Queen asked to help Hen Harrier
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An epetition passes 10,000 signatures, Cosmetics company Lush and its customers ask the Queen for help, and a big protest is to be held on Sunday – all to protect the endangered Hen Harrier.
The striking raptor is on the brink of extinction as an English breeding bird, and in 2013 not a single chick was successfully raised; this year just three pairs of this once common raptor nested. The reason for this is known to be the continued illegal shooting, trapping and disturbance on moors managed for driven grouse shoots.
The company said in a press release: "We call upon the Queen to use her power and popularity to help protect these last precious few Hen Harriers in England, so they can rule our skies once more." Head of Lush, Mark Constantine OBE, also founded The Sound Approach, the independent birding publishing company.
To partly coincide with Hen Harrier Day on 10 August and to maintain pressure on this important conservation issue, Lush will be inviting customers into their shops from today, 8 August, until the so-called 'Glorious Twelfth', to sign a postcard to the Queen, asking for her help in protecting the endangered Hen Harrier. Signatories will have an opportunity to support the online petition asking the government to ban driven grouse shooting, started by Birdwatch contributor Dr Mark Avery and TV naturalist Chris Packham, with support from the RSPB and the North-West Raptor Protection Group. The petition has already topped 10,000 signatures, a figure which means that the Coalition partners are obliged to respond soon.
Lush's Ethical Director, Hilary Jones, commented: “What a right royal mess we are in with Hen Harriers. Those who should know better, the stewards of our green and pleasant land, have persecuted these birds to the brink of extinction in England. We are calling on the Queen to use her power to put a stop to this illegal killing, so these rare birds are no longer at risk of being 'harry’d' to death.”
Hen Harrier’s natural habitat in England is heather moorlands, which are increasingly being managed by landowners as grouse shooting estates, though the species is also fairly widespread on agricultural lands and grasslands on the Continent. A recent ecological survey showed that England could support up to 300 pairs of Hen Harrier in the absence of persecution. Driven grouse moors are the most intensive form of game management, with the intention of increasing the shootable surplus of birds.
Hen Harrier is a natural predator of Red Grouse, one of Britain's few endemic bird forms, and this is why it is targeted by those in the driven grouse industry. In Wales and Northern Ireland, where grouse moor management is a more uncommon land management practice, there are many more Hen Harriers.
Hen Harrier Day will involve a peaceful protest in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire, and will be led by Mark Avery and Chris Packham, joined by around 500 conservationists and birders to raise awareness of the Hen Harrier’s plight.
The striking raptor is on the brink of extinction as an English breeding bird, and in 2013 not a single chick was successfully raised; this year just three pairs of this once common raptor nested. The reason for this is known to be the continued illegal shooting, trapping and disturbance on moors managed for driven grouse shoots.
The company said in a press release: "We call upon the Queen to use her power and popularity to help protect these last precious few Hen Harriers in England, so they can rule our skies once more." Head of Lush, Mark Constantine OBE, also founded The Sound Approach, the independent birding publishing company.
To partly coincide with Hen Harrier Day on 10 August and to maintain pressure on this important conservation issue, Lush will be inviting customers into their shops from today, 8 August, until the so-called 'Glorious Twelfth', to sign a postcard to the Queen, asking for her help in protecting the endangered Hen Harrier. Signatories will have an opportunity to support the online petition asking the government to ban driven grouse shooting, started by Birdwatch contributor Dr Mark Avery and TV naturalist Chris Packham, with support from the RSPB and the North-West Raptor Protection Group. The petition has already topped 10,000 signatures, a figure which means that the Coalition partners are obliged to respond soon.
Lush's Ethical Director, Hilary Jones, commented: “What a right royal mess we are in with Hen Harriers. Those who should know better, the stewards of our green and pleasant land, have persecuted these birds to the brink of extinction in England. We are calling on the Queen to use her power to put a stop to this illegal killing, so these rare birds are no longer at risk of being 'harry’d' to death.”
Hen Harrier’s natural habitat in England is heather moorlands, which are increasingly being managed by landowners as grouse shooting estates, though the species is also fairly widespread on agricultural lands and grasslands on the Continent. A recent ecological survey showed that England could support up to 300 pairs of Hen Harrier in the absence of persecution. Driven grouse moors are the most intensive form of game management, with the intention of increasing the shootable surplus of birds.
Hen Harrier is a natural predator of Red Grouse, one of Britain's few endemic bird forms, and this is why it is targeted by those in the driven grouse industry. In Wales and Northern Ireland, where grouse moor management is a more uncommon land management practice, there are many more Hen Harriers.
Hen Harrier Day will involve a peaceful protest in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire, and will be led by Mark Avery and Chris Packham, joined by around 500 conservationists and birders to raise awareness of the Hen Harrier’s plight.
