A rare hen harrier has vanished after its satellite tag was found on a Welsh moorland dubbed one of the “most notorious bird of prey persecution hotspots” in the UK by a conservation charity.<\/p>\n
The RSPB has dubbed Ruabon Moor, near Wrexham, a “Bermuda Triangle” due to several hen harriers going missing, their monitoring tags found discarded while others stopped working.<\/p>\n
Sgt Peter Evans, from North Wales Police, said a forensic investigation showed the bird’s harness in the latest case had been “intentionally severed”.<\/p>\n
It fledged from a nest on National Trust land in the Peak District after being tagged by the RSPB and was later recorded on the protected Welsh moorland, external<\/a> which is home to red grouse.<\/p>\n Mark Thomas, RSPB head of investigations, said the three-month-old was on the site for “just three days… before it vanished in highly suspicious circumstances” last August.<\/p>\n “A healthy young bird fledged from a safe area in the Peak District National Park and, sadly, chose to settle in Wales’ ‘Bermuda Triangle’ – the most notorious bird of prey persecution hotspot in the country.<\/p>\n “We suspect the criminal shot the harrier, cut the harness off the hen harrier’s body, discarded the tag and disposed of the body in separate locations to avoid detection.<\/p>\n “This area is a crime hotspot for hen harriers and other birds of prey and this has to stop.”<\/p>\n The last reported incident happened in August but there have been others:<\/p>\n Three tags were recovered from five hen harriers which had suffered suspected persecution between 2018 and 2026<\/p>\n Satellite tags on two more “suddenly and suspiciously stopped transmitting without sign of malfunction”, said the RSPB<\/p>\n Data from another suggested it had been interfered with prior to the bird’s death<\/p>\n Two others were found to have had their harnesses damaged “consistent with human involvement”<\/p>\n Sgt Evans from North Wales Police’s rural crime team said investigations into the last incident had proved inconclusive.<\/p>\n “The circumstances surrounding the bird’s disappearance are being treated as suspicious,” he said.<\/p>\n “Hen harriers are a rare and protected species in Wales, making incidents of this nature particularly concerning.”<\/p>\n All wild birds are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, external<\/a> and prosecutions could lead to fines or imprisonment.<\/p>\n