POLICE are appealing for information after it was confirmed that a red kite found dead in December had been poisoned with a pesticide.

The discovery has prompted a warning from North Yorkshire Police - as part of the force’s Operation Owl campaign - about the cruel, illegal and dangerous practice of lacing animal carcasses with poison to kill other wildlife.

Operation Owl is an initiative by North Yorkshire Police, the RSPB and the RSPCA, together with the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, the Nidderdale Moorland Group, and others, to reduce the number of illegal attacks on birds of prey, as reported on recently in the CravenHerald.

The dead kite was found by a member of the public near Knaresborough.

Sgt Kevin Kelly, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “North Yorkshire’s wonderful countryside is host to many specially-protected birds of prey, including red kites. It is completely unacceptable that people think they can ignore the law and subject these birds to poisonings and other forms of persecution without consequence.

“Like other forms of rural crime, raptor persecution is not a problem that the police can tackle alone.

“If everyone keeps their eyes open for illegal traps and poisoned bait, it will be a massive boost to our surveillance operation.

“Operation Owl is a real opportunity to reduce the number of wild birds that suffer and die unnecessarily, and send a clear message to offenders that we will not tolerate this crime in our countryside.”

Howard Jones, RSPB Investigations Officer, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of another illegally poisoned red kite in North Yorkshire.

“Although the re-introduction of this species into the region has been a conservation success, there continues to be an unacceptable level of persecution towards these majestic birds.

“Kites are struggling to expand their range into upland areas such as the Yorkshire Dales and, in this case, it is clear that they are not safe in other areas of the county either.

“We will continue to work closely with North Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Red Kites to tackle the issue of illegal killing.”

Doug Simpson, Yorkshire Red Kites Co-ordinator, said: “I am particularly concerned about this case, it being the first recorded kite death from illegal poisoning in this particular area.

“It is yet another instance of a red kite persecution victim having been found by someone out walking in the countryside - 22 of our 42 confirmed illegally killed or injured kites having been found in this way.”

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, choose option 1 and quote reference 12170217776.

Alternatively email bill.hickson@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline for free on 0300 999 0101.