Video captures brutal moment buzzard is beaten to death in cage trap by masked gamekeeper

Shocking footage shows the protected bird of prey being repeatedly struck with a stick after it wandered into a crow cage trap, before being hauled away still alive.

Gamekeeper Thomas Munday later admitted the killing and was fined just over £1,200.

Animal welfare experts say birds of prey have been illegally targeted on shooting estates because they are seen as a threat to pheasants and other gamebirds bred for sport.

The prosecution came after the RSPB covertly deployed a camera to monitor the trap, before handing footage to the police.

The footage shows the buzzard entering the cage, where it became trapped.

Four hours later, a masked and hooded man arrives in an all-terrain vehicle, climbs into the trap and repeatedly beats the bird with a stick.

The injured buzzard is then dragged out - clearly still alive - and beaten several more times, picked up by its wing and thrown into the vehicle before the man drives away.

He was later identified as Thomas Munday, who was employed as a gamekeeper on the estate near Hovingham.

Munday pleaded guilty to killing a buzzard at Scarborough Magistrates Court on Monday (Jan 12) and was fined £1,215.

After footage was shared with North Yorkshire Police, officers carried out a search of the land with help from the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

They seized the stick used in the attack, which later showed traces of buzzard DNA following forensic work by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency.

Crow cage traps can be used legally under licence to control certain birds, but strict rules apply.

Any bird of prey caught must be released without undue delay.

Between 2009 and 2023, 75 per cent of those convicted of bird of prey persecution offences were connected to the gamebird shooting industry, with 68 per cent being gamekeepers.

In the last decade, 30 confirmed incidents involved birds of prey being caught or dying in unlawful crow cage traps - almost all on land managed for shooting.

Howard Jones, RSPB Senior Investigations Officer, said: "The casual and brutal killing of the buzzard is extremely upsetting to watch and it's clear that Munday has a complete disregard for the law, and the legislation that protects these birds.

"Frustratingly, this incident isn't a one-off but is just the latest example of the cruel and disturbing lengths some individuals will go to in order to illegally kill birds of prey.

"These crimes and the wider issue of bird of prey persecution is significantly linked to the gamebird shooting industry. Without long overdue regulation of gamebird shooting we expect to see these crimes continue."

James Robinson, RSPB Chief Operating Officer, said the incident underlined a "wider and deeply entrenched issue" for protected birds of prey.

He said: "For decades, these species have been illegally killed on land managed for pheasant, partridge and grouse shooting.

"More than half of all 1,529 confirmed persecution incidents recorded from 2009-2023 were linked to gamebird shooting.

"These crimes will continue without meaningful legislative change."

He added: "Through the introduction of a robust licensing system for all gamebird shooting across the UK, the illegal killing of birds of prey could be effectively deterred.

"Scotland took this welcome step in 2024 when it introduced licensing for grouse shooting. We need the Government to take action, now."