NEWS RELEASE
26 April 2011
LAST CHANCE TO STOP SLAUGHTER OF MAGPIES AND CROWS
· Surrey animal charity rallies opposition to “cruel, illogical and pointless” cull of avian predators
· Songbird loss “is not a black and white issue”, says Wildlife Aid Foundation
The Wildlife Aid Foundation is making a final plea to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) to halt its proposed cull of crows and magpies.
Avian predators are being blamed for the decline in the numbers of songbirds such as sparrows, lesser-spotted woodpeckers and skylarks – but the Wildlife Aid Foundation says it is “not a black and white issue” and the real reason for the songbirds’ decline is the loss of habitat due to over-development.
The cull is about to start and Wildlife Aid Foundation director Simon Cowell MBE is calling on opponents of the cull to make their views known to the GWCT and to Defra, the Government department responsible for the countryside and wildlife.
The Wildlife Aid Foundation fears that the GWCT will try to extend its cull beyond crows and magpies to other avian predators such as jackdaws, sparrow hawks and buzzards.
Simon believes there is a “hidden agenda” to wipe out large swathes of the avian predator population.
“There is no real justification for this slaughter in terms of nature conservation”, says Simon. “It is as senseless as Defra’s badger cull which is supposed to protect cattle from Bovine TB but which we all know is going to have no effect on cattle health.
“Killing predators in order to preserve songbirds is utterly illogical. It is Man’s interference that has unbalanced the various bird populations to start with, and further interference will do much more harm than good.
“There is also a bigger animal welfare issue here as culling adult birds means leaving potentially tens of thousands of baby birds orphaned and in many cases unable to fend for themselves.”
This is “the last chance to stop the slaughter”, says Simon.
“We are calling on everyone who cares about Britain’s wild animals and birds to protest to Defra and the GWCT and to plead with them not to go ahead with this cruel and pointless cull. We must do our utmost to protect all wild bird species, not just the songbirds.
“Save Britain’s magpies and crows!”
