Viewers of Springwatch were shocked after seeing a bird being beaten to death by a gamekeeper.
The long-running BBC series has been tracking British wildlife as the seasons change, and while nature may be cruel to the creatures at times, one clip depicting a man murdering a buzzard has enraged many viewers.
On one of this week’s programmes, Frank Gardner flew to Norfolk to talk with a group of activists working to solve the issue of unlawfully murdered raptors and hold those guilty accountable.
He noted that the UK has a “deep and sad history with raptor persecution” dating back to the 1600s, when the birds were classified as vermin.
Despite attempts to safeguard raptors after Golden Eagles were driven to extinction, he claimed there were still individuals who considered them as a “threat to their way of life.”
Despite the fact that it is prohibited, many birds are still being hunted.
The section then featured photographs and recordings of poisoned or shot raptors, as well as horrific footage of many dead birds.
He went on to say that there were 108 verified raptor persecution occurrences in the UK in 2021.
Frank travelled to a nature reserve in the most impacted area, where he spoke with Mark Thomas of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, who then displayed film of a recent occurrence.
After a member of the public observed a buzzard captured in a trap, the RSPB freed the bird but planted a hidden camera at the location and soon discovered another bird ensnared.
The gruesome footage shows a local gamekeeper returning to the scene with a stick in his hand before killing the buzzard.
The clip, according to Mark, is ‘horrific’ to view.
Those viewing at home were astounded by what they witnessed.
‘I hope the person who beat that buzzard to death lives a very uncomfortable life. Absolute scum. It’s horrific footage but somewhat important to show so people realise what actually goes on,’ one person posted on Twitter.
‘The footage is just horrific,’ someone else wrote.
‘I saw it a while back and it left me feeling broken, physically sick, in tears and helpless. But these things need to be seen, nothing comes from being silent about the wrongs in the world. Keep up the good work exposing these scum!’
While this particular event resulted in criminal charges and a suspended jail sentence, the show stated that relatively few individuals were held accountable for targeting, harming, or killing the animals.
Springwatch is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
