actions or that other ideas are in the pipeline, if so, such is not a problem. The real problem is in identifying something that keeps the issue alive and results in positive change! And by way of lightening the load.....
We may all know that KFC is on every High Street, so let's get the new KC partnership out there too.
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