Deer Bytes 44

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In this Bulletin:

1. ULTIMATE TRAVEL DRAW PRIZE WINNER!

2. BDS TRAINING DATES

3. DEER SHOOTING PAIR FINED BY COURT

4. STAG DEATH PROMPTS LITTER WARNING

5. DISEASE ALERT AFTER TICK INCREASE

6. DEER ON OUR ROADS SEMINAR

7. WILDLIFE PLEA OVER ELECTRIC FENCE

8. HUNTING DUO DENY BREAKING THE LAW

9. POLICE QUIZ EIGHT OVER POACHING

10. CRACKDOWN ON THE SLAUGHTER OF THE ANIMALS

1. ULTIMATE TRAVEL DRAW PRIZE WINNER

Mr Etherson is a British Deer Society member who bought his tickets at Scone Game Fair and also by post.

The winning ticket was drawn on 1st October 2007 at Fordingbridge by Mrs Teresa Dent, Chief Executive of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Proceeds from the Draw will go to the British Deer Society education and research funds.

2. BDS TRAINING DATES

DSC Level 1 is run over four consecutive days or two weekends and comprises a series of lectures, slide presentations, videos, and discussion. At the end of the course there are five assessments to be carried out. The written, visual and game meat hygiene are taken in the classroom and then the shooting and safety assessments taken in a simulated stalking environment. Successful candidates are awarded a DSC 1 Certificate.

Delivered by specialist instructors, this course is spread over 5 days and focuses on the requirements needed to manage a wild deer population. It includes population and habitat assessment through to appropriate cull planning and the formation of a written deer management report.

Students passing the examination are awarded the customized BDS / Lantra Deer Management Certificate.

The scheme is based at Dalmacallan, north of Dumfries in SW Scotland on 1650 acres of forest.

The aim is to provide for BDS members, who are DSC2 candidates, an opportunity to gather evidence for their portfolios. This will be under the observation of a DMQ Accredited Witness with known costs in advance and with no financial surprises.

Candidates wishing to utilise the facility will be required to pay a one off administration fee to BDS of £72. Each witnessed outing will be charged at £50 (payable direct to the Accredited Witness) and will include completion of a portfolio covering the performance criteria witnessed during an outing. A cull fee of £35 per deer shot will be charged irrespective of species, sex, age or quality and this charge will additionally apply to wounded animals that are not recovered.

3. DEER SHOOTING PAIR FINED BY COURT

Two young men have been fined for shooting four deer with an illegally held rifle in Aberdeenshire.

Lloyd Fowlie, 19, was fined £750 and Steven Wilson, 23, was fined £500 for shooting three roe deer and a red deer.

The deer were found in a ditch at the edge of woodland in the Cushnie area near Alford last November. They had been shot with a .22 rifle.

Fowlie, of Tough, and Wilson, of Sauchen, admitted shooting the deer and were fined at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

The pair claimed they had been out hunting rabbits but fired six bullets into each deer on Fowlie's father's land because they had been eating on the land.

Sheriff Alexander Jessop said: "I appreciate that they are both from farming backgrounds and live in the country.

"I feel it was committed out of ignorance rather than badness, but you didn't have the right to shoot these deer and by using the weapon you did you might have caused them additional distress because it was not powerful enough."

They admitted illegally killing the four deer at the Guise of Tough on 14 November.

They also admitted possessing the .22 rifle without a certificate and using the gun and bullets.

4. STAG DEATH PROMPTS LITTER WARNING

The death of a stag that became entangled in rope which then got caught around a tree would have been "slow and painful", the RSPCA has said.

A member of the public found the animal hanging from a branch in Foal Hurst Wood, Paddock Wood, Kent, RSPCA inspector Steve Dockery said.

It has led to a warning from the animal welfare charity on the dangers of leaving rubbish lying around.

He said: "This poor animal clearly became entangled in the nylon rope then got the rope caught around a tree and could not get away.

"Sadly, it would have been a slow, painful death, but these deaths could be prevented if people were more careful about not leaving rubbish lying around."

5. DISEASE ALERT AFTER TICK INCREASE

The public is being warned to take precautions against ticks as the wet and mild summer has caused a peak in numbers of the blood-sucking parasite.

The highly infectious disease is transmitted through tick bites and can lead to blindness, paralysis and even death if left undiagnosed.

Visitors to the countryside are urged to wear trousers, use insect repellent and check their skin for ticks.

According to the Health Protection Agency, most cases of Lyme Disease occur between late summer and early winter, believing tick numbers have risen because of the mild winter of 2006, followed by a long wet, humid period.

Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK (BADA-UK) said it had increased by 90% since 2006 across the UK, and the New Forest, the South Downs, Dorset and Berkshire have been named as tick hot-spots.

The most common symptom is a slowly expanding rash that spreads out from a tick bite, usually after about five to 14 days.

Typical symptoms also include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.

But it can be hard to spot because of the variety of symptoms, and can easily be mistaken for something else.

Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics, but if left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.

Removal of the tick within 24 hours also helps to stop the transmission of bacteria.

6. DEER ON OUR ROADS SEMINAR

Tuesday 9th October 2007

Deer-Vehicle collisions present a major problem in the

, and with continued traffic growth this problem is likely to increase unless action is taken to better understand how the risk of these collisions can be reduced. The seminar aims to demonstrate measures taken both locally and nationally to address this issue and the outcomes.

The seminar will be of interest to a wide spectrum of people whether professional/business or voluntary - including Deer Management Groups, Wildlife Managers and Recorders, Highway Engineers and Technicians, Farmers and Landowners,Land and Estate Managers, Local and Regional Decision Makers.

During the afternoon there will be the opportunity for guided site visits to see measures undertaken locally including one of the first Deer/Vehicle activated signs installed in the

, the trial sites for two types of acoustic devices, lower speed limits within the estate

7. WILDLIFE PLEA OVER ELECTRIC FENCE

Wildlife rescuers have appealed to owners of electric fencing in

Sussex

to remove it if it is not needed.

It follows eight incidents this year, four of them involving electric fencing, where deer have been trapped.

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service said there were now many more cases than in previous years.

In the most recent, on Tuesday, an adult deer was cut free and released after it had become caught in electric fencing near Chailey, in East Sussex.

Spokesman Trevor Weeks said: "These are powerful animals and they can be very difficult to catch and then restrain."

Last month, a fallow deer had to be rescued in similar circumstances near Robertsbridge. Other incidents have occurred at various locations in the Nutley, Uckfield, and Heathfield areas.

Mr Weeks said: "Obviously if the electric fencing is in frequent use then I would not expect someone to keep dismantling and erecting it.

He also urged owners of fencing to keep regular checks to ensure the safety of deer.

8. HUNTING DUO DENY BREAKING THE LAW

Two men have appeared in court to appeal against their convictions after being found guilty of illegally hunting deer with hounds.

Richard Down, 44, and Adrian Pillivant, 36, of the Quantock Staghounds were convicted by magistrates in June.

Anti-hunt campaigners filmed two hounds as they chased deer across Exmoor a year after the Hunting Act made hunting with hounds illegal.

The League Against Cruel Sports told the original court hearing that the deer were chased for more than an hour with no attempt made to shoot them humanely or call off the hounds.

Down, of Bagborough, Somerset, and Pillivant, from Willand, Devon, deny breaking the Act.

Down told Taunton Crown Court on Wednesday: "I know full well we can only flush deer with hounds.

"We only want to control the number of deer on the Quantocks because deer damage crops."

Richard Furlong, representing the League said that the huntsman had no intention of calling off the dogs.

9. POLICE QUIZ EIGHT OVER POACHING

Police officers were called to a field in Honey Pot Lane, Colsterworth, near Grantham after two vehicles were seen allegedly pursuing deer.

A Mitsubishi L200 pick-up truck and a Subaru Legacy Estate, both containing four people, were later stopped on the A151 near Grimsthorpe.

Lincolnshire Police wildlife crime officer PC Bryn Parry said: "We have seen a rise in reports of illegal hunting and coursing of animals such as hares, deer and badgers in the last six weeks.

"Unfortunately, such incidents are usually only reported to police the following morning after farmers or gamekeepers discover the tyre tracks on their land.

"Individuals use their vehicles to pursue the animals across the land before setting their dogs on them."

Seven men, aged between 18 and 25, and a 17-year-old woman, all from the Barnsley area, were arrested on suspicion of poaching.

10. CRACKDOWN ON THE SLAUGHTER OF THE ANIMALS

A MAJOR investigation will today be announced into the reasons why so few people who commit wildlife crimes are brought to justice.

The review, by the Inspectorate of Prosecution in

Scotland

, will examine every part of the prosecution process from the moment a case of badger baiting, bird poisoning or other offence is reported to the police, to the far less frequent occasions where an accused is brought into court.

Ministers will today reveal details of the review, the first of its kind in

Scotland

, during a major parliamentary debate on wildlife crime. The move comes against a backdrop of spiralling reports of crimes against wild animals.

The Scotsman, which is running a campaign to stop the increasing slaughter of birds of prey, has obtained new figures which show an alarming increase in a whole range of wildlife crimes.

According to the government statistics, 275 wildlife offences were reported in 2006-6 compared to 141 in 2002-3 - a 95 per cent increase over five years.

But experts say the true extent of animal cruelty and needless slaughter is far higher. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) recorded more than 600 wildlife crimes last year.

Doreen Graham, SSPCA spokeswoman, said the spectrum of offences was depressingly wide.

"It covers just about every type of abuse you could possibly imagine - birds being poisoned, frogs tortured, deer attacks, traps nearly cutting animals in two," she said. Some of the most common crimes have risen steadily in recent years. Offences involving birds have jumped a third, poaching by 17 per cent, and salmon/freshwater fisheries crimes by 90 per cent.

Meanwhile, the slaughter of

Scotland

's birds of prey is at its highest level in 20 years.

But there are also signs of an alarming escalation in rarer crimes, such as badger baiting. Not a single case was reported to police in 2002-3 or 2004-5. But last year there were seven reports of badger baiting.

Despite the increase in recording crimes, the number of successful prosecutions remains low. It is estimated only around 1.4 per cent of bird poisonings end in a conviction.

The inspectorate is expected to come up with a raft of recommendations which experts hope will boost the conviction rate when it publishes its report in the summer of 2008.

Police say wildlife crime is the "hardest of them all" to solve, partly due to the lack of incriminating evidence when a crime is uncovered.

But there are also concerns that, when someone is caught, prosecutors do not have sufficient expertise and are unable to devote enough time to put together the best possible case.

The Crown Office has taken steps to improve the situation, introducing specialist prosecutors to improve the way wildlife crimes are handled. Police have also been given extra powers under the Nature Conservation Act 2004, which allows them to detain people suspected of committing wildlife crimes.

But experts say these measures have had little effect. They say that where people are caught and brought to court, the most serious charges are often dropped. This may explain why no-one in

Scotland

has been jailed for killing birds of prey, which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of £10,000.

Maura Lynch, legal inspector at the Inspectorate of Prosecution in

Scotland

, said the investigation was "in the early stages" but would cover the prosecution service's overall response to wildlife crime, including training, use of specialist wildlife prosecutors and case handling.

"It will cover the whole process from reporting to prosecution in court. There has been much comment about how these crimes have been handled by the prosecution, and we want to find out how effective recent changes to procedures have been," she said.

Allan Stewart, wildlife officer for Tayside Police, welcomed the review of investigative procedures. He said: "We're getting better at it but it's an incredibly difficult area. The main problem is the remoteness of where the crimes take place. There are rarely any witnesses.

"Also if something is shot or poisoned, it doesn't always end up in the area where the crime was committed. This is especially true of birds, which may well keep flying for a while before they drop."

He said some people working on estates where illegal poisoning takes place are sometimes scared to blow the whistle.

"I wouldn't say there's a general reluctance to report wildlife crimes but there are situations where somebody working on a farm or estate will not want to go public in case they lose their job."

He said police were now working more closely with prosecutors but said the complex and technical nature of the investigations made it extremely difficult to get a conviction. "There was a case in Perth Sheriff Court where a colony of sand martins were decimated and the accused eventually pled guilty to a lesser charge.

"The problem is the procurator fiscal really needed to be an ornithologist to fully understand the case. The fiscal wasn't a specialist in environmental crime, but even if she was she would have found it very difficult." He added: "This is the hardest area of crime that I've worked in 20 years with the police. Anything that can make it better has got to be welcomed."

Mike Flynn, chief superintendent for the SSPCA, questioned the value of the specialist prosecutors.

"They've put in specialist fiscals but they are not able to devote enough time because they also have to handle all the other business. To really be specialists, they should be allowed the time to build up knowledge." He added: "Quite a few people on the defence side are clued-up and doing deals with the prosecution, but it's always the lesser of the charges that they admit. "Because the case is often not clear cut, all they need to say is 'we're going to trial'. They are complicated cases which usually take a long time in court, and the prosecution will often think it's not worth the expense and time and cut a deal."

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "While wildlife crimes have unique importance, and challenges, prosecutors must have regard to exactly the same laws of sufficiency, evidence and procedure as in any other criminal prosecution. However, the Crown also have a dedicated team of trained specialist wildlife prosecutors."

o THE Scotsman is committed to helping the SSPCA catch those responsible for killing birds of prey and other wildlife. Information about raptor poisonings and other incidents of wildlife crime can be passed to police on 01620 893607.

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Deer Bytes - to recieve this monthly round up of deer news by email contact

British Deer Society Bulletin 44

In this Bulletin:

1. ULTIMATE TRAVEL DRAW PRIZE WINNER!

2. BDS TRAINING DATES

3. DEER SHOOTING PAIR FINED BY COURT

4. STAG DEATH PROMPTS LITTER WARNING

5. DISEASE ALERT AFTER TICK INCREASE

6. DEER ON OUR ROADS SEMINAR

7. WILDLIFE PLEA OVER ELECTRIC FENCE

8. HUNTING DUO DENY BREAKING THE LAW

9. POLICE QUIZ EIGHT OVER POACHING

10. CRACKDOWN ON THE SLAUGHTER OF THE ANIMALS

1. ULTIMATE TRAVEL DRAW PRIZE WINNER

2. BDS TRAINING DATES

3. DEER SHOOTING PAIR FINED BY COURT

4. STAG DEATH PROMPTS LITTER WARNING

5. DISEASE ALERT AFTER TICK INCREASE

6. DEER ON OUR ROADS SEMINAR

Tuesday 9th October 2007

7. WILDLIFE PLEA OVER ELECTRIC FENCE

8. HUNTING DUO DENY BREAKING THE LAW

9. POLICE QUIZ EIGHT OVER POACHING

10. CRACKDOWN ON THE SLAUGHTER OF THE ANIMALS