{"id":280962,"date":"2025-11-24T17:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T17:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/280962\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T17:32:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T17:32:18","slug":"hen-harrier-found-dead-in-northumberland-national-park-with-shotgun-damage-to-satellite-tag-raptor-persecution-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/280962\/","title":{"rendered":"Hen Harrier found dead in Northumberland National Park with shotgun damage to satellite tag \u2013 Raptor Persecution UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a blog about one of those dead Hen Harriers for whom we\u2019ve been waiting over a year for Natural England to confirm the cause of death.<\/p>\n

The young Hen Harrier in question (Tag ID: 254843) was fitted with a satellite tag when she was a nestling in Northumberland on 5 July 2024.<\/p>\n

In Natural England\u2019s HH spreadsheet that was updated in August 2024, her status was given as follows:<\/p>\n

Date of last contact: 29 July 2024 <\/p>\n

Location of last contact: Northumberland<\/p>\n

OS reference: Recovered awaiting PM<\/p>\n

Status: Dead<\/p>\n

There were no further details provided until 14 months later, when Natural England quietly updated its spreadsheet in October 2025. This bird\u2019s status was now given as follows:<\/p>\n

Date of last contact: 29 July 2024<\/p>\n

Location of last contact: Northumberland<\/p>\n

OS reference: NY824937<\/p>\n

Status: Dead<\/p>\n

Notes on Loss: The recovered carcass was not suitable for any PM owing to level of decomposition<\/p>\n

The grid reference places the last location in an upland area of Northumberland National Park, to the north east of Kielder Water. This area of moorland is not known to be a raptor persecution hotspot \u2013 indeed it\u2019s one of the few strongholds for Hen Harrier breeding attempts in England \u2013 and there was nothing in Natural England\u2019s spreadsheet notes to suggest she had been killed illegally. So we\u2019re led to conclude it was a probable natural death.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Last known location of Hen Harrier 254843 according to Natural England info<\/p>\n

But hang on a minute. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve recently found a fascinating blog posted within the depths of the National Wildlife Crime Unit\u2019s (NWCU) website that tells a very different story. It was published on 10 October 2025 and is entitled, \u2018Cracking the Case: How Experts Uncovered the Truth Behind a Hen Harrier\u2019s Mysterious Death\u2018. <\/p>\n

The original blog can be read here<\/a>, and I\u2019ve copied it here incase the link is broken in the future:<\/p>\n

When a young female hen harrier known as 254843 took her first flights over the moorlands of Otterburn, Northumbria, in July 2024, she became part of a vital conservation effort. Fitted with a satellite tag by Natural England (NE), this small device would help scientists track her journey, monitor her wellbeing, and contribute to the protection of one of the UK\u2019s most threatened birds of prey.<\/p>\n

But just weeks later, her signal stopped. What initially appeared to be a tragic but natural loss of a young bird soon revealed something far more sinister and set in motion a remarkable multi-agency investigation into suspected wildlife crime.<\/p>\n

When NE staff noticed that 254843\u2019s satellite tag had stopped transmitting, they followed established procedures to locate her. The bird\u2019s remains were found roughly 1.2 kilometres from her nest close to where she had been learning to hunt under her parents\u2019 watchful eyes. At first, the team suspected natural predation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The remains of HH 254843 (photo Natural England)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>HH 25483 with damaged tag (photo Natural England)<\/p>\n

However, during recovery, one small detail caught their attention \u2014 a small, round dent and hole in the satellite tag. It was an anomaly that couldn\u2019t be ignored.<\/p>\n

This discovery triggered the involvement of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and the Harrier Task Force (HTF). Working closely with Natural England, the Northumbria Police Rural Crime Team, and scientific experts, they began piecing together what had really happened.<\/p>\n

The first step was to send the remains and the tag to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for a detailed postmortem. Due to the bird\u2019s advanced decomposition, the pathologists couldn\u2019t confirm a cause of death, but their findings were enough to justify further forensic testing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Radiograph of the carcass of HH 25483 and her satellite tag (photo by ZSL)<\/p>\n

From there, the investigation moved to Nottingham Trent University (NTU), where specialists used CT scanning and chemical analysis to examine the damaged tag. Their results revealed elevated levels of lead around the hole a crucial clue pointing toward a lead-based projectile.<\/p>\n

Finally, the tag was analysed by a ballistics expert from the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). The verdict: the damage was consistent with being struck by a shotgun pellet, likely from a birdshot cartridge fired from below the flying bird. Tests confirmed traces of lead, and the impact trajectory supported the theory of a shotgun discharge at an estimated distance of up to 30 metres.<\/p>\n

The conclusion was clear. This was no accident of nature. It was a deliberate act of wildlife crime.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Shotgun damage to HH 254843\u2019s satellite tag (photo by Scottish Police Authority)<\/p>\n

Thanks to the combined expertise of scientists, conservationists, and law enforcement, the incident has been officially recorded as criminal damage. Each satellite tag costs around \u00a32,800, not including the significant resources dedicated to fitting and monitoring them but the real loss is far greater, representing another blow to hen harrier conservation efforts.<\/p>\n

The investigation also led to important lessons for future responses. New procedures now ensure that if anything suspicious is discovered during a bird recovery \u2014 no matter how small \u2014 the process halts immediately, and police take over to conduct a forensic recovery. This prevents potential evidence from being lost and strengthens the chance of bringing perpetrators to justice.<\/p>\n

This case demonstrates the high level of skill, coordination, and dedication required to detect and investigate wildlife crime. From the precision of CT imaging and chemical testing to the meticulous work of forensic ballistics experts and the vigilance of conservation field teams every partner plays a crucial role.<\/p>\n

It also serves as a reminder that wildlife crime is not victimless. Each illegal act damages not only individual animals but also the broader ecosystem and the tireless efforts of those working to protect it.<\/p>\n

The public can play their part too. If you have any information about this incident or any suspected wildlife crime please report it.<\/p>\n

Every report helps protect the wild places and species that make our countryside unique and ensures that those who threaten them are held accountable.<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear from the NWCU blog the extent of the effort, by multiple partners, to determine what happened here, and I applaud them for it. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m less impressed that this information hasn\u2019t been given the media attention it deserves, nor that a link to the NWCU blog hasn\u2019t been added to Natural England\u2019s spreadsheet entry about the circumstances surrounding this Hen Harrier\u2019s death. It really isn\u2019t difficult.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also interested that the NWCU blog states, \u201c\u2026the incident has been officially recorded as criminal damage\u201c. This is presumably in reference to the shotgun damage caused to the satellite tag. <\/p>\n

I wonder, though, how the death of Hen Harrier 254843 has been officially recorded\u2026\u2019Unknown\u2019? \u2018Suspicious\u2019? \u2018Illegally killed\u2019? <\/p>\n

The blog says, \u201cThe conclusion was clear. This was no accident of nature. It was a deliberate act of wildlife crime\u201d. So why doesn\u2019t Natural England\u2019s spreadsheet reflect this?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is a blog about one of those dead Hen Harriers for whom we\u2019ve been waiting over a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":{"0":"post-280962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom","11":"tag-unitedkingdom","12":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}