Anyone who has seen a Red Kite soaring high over the Yorkshire countryside will confirm that it is a breathtaking and exhilarating sight.

Once persecuted to the brink of extinction, these stunning raptors have enjoyed a revival in recent years and are now regularly spotted across the region. Sadly, despite the fact that the Red Kite is now a protected species, it seems that humans continue to pose the greatest threat to its long-term survival.

Only last week, a young male was released into the wild at a secret Yorkshire location having being nursed back to health after it was found peppered with shotgun pellets. The injured bird was bedraggled and unable to fly when it was discovered, on the ground, in a wood near Market Weighton, East Yorkshire. It only survived thanks to the expert care that it received from Mike Jones, of Battleflatts Veterinary Clinic, at Stamford Bridge, and Jean Thorpe, who runs Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, near Malton.

Jean, a Raptor Rescue-approved rehabilitator, explained: "The pellets had broken the radius and ulna on one wing, which had become infected. The bird was put on antibiotics for 10 days and we crossed our fingers. When it was
x-rayed again, we found that a good callus had formed over the breaks.

"I then moved the bird from a quiet, small aviary to a bigger space, hoping it would be able to fly. Within two days, he was perching high and beginning to fly from perch to perch. During the course of the next week, he improved very well.

"It was a privilege to care for such a fine bird, and so rewarding to get things right and be able to see it fly away so strongly."

Information on a ring on the bird's leg and tag on its wing made it possible for Jean to establish that it had hatched in a nest in the Northamptonshire area in 2007, a further indication that Red Kites are once again spreading throughout the British Isles.

Sergeant David Jenkins and his colleagues in the Humber Police Poacher Watch Team, based at Driffield, were horrified by news of the shooting.

He said: "Red Kites are not deemed to be a problem to pheasants and other game birds because they are predominantly scavengers.

"To see a bird with a five-foot wingspan flying in this country is quite unique and special. With their chestnut-red colouring with white flashes and distinctive
v-shaped tail, Red Kites are stunning birds. Yet, there are people out there willing to shoot and poison them. In doing so they risk a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months imprisonment."

Sergeant Jenkins added: "I am amazed that this Red Kite survived being shot, and the location of its release is being kept secret to try to ensure that the same thing doesn't happen again. There are absolutely no excuses that anyone can give for shooting this bird and we're keen to hear from anyone who has information that will help us to trace who is responsible."

Anyone with information about this or other crimes against wildlife is asked to telephone Sergeant Jenkins' team on 0845 60 60 222.

All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.


The Red Kite

After being hunted to the verge of extinction throughout the British Isles by the end of the last century, the survival of Red Kites once hinged on a few breeding pairs in mid-Wales.

During the last 100 years, a relatively small-scale, but none-the-less determined, rescue effort by forward-thinking landowners, individuals and organisations has made it possible for them to be reintroduced at sites in England and Scotland.

The first birds to be reintroduced in Yorkshire were released on the Harewood House estate several years ago, and numbers have increased steadily since.

Red Kites are now spreading throughout the region once again and have been spotted at locations across East, North and West Yorkshire.